Imagine trying to explain to your best friend that you smashed the new wine glasses she bought for you. Apologizing to your friend is one situation you can avoid with our help. At Albuquerque Self Storage, we have your back with the best ways to keep your fragile items safe in storage.      Follow our tips below to feel great about keeping your items safe.

Packing Fragile Items: How to Store Delicates in Albuquerque

After today’s blog, you won’t have to grimace at the sight of broken plates you thought you stored correctly. We will discuss the principles of keeping your delicates safe, saving you the stress of replacing your favorite items. 

Clean Your Items

Before packing your items for storage, clean them. Washing your delicates will save you a job when you remove them from storage, as you can use them immediately. You will also keep your item’s conditions intact so that they will last longer. You can feel confident your items will stay protected by removing the dust and dirt that can ruin your favorite dishes. Waste no time when you need to bust out your fine China from storage. Cleaning before storage means all your items will be ready to go, making your life way easier! 

Create A Cushion

A vital step to transporting delicates in a box is protecting them. The best way to protect your delicates is by creating a cushion. Invest in bubble wrap, or better yet, use your home’s soft items to save money and prevent waste. You can use: pillows, teddies, clothes, and blankets. Place your soft items at the bottom of your box and between your fragile items to create a buffer between your items and the box. The buffer will prevent collisions between your delicates that would cause them to break.  

Wrap Items  

For extra peace of mind, individually wrap your delicate items in soft materials and then put your items in the box. For example, put a pair of socks inside your coffee mug and wrap another pair around your cup. Additionally, scarves are a great material to use due to their adaptability.  You can roll scarves up to put inside glasses and also use scarves to wrap your delicates. Kitchen cloths are another excellent alternative.    

Correct Box Size 

Any extra space in your box creates a risk of collision. That is why box size matters. Put your delicates into smaller boxes so there is no room for error. You need your items to have no space to move, keeping them safe from breakage.  

Tape And Label Boxes 

Tape your boxes closed securely to prevent them from breaking and your items from falling through. Don’t be shy with tape! Go over your package at least twice or however many times you feel necessary. A securely taped box will be easier to transport, and the taping will prevent an accident from happening.  

The last thing you need is someone dropping your box on the floor after all your hard work packing. Don’t let this happen; label your boxes as “Fragile”. You can purchase fragile tape to show your box’s contents, eliminating confusion. 

Egg Crates 

Your old egg crates have more uses than you thought! Firstly, you can add your jewelry pieces into each egg spacing. Place a cloth on top of your jewelry to increase compactness, then tape your crate securely afterward. Egg crates can also fortify your boxes. If you have a box that is too big for your delicate item, place crates against each wall of the box. Crates will make the box more robust and compact. 

Dividers 

Cardboard dividers are amazing for separating your items in a box. Purchase them online or create your own. Use dividers for your glasses to ensure the glasses don’t clash with each other when moving your boxes.

Store your plates vertically side by side, not on top of each other. Stacking plates creates unnecessary pressure, which could shatter the plates into pieces. Divide your plates by putting an item of clothing in between each plate. 

Electronics

The ideal scenario would be to pack your electronics into their original boxes. However, throwing away the TV box is a common thing to do. You can find a large box to place your TV in if you don’t have the original box. Wrap your TV in towels, tape the towels to secure them, and put the TV into the box. Place the TV upright and ensure you have filled any extra space in the box with cushioning. 

Create An X

If you store a mirror in a storage unit, tape an “X” on the glass. An “X” will strengthen your mirror during transportation and when it is in storage. Keep your mirror upright against the wall of your unit to reduce the pressure and decrease the risk of the mirror breaking. 

Do You Need A Place To Store Your Items? 

Contact Albuquerque Self Storage to find the best units for you. Find our contact details by clicking here. We are open 7 days a week from 8am until 6pm, so we are available whenever you need us!