At Man and Van Simply Removals Manchester, we’ve helped move hundreds of people into their new homes. Moves are exciting but stressful, and they can be made worse by making easily preventable mistakes that we’ve seen time and time again.

In this series of blog posts, we decided to put together a list of items that are commonly damaged during home removals and show you how to prevent it. Pay particular attention if any of these items are especially precious to you, and take extra precautions with those while packing and moving.

Glassware

This is the most obvious item on the list. Glassware is notoriously fragile, and need to be carefully packed if you want it to survive the move in one piece.

Start by using the right packaging material. You want to pack glassware in a box that’s not too large, or you risk the glassware not being able to handle its own weight and cracking as a result. Wrap each item individually so they don’t bump against anything else. Use plenty of padding. Bubble wrap is excellent, or use multiple layers of packing paper. Use wadded up packing paper to fill thin glasses and any empty spaces in the box between glass items to prevent breakage when you are moving home.

Finally, make sure that all of your glassware boxes are clearly labeled as “Fragile” before the removal company transports your items. For extra care, move your glassware separately from your more durable items so they won’t risk getting mixed in and having heavy boxes placed on top of them, which will be sure to result in broken glass. Check that the glass items inside the box aren’t moving around by giving the box a slow, gentle shake. If you hear movement, add more packing material to keep them in place.

Art

Art is the next most commonly damaged item during removal. Whether you have canvas paintings, framed photographs or prints, or delicate sculptures and vases, art is almost always fragile, difficult to transport and easily harmed. To make matters worse, art can be very expensive and irreplaceable, so you want to ensure that you take excellent care in moving any precious artworks that you have.

If you own several art pieces, or if your art is extremely valuable, you should consider hiring specialist art movers who will take professional care in packing and transporting your artwork – Man and Van Simply Removals Manchester can provide a special removal service for this. Whomever you hire, or if you’re moving your pieces on your own, be sure to take out insurance for your valuables before you begin the transportation process.

Use only custom containers for your art pieces, such as snug-fitting boxes and travelling frames that don’t allow the item to move while it’s in transit. Label all boxes and crates as “Fragile” and “Art” before the removal company loads them on to the van to ensure that everyone handling them will know to take extra care.

Check back for our next post on this topic to see more items that are frequently damaged and how you can keep your valuable items safe during a move.