How to pack your china like a pro

It is believed that breaking a mirror may bring you seven years of bad luck. But what about breaking your finest china or antique tea cups?

Aside from the superstition part, remember that proper packing is essential to ensure your Villeroy & Boch’s collection survives for future generations.

Here are our top tips on how to pack your china:

Buy the right supplies

Packing starts with acquiring the right protective materials.
This is what you’ll need:

• Moving boxes or the original boxes your china came in.
• Bubblewrap, old newspapers or silk paper for protection.
• Packing peanuts to provide extra padding.
• Tape to seal your boxes.

You can get most of these packing supplies at any of our Shurgard locations, together with some free expert advice.

Get packing!

1. The first step is to create a firm layer at the bottom of the box for extra protection. You can either use old newspapers, bubblewrap, or packing peanuts to do so.

2. Then carefully wrap each piece individually in packing paper. Make sure you always use enough paper to cover the entire item.

3. Plates and bowls are packed the same way, teacups and glasses are packed differently. Let’s explain:

• As plates and bowls are stronger standing up, we place them diagonally. Create a protection layer in front of the first plate and place the plates in the box one by one. Fill the space around the plates with crumbled newspaper, bubblewrap, or packing peanuts.
• Glasses and cups are placed horizontally, as if you were serving from them. You can either use a glass divider or some cardboard between each cup. Place a layer of cardboard after each layer of cups. As with the bowls and plates, avoid room for them to move around.

4. Then firmly close your box with tape – top and bottom.

5. Better safe than sorry. No matter why or where you store your china, it’s always wise to write “fragile” on every side of the box and “this side up” on the top.

So remember – whether you are packing your everyday IKEA dishes or your Villeroy & Boch’s Petite Fleur collection – it’s essential to pack them in the correct way.

Want to find out more? Check out Shurgard’s expert packing tips and share your comments below.