Most damage on a move does not happen in the truck. It happens at the bottom of a box that was packed in a hurry. Glass plates stacked flat, picture frames laid sideways, a TV wrapped in a single bath towel. The good news: fragile items are not actually hard to protect. They just need a different system than your books and clothes.
Here is the system, item by item.
The packing principle
Every fragile object needs three layers between it and the box wall:
- Direct cushion wrapped around the item (paper, bubble wrap, cloth)
- Internal padding that fills the empty space around it
- Crushable buffer between the items inside the box and the cardboard
If you can press on any side of a closed box and feel something shift, it is not packed safely. Add more padding until the box is firm in every direction.
China and dinnerware
Plates travel on their edge, not flat. Stacked flat, the weight of the upper plates crushes the lower ones at any sharp impact. Vertical, they share the load along their strongest axis.
- Wrap each plate individually in packing paper. Bath towels and t-shirts work too — saves bubble wrap and uses things you are moving anyway.
- Stand them on their edge inside a dishpack carton (smaller, double-walled box made for this purpose).
- Fill all empty space with crumpled paper. Shake the box gently — nothing should rattle.
- Label “FRAGILE — THIS SIDE UP” on at least two sides.
For bowls: nest them with paper between each, then wrap the stack as a single bundle.
Glassware and stemware
Wine glasses, champagne flutes, anything with a stem — these are the most-broken items in any move because the stem snaps under almost any side load.
- Stuff the bowl of the glass with crumpled paper first.
- Wrap the entire glass in two full sheets of packing paper, twisting around the stem to bulk it out.
- Use a glassware divider box (with vertical cardboard cells) — much safer than a flat box.
- Glasses go in upside-down, foot up. They are stronger that way.
Picture frames and art
Frames travel on their edge like plates, never flat. Glass laid flat will crack from the weight of anything stacked on it.
- Tape an X across the glass with painter’s tape (the low-tack kind). If it cracks, the tape holds the shards in place.
- Wrap in bubble wrap, corner protectors on each corner.
- Stand vertically in a picture/mirror box or between two layers of cardboard.
- Mark the box “ART — FRAGILE — DO NOT LAY FLAT.”
For canvas art, wrap loosely with breathable paper, then bubble wrap. Don’t shrink-wrap canvas — moisture can get trapped and bloom on the surface.
Electronics
TVs, monitors, desktop computers — the original boxes are almost always the safest. If you don’t have them:
- Photograph all the cables and ports before unplugging anything.
- Bag and label each cable bundle by device.
- Wrap the screen in an anti-static bag or a microfiber cloth first, then bubble wrap. Standard plastic stretch wrap can generate static.
- Use a flat-screen TV box (or two refrigerator boxes taped face to face) with rigid foam corners.
- Travel the TV standing upright, never flat — flat puts pressure on the screen center.
For computers, pull the side panel and add foam padding around any internal cards if you can. Hard drives travel fine; SSDs travel fine too. Just keep them firm.
Lamps and lampshades
Disassemble: shade, harp, bulb, base — each in its own wrap.
- Bulbs travel in their own little box, labeled.
- Shades nest inside each other with paper between, then go in their own box (never under anything heavy).
- Bases get wrapped in bubble wrap; rigid bases can travel in any sturdy box.
What never to put in a box
- Anything liquid (drain or seal in a separate sealed bag)
- Pressurized cans
- Plants
- Anything you cannot replace if it broke — those ride with you, in your car, in a padded bag
For NYC apartment moves that involve a lot of fragile inventory — china collections, framed art, screens — nyc moving companies like Dynamic Movers offer a full-pack service where the crew handles the wrap and crating themselves. Worth pricing alongside DIY packing, especially for one-bedroom or larger apartments.