How to Pack Crockery So It Doesn't Break on the Way

How to pack crockery: preparation and materials

Crockery usually breaks not while driving, but while the box is being handled. When you know how to pack crockery and, above all, how to arrange the box, even a set of thin glasses will arrive safely. What matters is the padding, the weight and making sure nothing moves inside.

What to prepare in advance

Packing paper is better than newspaper. Printing ink rubs off onto porcelain and plastic, and then you have to wash everything again. Unbleached packing paper is cheap and will save you an hour of work in your new flat.

Save bubble wrap for the most valuable items. Paper is enough for ordinary plates; bubble wrap is for glass, ceramics and things that can't be replaced. Tea towels, towels and kitchen textiles that you're moving anyway make good padding.

Choose medium-sized boxes. Crockery is heavy and a large box tempts you to overfill it. Tape the bottom in a cross beforehand so that it doesn't give way under the load.

When to pack the kitchen

Crockery is among the first things to go into boxes. Feel free to pack the dinner service, special-occasion glassware and pans you don't use two weeks in advance. For everyday use, keep a few plates, mugs and one pan; pack them on the last day into one box.

Packing the kitchen takes longer than any other part of the flat. Set aside a whole evening for a moderately full kitchen. Go cupboard by cupboard so that you don't get lost in half-packed crockery.

Plates are packed on their edge

Never stack plates flat on top of each other. Lying flat, they'll crack at the first knock. Wrap each plate separately in paper and stand them in the box on their edge, like plates in a dishwasher. In this position they withstand a vertical jolt much better.

Put a few centimetres of soft padding in the bottom of the box. Scrunched-up paper or a folded tea towel will absorb the impact if you put the box down a little too quickly.

Glasses and mugs

Pack glasses one at a time and stand them upside down. Push paper inside the glass too; otherwise the sides will press in on each other. Wrap stemmed glasses at the stem as well; that's where they crack most often.

Don't hang mugs by their handles. The handle is the weakest point; wrap them separately and place mugs side by side, not inside each other.

Packing the box and transporting crockery

Order from bottom to top

The heaviest pieces go at the bottom. Pans, roasting tins and cast-iron frying pans form a stable base. On top of them go plates on their edge, and at the very top glasses, mugs and thin glassware. The opposite order means broken glass before you've even loaded the van.

Use pans as packaging. Smaller mugs or spices layered with a tea towel will fit inside a large pan. You save space and protect the contents at the same time.

Fill the gaps until nothing moves. The test is simple: carefully shake the closed box. If something clinks inside, there isn't enough padding. Fill the space with paper or textiles and repeat the test.

Knives, cutlery and appliances

Always wrap and tape blades. Wrap knives in several layers of paper and use tape to mark where the blade is. You're protecting your own hands and those of whoever does the unpacking.

Leave cutlery in the cutlery tray. Wrap the whole tray in film or a tea towel and tape it up; you'll save yourself sorting in the new kitchen.

Pack appliances in their original boxes if you have them. Wrap removable parts of a blender or coffee machine separately; otherwise they'll come loose during the journey and rub against each other.

Unpacking in the new kitchen

Open boxes of crockery on the floor, not on the worktop. A box standing on a smooth surface can easily slide off. Unpack from the top, so glass first, and put the paper straight into one bag.

Unpack first the box you packed last. A few plates, mugs and a pan let you function normally, even if the rest of the kitchen waits until the next day.

Loading and driving

Boxes of crockery belong on the flat floor, not on furniture. Ideally between soft items, for example next to a mattress or sofa. Never put them on top of a tall pile, where they could fall.

Mark them clearly with the word fragile and an arrow pointing up. Write the label on the side, because when they're stacked you only see the side walls.

Secure the load so that it has nowhere to move. Empty space in the load area is crockery's biggest enemy, so load compactly and fill the gaps with light items. You can choose a suitable vehicle size in our fleet, and you'll find more advice on the blog.