To pack fragile items for a house move, wrap each piece on its own, pack plates on their edge rather than flat, fill every gap so nothing can shift, keep boxes small enough to lift easily, and label them clearly as fragile with the room they belong in. TVs, mirrors and pictures need extra padding and should travel upright. Anything precious or irreplaceable is best kept with you rather than in the van.

That covers the basics. Below we go through it item by item, so you know exactly how to pack the things most likely to break.

What You’ll Need

Getting the right materials together before you start makes the job far quicker. You’ll want:

• Strong boxes in small and medium sizes. Big boxes full of crockery get too heavy.
• Packing paper. Plain paper is better than newspaper, which can leave ink on your things.
• Bubble wrap for glass, screens and anything with sharp corners.
• Good packing tape, and plenty of it.
• A thick marker pen for labelling.
• Towels, tea towels, jumpers and bedding. These make good padding and save you packing them separately.

How to Pack Plates

The most common mistake is stacking plates flat in a box. When a box gets bumped or set down hard, all the weight presses down on the bottom plate. Packed on their edge, like records in a rack, plates are much stronger.

• Put a layer of scrunched paper or a towel in the bottom of the box.
• Wrap each plate in a couple of sheets of packing paper.
• Stand the plates on their edge in a row, side by side.
• Fill any gaps at the sides with scrunched paper so they can’t slide about.
• Add another layer of padding on top before you tape the box shut.

Bowls can be nested in small stacks of two or three with paper between each one, then wrapped together as a bundle.

How to Pack Glasses and Mugs

Glasses are thin and break easily if they knock against each other. Wrap each one on its own, starting at the rim and rolling the glass across the paper. Stuff a bit of paper inside each glass too, which stops the sides being crushed.

Pack glasses upright, rim side up, in a single layer if you can. If you have to add a second layer, put a piece of card or a thick layer of paper between them. Wine glasses and anything with a stem need extra paper wrapped around the stem, as that’s the weakest point.

Mugs are tougher but their handles snap off. Wrap them on their own and pack the handles facing the same way.

Old drinks boxes from a supermarket, the kind with cardboard dividers, are ideal for glasses if you can get hold of some.

How to Pack Mirrors and Pictures

Mirrors and framed pictures should never be packed flat or at the bottom of a pile.

• Make a cross of masking tape over the glass. It won’t stop it breaking, but it helps hold pieces together if it does.
• Protect the corners with folded card or corner protectors.
• Wrap the whole thing in bubble wrap, then in a blanket or a flattened box.
• Mark which side is the glass, so nobody leans it the wrong way.
• Keep them upright during the move, never lying flat with things on top.

Smaller frames can go in a box together, standing on their edge with padding between each one.

How to Pack a TV

If you still have the original box and foam for your TV, use it. It was made for the job. If not, you can still pack it safely.

• Take a photo of the back before you unplug anything, so you know where every cable goes.
• Remove the stand or wall bracket and keep the screws in a sealed, labelled bag taped to the stand.
• Cover the screen with a soft blanket or towel first, then bubble wrap. Don’t put tape directly on the screen.
• Keep the TV upright. Flat-screen TVs shouldn’t be laid flat or have anything stacked on them.
• Pack the remote and cables together in a bag and label it.

Tell us about large TVs when you ask for a quote, so we can plan where it goes in the van. If the TV is the only thing going, our single item delivery service can move it on its own.

Other Awkward Fragile Things

• Lamps: take the shade and bulb off and pack them separately. Wrap the base in bubble wrap.
• Ornaments: wrap each one on its own and pack them in a small box with plenty of padding.
• Glass table tops and shelves: remove them from the furniture where you can and wrap them like a mirror.
• Plants: they don’t travel well in a closed van for long. Carry small ones in your car if you can.

Label Every Fragile Box

Good labelling helps everyone handle your things properly. On each fragile box, write:

• “FRAGILE” in large letters on the top and at least two sides
• The room it’s going to, like “Kitchen” or “Living room”
• An arrow showing which way is up
• A rough idea of what’s inside, such as “Glasses” or “Plates”

Labelling by room also means boxes go straight to the right place when we unload, so you’re not carrying crockery from the bedroom to the kitchen later.

What to Keep With You

Some things are better travelling with you in the car, or in a bag you carry, rather than in the van. That includes:

• Jewellery and watches
• Important documents like passports and contracts
• Laptops, tablets, phones and chargers
• Medication
• Anything sentimental that couldn’t be replaced, like family heirlooms or photos

Your belongings are fully insured while they’re in our care, but for anything that money can’t replace, keeping it close is simply the safest option.

Want Us to Do the Packing?

If you’d rather not wrap every glass yourself, we offer full and partial packing. Partial packing is popular for the kitchen, which is usually the room with the most fragile things and the one people put off. We also take furniture apart and rebuild it at the other end. You can see what’s included on our house moves and flat moves pages, or browse all our services.

Packing yourself or having us help both affect the price, so let us know which you’d like when you ask for a quote. Our guide to what a man and van costs in Liverpool explains how prices are worked out.

Ready to Book Your Move?

Send our man and van Liverpool team a few photos and both postcodes on WhatsApp, tell us whether you’d like help with packing, and we’ll come back with a clear price, usually within the hour. We’re open seven days a week, 8am to 9pm.