Relocating your family is a complicated process, and moving precious household items or personal effects adds to the pain.
Quality of packing plays a key role here, since different items need to be packed differently, using appropriate packing materials.
Roy Augustin, Head, International Moving, E-Movers, stresses that the crew doing the packing needs to be trained enough to differentiate the type of item being handled, especially when it comes to expensive or cherished possessions that, if damaged while relocating, cannot be easily replaced with a trip to the supermarket.
Here, Augustin gives his advice on a few categories that need special care and attention while packing.
Artworks
These could range from a simple picture frame to expensive paintings and sculptures. To pack them, first keep the item on a clean flat surface. All corners of the frame should be protected using custom-made protective cups. Use a polythene sheet as the first layer, followed by bubble sheet wrapping and 5-ply hard sheet packing. Use silica gel sachets to absorb moisture if the shipment will be sailing through different climates. Prepare custom-made wooden crates and insert packed items into them. Thermocol sheets should be used inside the crates to keep the items tightly in place.
Sentimental value is more important than monetary value in most cases. To pack such items, use craft paper as the first layer followed by bubble sheet and 5-ply hard sheet. Packed items should be inserted into custom-made wooden cases padded with thermocol to avoid internal movements.
Antiques and collectibles
Sentimental value is more important than monetary value in most cases. To pack such items, use craft paper as the first layer followed by bubble sheet and 5-ply hard sheet. Packed items should be inserted into custom-made wooden cases padded with thermocol to avoid internal movements.
Pianos and other musical instruments
This category requires handling by a trained technician. Dismantling pedals and legs should be done by a professional before packing. And to pack, use craft paper as the first layer, followed by bubble sheet and 5-ply hardboard sheets. Packed items will be further placed into custom-made wooden cases with added cushioning of thermocol and foam. Mark properly with an up arrow on the outer side of the crates.
Crystal, China, porcelain and silverware
These items have often been painstakingly collected over the years, and their fragility demands extra care. Each item should be individually wrapped in craft paper followed by bubble sheets. All these items need to be further packed into 5-ply cartons with adequate protection using foam and papers.
Dresses, bags and shoes
Suits, blazers and similar items should be packed in stand-up wardrobe cartons, using hangers. This will avoid wrinkles in clothes. Other clothes should be packed in flat cloth boxes with a layer of craft paper lining the box. Bags and shoes should be packed carefully using layers of paper or bubbles. These items will be further packed into small cartons. Items must be kept in loose condition. To avoid permanent damage, do not stuff several packages on top of one another.
TVs and home appliances
New-generation TVs and high-value electronic goods are sensitive in nature — even minor pressure on these products can cause permanent damage. To pack, wrap the product with polythene followed by bubble sheet and 5-ply hard sheets. Packed items should be inserted into custom-made wooden cases padded with thermocol to avoid these jostling around.
GOING ABROAD: THINGS TO CONSIDER
Simone Percy, Managing Director, DASA, says that moving goods internationally is often seen as something anyone can do — after all. It seems to be just about putting items in boxes and then putting those boxes into a bigger box and then onto a ship.
“While this may be true in its fundamentals, the reality is far more complex. Professional packers are trained, not only in the precise packing methods required to protect your precious items in their individual boxes, but also in the loading and stowing of the container,” she says, noting that large vessels crossing the oceans are often subjected to huge amounts of stress. “Vessels can be tossed around in up to six different directions in the space of 30 seconds. If you consider that a voyage to northern Europe takes approximately 30 days, that’s up to 500,000 movements.”
Professional packers are trained, not only in the precise packing methods required to protect your precious items in their individual boxes, but also in the loading and stowing of the container
So, if the items are not packed and stowed correctly, it can lead to massive damages. Percy offers the example of bicycles. “We always remove the pedals on bicycles. I have seen cases where this has not been done, and the pedal has been placed next to a flat surface (a cabinet, for example); 500,000 small movements and the pedal has gone right through the side of the cabinet.”
Her general rule of thumb when moving personal effects is: No food, no liquids, no plants/organics and no medicines. And yes, no candles in the summer — they have a tendency to melt.
