How to Pack Plates For Moving House Without Damaging Them

• July 19, 2022
• Bill Chen

Last updated on October 30, 2023

Is there anything more stressful than packing fragile items in your kitchen when moving house?

To make it easier (and less stressful) the moving experts at Bill Removalists Sydney have put together this guide on how to pack plates for moving house. Now you can move with confidence and avoid the dreaded rattle of broken crockery at the end of a long moving day.

Want the easy way out? Bills Removalists is an essential service and offers a premium package for luxury and fragile items. Contact the team of friendly professionals for your free quote on packing up and moving your home on 0425 351 578 today.

If you want to pack plates yourself, keep reading for handy hints!

Stock Up On Packing Supplies

No house move is complete without the right packing supplies and storage boxes. Before you start to pack up your plates and another crockery, you need to stock up to make your move a success:

• Packing tape and a tape gun
• Several medium-sized boxes
• A permanent marker to label your boxes
• Packing labels – handy for if you hire boxes.
• Packing materials for wrapping your plates.

Our top suggestion is to invest in high-quality moving boxes so the bottom doesn’t fall out when shifting them. How many boxes you need will depend on the number of kitchen items you have. You can speak to a moving expert at Bills Removalists and they can help you with all your relocation or storage needs.

Stock up on all your essential storage needs to make packing plates easy.

Decide What Packing Materials You Will Use

Deciding on what material to use to protect your dishes when moving is a vital step.

There are many different materials you can use to pack dishes, from packing paper and bubble wrap to sheets or towels. We have compiled this handy list so you don’t need to search any further to find a suitable solution.

Packing Paper

Reliable and cheap, packing paper is the perfect material to wrap around your plates. You can also protect crockery from crashing against each other or rattling around in the boxes by using more packing paper scrunched up to fill empty spaces in boxes.

If you can’t find packing paper, you can always use butcher’s paper as a great alternative.

Newspaper

Newspaper is a readily available material to protect your crockery when moving.

However, it can cause the ink to transfer onto your dishes. If you don’t mind a bit of extra elbow grease to wash them all again, then newspaper is a great alternative to packing paper.

Bubble Wrap

Bubble wrap is a great material to use to wrap your plates in, but it can be a bit more pricey and less eco-friendly. If you do want to use bubble wrap, choose the type with small bubbles as they are easier to wrap around each plate, as opposed to the ones with large bubbles.

Packing Sheets, towels or other material

If you don’t want to purchase packing paper or would like an environmentally friendly solution to bubble wrap, search no further than your own linen cupboard.

You can use sheets, towels, pillowcases or even clothes to wrap your plates safely for storage and transport.

Wrap plates for storage to keep them protected and intact.

Use Packing Tape To Secure Your Moving Box

To protect and pack dishes safely you need to ensure your box is completely secure. The last thing you want is to pick up your heavy box and the bottom collapse.

Here are some simple steps to make sure your box is ready for moving day:

• Close the bottom of the box and place it in a standing position
• Use your tape or tape gun to seal the bottom of the box.
• Wrap the tape along the bottom and then a third of the way up the sides, making sure it sticks the bottom and the edge of the flaps together.
• Add a few layers, both long ways and short ways, for extra reinforcement.

Secure your moving box with multiple layers of tape.

How To Safely Wrap Each Plate Individually

When packing, the best way to protect your dishes for moving is to wrap each plate individually in your chosen materials.

This simple method will have you wrapping plates like a pro!

• Step 1 – Find a flat surface with plenty of space, like your dining room table.
• Step 2 – Create a stack of your chosen packing material.
• Step 3 – Place your first plate in the middle of the top sheet of your stack.
• Step 4 -Take one corner of the packing paper (or other material) and fold it diagonally as tight as it goes.
• Step 5 – Wrap the corner around the bottom of the plate.
• Step 6 – Now repeat this step with the remaining three corners until the plate is completely covered in a thick layer.
• Step 7 – Make sure the ends are folded securely under the plate.
• Step 8 -Place this plate to the side, then repeat the above steps for all your plates and bowls.

Fold paper or other material securely around dishes before placing plates into boxes.

Plates Packed Flat vs Packed On Their Sides

There is a specific way to pack plates inside the box so they withstand more pressure and protect your dishes. This is to place them in the storage box sideways, instead of lying flat.

Take one plate and place it carefully in the box sideways, then nestle the next plate of the same size tightly against it. Line the rest of the plates inside the box until they’re packed together and fill the bottom of the box. You can use paper or other material scrunched up to fill any leftover space and add extra padding before taping the box closed.

Pack Plates Safely into Moving Boxes

By using the above method as a way to pack, your crockery will be safe and secure before placing them in a moving truck.

If you have large boxes you can fit a range of dishes, as long as you stack them correctly.

The first plate, or layer, should be your heavier dinner plates or serving dishes. With the second plate fitting snuggly against it and so on until a tight line of plates fits along the bottom of the box. On top of that layer, you can stack lighter dishes such as bowls or smaller plates.

Tips to consider when packing fragile items

• Create a soft bed for your dishes and other items by using several layers of material, or scrunched-up paper. Fill the bottom of the box with this soft layer, and you can even place extra to line the sides.
• Start with heavier/bigger dishes first and fill the bottom.
• Place plates and bowls on their sides and fit them tightly against each other.
• Fill empty spaces with more materials and paper.
• When you gently shake the box you shouldn’t hear any rattling and the placement should be left unchanged.

Packing plates for moving houses is easy with these hints and tips.

Fasten The Moving Box Securely And Label it Clearly

Once you have finished packing your dishes, bowls and plates and used paper to fill the gaps, fold the flaps down and seal them with several layers of tape.

Use a permanent marker or packing labels to mark the box as “fragile” and list what is inside the box as well as the location for the new home, i.e “kitchen”.

How To Pack Plates For Moving In 5 Simple Steps

• Step 1: Use packing tape to secure your moving box
• Step 2: Wrap each plate individually in your chosen material
• Step 3: Pack dishes sideways and ensure they are tightly packed
• Step 4: Fasten your moving box
• Step 5: Label clearly as “fragile boxes”

For more expert services and tips grab our handy “moving house checklist” here.

Get Professional Help

Save yourself the time, headaches and stress of packing up all those pesky kitchen items when you hire a team of professional movers. Bills Removalists Sydney can assist you with everything you need for a smooth and break-free move!

Contact us today for an obligation-free quote.