How to pack dishes and glassware so nothing gets broken

• Sturdy medium-sized boxes – a large box full of dishes is too heavy and splits easily.
• Plain packing paper – newspaper ink smudges china, and you'll have to wash it all afterwards.
• Bubble wrap for glassware and particularly valuable items.
• Packing tape and a marker for labelling the boxes.
• Towels and tea towels as extra padding – you have to pack them anyway.

1. Prepare the bottom of the box

Tape the bottom in a cross and line it with a layer of scrunched-up paper. This acts as a shock absorber when the box is put down.

2. Wrap plates one by one and stand them on edge

Wrap each plate separately in paper and stand it upright, like records in a rack. Plates standing on their edge cope with pressure far better than plates stacked on top of each other. Put the largest and heaviest ones at the bottom of the box.

3. Bowls, pots and serving dishes

You can nest bowls inside one another with paper in between. Fill pots with lighter items, such as tea towels, and pack the lids separately.

4. Glasses and stemware go on top

Stuff the inside of each glass with paper, then wrap the whole glass. The weakest point of a wine glass is its stem – wrap it separately or use a box with dividers. Always pack glassware at the top of the box, never under heavy dishes.

5. Fill every empty space

Give the closed box a gentle shake. If anything moves, add more paper. The dishes must have no room to shift.

6. Seal and label the box

Write on two sides which room the box is going to and what's inside, add “fragile – glass” and mark which way is up.

• A large box filled to the brim with plates – too heavy to carry safely.
• Plates laid flat in a stack.
• Newspaper instead of packing paper.
• Empty spaces in the box.
• No label – the box ends up underneath other, heavier ones.
• Packing the kitchen first, while you're still using it. Pack the kitchen last.

You don't have to book packing for your whole home. A popular choice is for us to pack the kitchen and fragile items, while you do the rest yourself in boxes we deliver in advance. You'll find the details on our packing and moving in Wrocław page.

We work out how many boxes to prepare for the kitchen and the rest of your home in our post on how many boxes you need for a move.

Can I use newspaper to pack dishes?

Better not. Printing ink smudges china and glass, so everything has to be washed after unpacking. Plain packing paper is cheap and clean.

How many dishes should go in one box?

As many as one person can still lift safely. With plates, two lighter boxes are better than one heavy one.

Is bubble wrap necessary?

Paper is enough for ordinary plates. Bubble wrap comes in handy for glassware, stemmed glasses and particularly valuable items.