Moving valuables like dishes, paintings, and antiques pose a slightly different kind of challenge than moving regular household items such as clothes and furniture. If they are not handled carefully, there is always the chance of damage. At Unpakt, we asked the best moving services for their packing tips for moving your valuables and we’ve compiled the 5 best tips to help you safely move your valuables.
1. Create a list of all your valuables
The first thing you should do is sit down and create a list of all your valuables. This inventory list will be invaluable if anything goes missing. It will also be useful if you end up making an insurance claim. In addition to creating an inventory, also take a few photographs of each item. If you have any documents that came with the valuables, such as bills and a letter of authentication, put all of them together in a file.
2. Buy insurance
Find out if your home insurance covers your valuables. It may or may not. Even if it does, it’s always a good idea to buy extra insurance offered by the moving company or directly from an insurance company for expensive and fragile items. This ensures you will get the full value in case your valuables are damaged or lost.
3. Carry small items with you
Small and light items like jewelry and tablets can become easily damaged and misplaced. The safest place to keep them is with you or somewhere safe in your vehicle. Make sure to pack each item in an appropriately sized container or protective case.
4. Pack all the big items
Put all the large and heavy valuables inside special boxes or wooden crates. Pack them tightly and fill the empty spaces with paper or bubble wrap to prevent them from colliding into each other. All of these boxes can be packed into the moving truck but make sure the heaviest boxes are on the bottom and nothing heavy gets placed on them, so they won’t get crushed.
5. Label the boxes
Once you have packed the boxes, label each of them in big bold letters “FRAGILE” or “Handle with Care”. In addition, make sure that all the fragile items in boxes get labeled to stand upright with arrows pointing up.
For more moving tips, read our popular post on the 12 moving tips to make your life simpler.
