[MotherBear]

We used a LOT of bubblewrap. I often refer to myself as The Bubblewrap Queen, as I use so much of it when we're on the move. It?s lightweight, flexible and if it?s wrapped around objects well enough, can provide a nice cushion-effect. With some of the bigger items that were in danger of suffering damage, we put them in boxes large enough to hold cushions or other soft furnishings (bedding, pillows, towels etc.) or large bits of polystyrene stuffed around them to give protection and to keep them away from the box walls. When we ran out of suitable material, we crumpled up paper supplied by the shippers and rammed that between items and the walls of the boxes. You have to bear in mind, when packing, that these boxes will be turned upside down, banged, knocked and possibly dropped and it?s good to pack accordingly. Make sure the boxes are quite tightly filled to the top, even if you have to top them up with crumpled paper. I saw our boxes being completely turned over 360 deg. before they went into the container and was relieved that we had done this to stop things moving around inside the boxes. Also in boxes containing fragile items, we lined the bottom with polystyrene slabs where available and this helped when the boxes were set down rather clumsily. Take care inside the boxes that all items that could bump against each other are separated with sufficient padding to prevent this as chipping, cracking or damage from chafing could result.

Clothing we put into long boxes, which allowed for lying the clothes horizontally flat, so there was a minimum of creasing. We also had a few wardrobe boxes where the clothes hang on a rail, but we were warned (and then discovered for ourselves) that the clothes often come off the rail and just lie in a heap in the bottom. I?d hoped to just unhook the clothes off the rails and hang them in their new location, but it didn?t work out like this. We haven?t had any experience of using silica gel packs as our container was only under way for 2 weeks, but I would think they might help rather than hinder. Just make sure that whatever you?re packing is perfectly dry to begin with. There must have been a small amount of water in the tube of a kitchen appliance, which had worked its way out in one of our boxes and some items with metal bits on them had rusted.

To sum up, when you are packing your boxes, consider what would be the result if you kicked the walls. If you?re happy that there?s enough material around the items to cushion against any blow, then there?s a good chance that all will be well.