How to Pack Glass Shelves for Moving

When preparing for a move, you’ll come across all sorts of items in your household that are difficult to pack. Some will be too bulky, too heavy, or too fragile to move. Sometimes, they’ll be heavy and fragile at the same time. That’ll make you wonder what the best way to pack and protect against damages is. Those items include your glass shelves too. They can be rather heavy but also fragile since they’re made of glass and naturally, require careful handling. Of course, you can always contact furniture or fine-art movers and inquire about their specialized packing services. This is the most convenient way to transport your items safely and efficiently. However, if you choose to go for a DIY move, you may wonder how to pack glass shelves for moving. But worry not, because our simple step-by-step guide will help you.

Gather packing supplies

Before you jump to the actual packing part, there are a few things you must take care of. Firstly, you’ll need moving and packing supplies, including packing paper and packing tape. You’ll also need other materials depending on your preference, such as bubble wrap, cardboard, and moving blankets. Once you gather all the packing materials needed for the protection of your glass items, it’s time to take the necessary measures of precaution explained in the following step.

Protect your hands

The first thing to do is to use hand gloves so you’d make sure that you’re about to conduct the task in a safe manner. As you’re aware, handling glass barehanded is dangerous, and you certainly want to avoid injuries while moving. So work gloves are the first step to successful glass shelves move. They’ll give you a much better grip so you’ll also be more efficient. In case you have helpers, make sure you provide protective hand gloves for them too.

Take the shelves out

Now that you’re prepared for safety and packing, you can move on to the next step. Go ahead and remove glass shelves from the furniture they belong to. While this seems like a pretty simple task, it does require you to do it carefully and cautiously. Don’t make any sudden moves and remove shelf by shelf slowly. It’s a good idea to remove doors from the furniture unit so you could remove glass shelves easier. Try removing shelves at various angles so you could find the one that doesn’t make them scratch the furniture. Also, never try to remove the glass by yourself if it’s too heavy – always find helpers if needed.

Pack glass shelves for moving

Now comes the easy part and it’s protecting shelves. You should already have your material of choice – packing paper, bubble wrap, cardboard, or moving blankets. You can also use a combination of these materials to get the best results for your fragile belongings.

Packing paper & bubble wrap

If you can’t decide between packing paper vs. bubble wrap, use them both for the best results when packing fragile items. First, wrap your shelves into packing paper. Place the shelf in the middle of the stack that you placed on the flat surface – a table is the most convenient option. Then simply wrap the paper around to cover the entire glass shelf. You will need several layers of paper so use it generously. Wrap the glass by sections in case it’s too big but make sure each part is covered and your shelf is completely wrapped in paper. You will then need to follow by using bubble wrap and creating another layer of protection. The reason for that is because the paper will protect against scratches but it won’t do much against breaking – that’s what air-filled bubble wrap is for.

Use the same method as you used for packing tape, simply wrap it around to cover the shelf completely. You should use bubble wrap with big pockets of air but if you can’t find that one, any type of bubble wrap is better than no wrap at all. If you’re wondering why you shouldn’t just use bubble wrap straight, without the initial layer of paper, the reason is that bubble wrap can leave stains on your delicate glass possession but that is easily avoided by using soft packing paper first. You will then use your packing tape in order to secure everything and keep it in place.

Cardboard

Another way to pack glass is to skip the bubble wrap and use cardboard instead. You will need two pieces of cardboard for one shelf because you’ll place the glass in between the cardboard. You’ll sandwich the glass between cutouts. Again, packing tape is used to keep things in place but make sure you don’t put it directly on glass because it can leave that nasty residue.

Moving blankets

The last way to pack glass shelves is to use moving blankets. If you wonder why you should use moving blankets, that’s because they provide the ultimate protection. They’re often used for moving heavy, bulky, or fragile pieces of furniture. The soft fabric is designed to absorb any accidental hits and it will guarantee you have your glass shelves arrive safely to your new home. In order to pack, you’ll use a simple method – just wrap the whole glass shelves in furniture blankets and secure them in place with packing tape.

Summary

Hopefully, these steps are easy enough and will help you pack your glass shelves for a safe move. Don’t forget you’ll also need to place those shelves back into the furniture they belong to, which also requires some effort and necessary measures of precaution.

If this seems like too much work or you just prefer to let professionals handle the move, go ahead and hire a professional moving company you can trust. Dumbo Moving and Storage is always at your service. Reach out to us to chat about your upcoming move. Find out how much it will cost you to have your household items packed in the quickest way possible. By hiring full-service movers, you’ll get packing & unpacking service, including high-quality packing materials, and safe and insured transport. Whether you’re moving locally or long-distance, we will gladly create a customized plan for your relocation. Contact us, and we’ll also provide a free moving quote. Let’s connect!