Tips for packing and moving antiques
Tips for packing and moving antiques.
At some point in our lives, it’s reasonable to want to move. The reasons why we move where we move are usually related to professional careers, relationships, or other important things in life. However, while you want to move, you don’t want to leave your antiques behind. So, let’s see what the best way for packing and moving antiques is. You’ll find that there’s no need for your antiques to drag you down and that you can have it all in your lovely new home.
Find help when packing and moving antiques
If it seems like you’re going to need some help then this is probably true. Let’s face it, packing and moving antiques is not an easy process and you’ll probably need a helping hand from professionals. After all, you want the safe transportation of your belongings across the country. So it’s not just about packing your antiques, but you want to make sure they arrive safe and sound. Of course, if you decided to pack the antique pieces by yourself, let the movers know which boxes contain them.
Why is it important to pack and move your antiques properly?
The main reason that you need to pack and move your antiques properly is that they’re usually very valuable, and most importantly, they are irreplaceable. On the other hand, antiques are usually quite sensitive, so sometimes all it takes for them to get damaged is a single bump on the road. And that’s exactly why antiques need to be carefully packed and prepared for the road before moving.
They’re not only valuable but also irreplaceable.
Be Careful
Most of your antique pieces probably have sentimental value, which basically makes them priceless. You don’t want to let something that survived that many years to get damaged in a couple of days during your move. Even with good insurance, if you really care about your antiques, you’ll do what’s in your power to make sure they arrive unscathed at your new home. Besides, there’s nothing bad about wanting something with a long history to be by your side in the new stage of your life.
Before You Start
Before you start packing your antiques, you need to do these things.
Note the Condition of Antiques
In case you have multiple antique pieces, you should note the condition of each piece before you start packing. Simply take an inventory with the comments on the condition. After you arrive at your new home, do this again, and hopefully, there won’t be any changes in the condition of your items.
Get an Appraisal
It’s useful to get an appraisal and note the value of your antique items. However, most of the time, they’re precious to their owners, regardless of their real value. The appraisal is more necessary in the case you’re hiring a company to help you pack and move your antique items, as you might need them for making claims.
Insurance Policy
You should check your insurance policy and make sure that it covers your items. More precisely, you need to know how much your claim is worth.
Clean the Items Carefully
Before you pack your antique pieces, you need to clean every tiny surface carefully. Any dust or debris or moisture can do more damage once you pack your items and prepare them for the road. You don’t want to see your pieces scratched or with mold and mildew. Use a microfiber cloth and gently remove dust or debris. Also, you mustn’t use any strong chemicals that might damage your sensitive antique pieces, especially if they’re made of wood.
This could be the result of not properly packing and moving antiques.
Packing Supplies
Get all the necessary supplies before you start packing. And if you think you have enough, get a bit more, since you really need to protect every single part and corner of your valuable antiques. Also, note that you’ll need a lot of packing material. So if you’re environmentally conscious and want to make your 2020 move more eco-friendly, consider using the recyclable and reusable packing material. Just be sure it will still provide the necessary protection.
Packing and wrapping material
Glassine – you can find it at craft shops, it’s good for protecting antiques
Moving blankets, furniture pads and corner protectors
Sturdy boxes – good for packing and moving antiques
When Packing
Follow these steps in order to pack your antiques properly:
Disassemble What You Can
If your antique has multiple parts, disassemble it, as it will enable you to protect every part separately. However, if your antique item is too old to be disassembled, do not risk damaging it.
Protect the Items Separately
The goal is to wrap the parts separately if that’s possible. Use moving blankets and furniture pads to protect each item. However, do not use tape or plastic-based material directly on the piece, as you could damage it. Put corner protectors on all the corners and wrap it all up with packing tape.
Fill the Empty Space
If you pack the items all by yourself, remember that it’s important to fill the empty spaces in the box. If you don’t do this, your item can move within a box and get damaged, even though it’s been previously wrapped up. Use a lot of packing material and make sure nothing moves once you put it in the box.
You don’t want your items to move around.
How to Place Antiques in the Truck
Once you load the boxes with antiques onto the moving truck, make sure to keep these boxes separated. Also, you don’t want anything to fall on these boxes, so make sure all the other items won’t move during the road. And by all means, even if you don’t have enough space in the truck, don’t put anything else on the boxes with antiques, no matter how small it is. If you’re not sure that the boxes are secure, wrap them in another moving blanket.
Do Your Best
At the moment we are fighting the invisible enemy on the front-line. However, even though we can’t control a lot of things right now, there are things we can control and it’s packing and moving antiques. We can do our best to make sure that our precious antiques arrive at their final destination in one piece.
https://pixabay.com/photos/living-room-victorian-historic-581073/
https://pixabay.com/photos/pocket-watch-clock-time-old-2036304/
https://pixabay.com/photos/old-books-book-old-library-436498/
https://pixabay.com/photos/old-journey-adventure-photo-map-1130731/
Author’s Bio
Thomas Ridge has been writing articles on the moving industry and real estate for 7 years. He’s moved more times than he can count, and that helps him use his life experience for his writing.
