The dining room may have lesser complexities than the bathroom or the kitchen where the number of items are smaller and multiple. However, even if the constituting materials are largely bigger furniture, the dining room too has its own problems and quirks. These complications primarily emerge from the extreme minute details which comprises these large furniture sets. Apart from these larger stuffs providing complexities to the process, presence of certain fragile materials, like china dishes and crystal glasses and stemware too introduces problems. This is because they require extreme attention with which they should be wrapped within papers and then carefully inserted into cellular division boxes so that they do not hit each other during the moving process. To ensure that the entire procedure moves seamlessly and in an organized fashion, the following steps need to be followed which can provide able guidance towards the dining room packing process.
Classifying, Selecting and Simplifying – The dining room should be sorted like all other rooms, because of its diverse manifold constituents and their varied requirements. This will not only denote simplification of the motley of materials, but also provide you with a proper understanding of what you should take with yourself and what you should leave behind.
Packing of Fragile Items – Pick up some sheets of plain paper used for wrapping, and individually wrap glassware and china items. The amount of plain wrapping paper that you will use should be significantly high, because not only are covering them to resist scratches from other materials, but also protecting them from each other if they hit one another during the moving process. The cellular divisions ensure their separation possibility, but chances of collision still remain. Also for apt protection against rattles and bumps, you should also use bubble wraps. The plates and dishes should be vertical within the packages to avoid chances of formation of cracks. When applying layers of consecutive plates, make sure that there is enough amount of bubble wraps or newspapers placed between two layers that is strong enough to withstand large jerks or extreme movements. Also, the heavier dishes should be kept at the bottom and then move up accordingly.
Packing of Flatware and Silverware – To ensure that the silver pieces do not lose their luster, they should be wrapped within newsprint or plastic wrap. Flatware or silverware materials can be grouped together and wrapped up, or they can also be kept within their boxes. In case of boxes, it needs to be ensured that it is properly closed with tapes. Wrap the box again with bubble wrap, or linen materials like pillow cases, dishtowels or bath towel, or a number of plain paper sheets.
Lamp Bases and Rugs – For table lamps, purchase boxes with extra length and secure the bottom by applying considerable amount of packing tape. The cord of the lamp should then be wrapped around the base to avoid it being unraveled, and remove the shade and bulb. The lamb base should then be lied down over a spread out bubble wrap layer, which should then be wrapped around it and secured with a few lengths of tapes. The same process should be carried out with the top of the lamp as well, and the lamp should then be placed in the box with its base down. Any extra space within the box should be filled with bubble wraps or newspapers to avoid chances of the lamp’s movement during the moving process. For lamp shades, seal the bottom of the box with packing tapes. Then ensure that the first shade is lowered, by holding the shade’s wire rim. Then the second shade should be slipped over the first, with considerable amount of plain newsprint separating the two. The boxes should then be sealed and marked with instructions like “this end up” and “fragile”.
Rugs should be properly cleaned by professionals, after which they should be rolled and secured with plastic ties. Large plastic bags should then be brought into which the rug should be inserted. Such specialized bags can be provided by the moving company itself.
Moving the Furniture – All drawers and doors of cabinets should be secured enough to avoid being opened during the moving process. Large pieces like glass door cabinets and hutches can be shrink-wrapped. This can be carried out by a professional packing firm or by the moving company. Table leaves should be individually packed within materials like linens or towels. Specialized table corner protection materials can be found for purchase in moving supply shops, which should be attached in the table corners to avoid possibilities of breakage due to bumps. Table legs should be packed separately. They should be taken together, taped and attached at the back of the table. Nuts, screws and bolts should all be collected and put together into a plastic bag which then should be attached at the underside of the table.
