Weve all heard the superstition that smashing a mirror causes seven years bad luck, and nobody wants that worry hanging over their head when facing the stress of a house move, do they? With the all the rushing around and heavy lifting involved in a move, theres often a risk of fragile items like mirrors or picture frames being damaged, so its important to know how to pack these items properly and effectively so that theyre safe from harm on the big day. Here are our 7 top tips for packing mirrors.
- Watch out for the corners
If your mirror isnt framed, you need to take care to safely wrap the corners, to protect both them from catching and shattering, and you from cutting yourself on them. You can buy corner protectors from any DIY store, usually made from plastic, or you can make your own. Simply cut out some cardboard pieces to fit over the corners, and tape them down.
- Seal it with an X
To avoid your mirror shattering in the event of any accidental knocks or drops, mark the front of the mirror with several X shapes with masking tape. This will strengthen the surface of the mirror slightly, and will help keep together any shards in the unfortunate event that the mirror does shatter, meaning it will be easier to dispose of the glass.
- Wrapping is a gift
The next step is to wrap up your mirror with protective materials. You can buy ˜proper packing materials from a store, or you can use what you already have in the house, such as a thick bath towel. Just make sure the padding is thick enough and that the mirror is wrapped and securely to avoid it slipping around, as this is a risk in itself.
- Bubblewrap is best
Though using your own wrapping materials from home saves money, bubble wrap is the best protective wrapping material you can get and can be purchased from a local shop or post office. After sticking down your tape on the surface and protecting the corners, simply wrap your mirror and then tape it down to keep it secure. Two layers is best, as this gives the mirror a little extra protection from damage.
- Label Clearly
To ensure that anybody moving your furniture and belongings knows to treat your mirror and other fragile items with extra care, make sure to clearly label these items once they are carefully wrapped. Simply tape down a piece of paper with the word ˜fragile written large and clear. Its best to put this on both sides of the mirror, and its also advised to mark which side is the front of the mirror, if it is in a frame. This will also make it easier when unpacking your belongings later.
- Pack separately
When arranging your belongings to be loaded into a moving vehicle, make sure to separate the clearly marked fragile items so that everybody knows to take extra care when packing them. This will also help avoid any accidents when other heavy furniture is being moved around.
- Keep upright
It may seem logical to lie your carefully wrapped mirror down in the moving vehicle, but this is one way to guarantee damage to it. The mirror wont take the pressure of anything else lying on it, and there is also a risk of something heavy falling on it during the move. To ensure the mirror is safe in transit, stand the mirror upright, on its side. Make sure the mirror is loaded last, so that nothing else is packed and jammed on either side of it. This will mean that when you reach your destination, you will also be able to unload the mirror first and place it somewhere safe and out of the way of the other furniture.