Packing up your household belongings requires some strategic planning. While packing items such as books, dishes, pillows, and other personal items are typically easy to do. But add in picture frames, mirrors, and other fragile items, and your packing list suddenly becomes trickier to manage. Because many fragile items require special packing techniques, you may want a moving company in Greeley to ensure things are packed correctly. The last thing you want is to arrive at your new home with a box full of broken glass and shattered picture frames. 

However, if you’re like many people, you likely won’t want to source the additional costs; having your moving services in Greeley also helps with packing up your home. Thankfully, with the right packing essentials, research, patience, and TLC, you can pack your fragile items like the pros. Keep reading to get further insight into how to pack picture frames and mirrors for your next move. 

Start with supplies

Before starting your packing process, you’ll want to ensure you have the right supplies needed to get the job done. Here are some basic materials you should have on hand when packing for a move:

1. Packing tape
2. Artists tape
3. Bubble wrap
4. Cardboard sheets and tubes
5. Picture, mirror, and photo boxes
6. Permanent markers
7. Acid-free or archival paper

Steps for packing picture frames

It doesn’t matter if you are packing a canvas you picked up at a local garage sale, or it’s your great-grandmother’s antique mirror that’s been passed down for generations. You want to ensure your picture frames and mirrors are packed safely before you move. After you’ve gathered the supplies you’ll need to safely pack away your picture frames and mirrors, follow these steps to pack them ahead of your move securely. 

1. To help keep the glass on your mirrors intact, use artist tape to make an “X” across the glass side. 
2. Use cardboard or foam board, cut a piece that is slightly larger than the frame. Then cover the glass side to secure it in place using packing tape. 
3. You’ll then want to wrap the entire thing using packing paper, taking care to tape any loose edges in place. For added security, cover the whole frame or mirror with bubble wrap and secure it with more packing tape.
4. Use packing paper to line the inside of your picture of mirror boxes. If packing more oversized items, consider packing these individually. However, smaller picture frames and mirrors can be individually wrapped and loaded into the same smaller box. Be sure not to stack them flat on top of each other. Instead, pack them vertically to reduce the chance of breaking during the move. 
5. Use packing paper to fill in any empty space within the boxes and use packing tape to seal the box shut. 
6. Don’t forget to label the outside boxes as Fragile, so your movers in Greeley will know to take extra care of those items.

How to move Canvases

Picking your canvas for a move will depend heavily on how the canvas is stretched. Here are some tips for packing canvas depending on whether it’s been stretched over a wooden frame or rolled out. 

Rolled

1. Facing the painted side down, place the canvass between two sheets of paper.
2. Carefully roll the canvas and paper. Be careful not to roll too tightly, or you could damage the canvas.
3. Then roll the two pieces again with Bubble wrap.
4. Using a cardboard tube, carefully slide the canvas inside.
5. Secure the tube with packing tape and clearly label the tube

Stretched

1. Using foam or cardboard, tape it to the back of the canvas.
2. To protect it from moisture, place the canvas in a gallery bag. 
3. Wrap the whole bag with bubble wrap and tape to secure it in place.
4. Place the canvas securely between two foam or cardboard sheets.
5. Using packing tape, bind the two sides together. 

How to store loose photos

Most people have hundreds if not thousands of photos lying around their house. If you are lucky, many of them are already in albums or shoeboxes. If they aren’t, organizing them can be a very time-consuming process. However, if you have taken care to save them this long, chances are they are irreplaceable and should be handled with care. To preserve your photographed memories, here are some tips you can use to organize your loose photos ahead of your move. 

• Digital storage options: With technological advancements, backing up your photos in digital storage is something we should all do. While it can be time-consuming to turn all your loose photos digital, perhaps start digitizing your favorite images. If your printer has a scanner, you can quickly scan photos and upload them directly to your computer or flash drive or cloud service. 
• Photo box options: Available in various shapes and sizes, photo boxes are a great way to store your photos long-term. Experts suggest using acid-free or metal boxes that work a lot better than cardboard photo boxes for preserving your photo memories longer. 
• Albums: One of the most popular and traditional options to pack your loose photos ahead of a move is to place them into an album. However, be sure to stay clear of magnetic or peel-and-stick albums your parents likely used. These older picture albums aren’t acid or lignin-free, which means they can damage your photos over time.

Whether you’ve moved several times in your life or this is your first move, we can all benefit from tips to make your next move go smoother.  From packing picture frames to canvases to dishes and other fragile items, try not to fill any boxes over 40 lbs. Remember you or your moving company in Greeley will need to lift all these items. The last thing you want is to overpack your boxes which can lead to injury. Also, try to avoid wrapping your dishes with newspaper. In many cases, the ink bleeds onto your items and can damage them.