The Top Ten Most Frequently Damaged Items When Moving Home

Accidents will happen, it is inevitable, and we are only human. Right?

Sort of. Nearly every accident is preventable, if only with hindsight. If only we had done something differently, if only this or that hadn’t happened.

But we live in the real world and accidents WILL happen.

So how do we minimise the risk of damage or accidents when moving home?

What can you do to reduce the likelihood of your furniture or household goods being damaged, or more importantly, prevent any injury to yourself or those around you?

What precautions can we take to ensure our home move is safe?

Read on to discover the answer to those questions and more.

You may also like to read: How to Choose the Right Boxes for Your Home Move. Safe packing starts with choosing the best quality packing materials. In this guide, we share all you need to know about choosing the best strength and size of boxes for your home move.

Throughout this article, we will refer to Bubble Wrap® (the trademark of Sealed Air Corporation) and the name by which most people refer to air-filled plastic packaging.

What Are The Most Commonly Damaged Items During a Home Move?

These are the top ten items that most commonly get damaged on moving day, and what you can do to minimise the risks of damage to those items.

Glass and China

Obvious, but these are easily breakable things and if improperly packaged, or handled incorrectly, are highly likely to be damaged.

Every piece of glass or crockery should be individually wrapped in packing paper and bubble wrap®, ensuring that no two pieces touch each other in the box.

It is essential that the bottom, top, and sides of the boxes are padded to cushion any impacts and to stop the contents from moving around whilst in transit.

You may also like to read: How to Pack Glasses and Plates. For comprehensive instructions on how to pack your glassware and crockery for moving, be sure to read this guide.

Framed Items

These are vulnerable items that need special attention paid to the glass fronts and edges when being packed.

Pool noodles, split and run around the edge of the frames, will greatly reduce any chance of damage, whilst stiff cardboard applied to the glass will help prevent the glass from getting broken.

You may also like to read: How to Pack Pictures and Mirrors for Moving. In this guide, you will find in-depth instructions on how to pack pictures and mirrors to give them the ultimate protection during your home move.

Furniture

Some basic protection will help prevent furniture damage when moving home and will help prevent any damage to your old or new property.

Furniture should be wrapped in furniture blankets and then encased in good-quality cardboard for an extra layer of protection.

Due to the often heavy and awkward nature of furniture, it is likely that walls will get gouged or scraped by furniture that is not handled correctly.

It is therefore worth taking the time to ensure that floors, walls, and especially stair banisters are properly protected, more of which in a later section of this guide.

You may also like to read: How to Move Heavy Furniture. From packing tips to safe handling to which kind of moving equipment to use, this guide tells you all you need to know about moving heavy furniture safely.

Lampshades

Because of their delicate construction, lampshades are particularly liable to be crushed during your home move.

Lampshades can be one of the most fragile things to move.

The best way to pack lampshades is in the fashion of a Russian doll, one inside another.

Having prepared a large box, and individually wrapped each lampshade in packing paper, place the largest shade in the box first and then stack the remaining shades inside one another, largest to smallest.

Pad the box so that the lampshades cannot move about inside the box.

You may also like to read: How to Pack Awkward and Odd-Shaped Items for a Home Move. From lamp shades to surfboards, this guide offers some essential packing tips for irregularly shaped items.

Electronic Items

Ideally, you should pack anything electrical in the original packaging they came in.

Ensure that you photograph or label all the connections before disconnecting them so that you know how to reconnect your electronics.

Packing peanuts are ideal for padding the boxes when packing electronics, as well as ensuring that each component is well wrapped in bubble wrap®.

Your delicate electronic items should also be protected from extremes of temperature during the move.

You may also like to read: How to Pack a Computer for Moving. From laptops to printers, in this guide, you will find comprehensive instructions on how to give your electronics the ultimate protection during your home move.

Bottles

There are specific boxes for moving bottles and these should be used to ensure your bottles arrive at your new home intact.

These boxes will be of the correct strength and will have dividers that will ensure the bottles will not move about within the case during transit.

Of course, to save money you may be able to locate some free bottle boxes from your local supermarket or off-licence.

You may also like to read: How to Pack and Move Antiques and Collectibles. From bottles to porcelain figurines, this guide contains comprehensive packing instructions for your antiques and collectibles.

Sporting Goods

It is recommended to transport these in the protective covers you normally use, like racquet head covers or golf club bags, then wrap them in bubble wrap® for additional protection to further prevent damage to the covers.

You may also like to read: Alternative Packing Materials for Moving Home. Packing materials can cost a serious amount of money, so in this guide we suggest things commonly found around the home that can be used to offer good protection to your things during your move and save you money at the same time.

Musical Instruments

Except for items such as pianos, which require specialist packing and handling, the majority of musical instruments have cases that are used to transport them.

Additional padding, such as bubble wrap® or furniture blankets, should be wrapped around the case to prevent any damage to the case itself whilst in transit.

You may also like to read: How to Pack a Record Collection. Vinyl records are becoming more and more popular and can represent a serious investment in time and money creating a collection. In this guide, we share tips on how to properly pack and transport your vinyl record collection.

Plants

Plants regularly get damaged during a move because they have not been prepared properly, and large plants especially can be awkward to move.

If moving multiple smaller plant pots, it would be wise to transfer the plants to plastic pots, which are less likely to get damaged.

If moving ceramic plant pots, ensure that there is padding between each pot so that the pots do not touch each other within the box.

Many people have invested heavily in their gardens and want to take some plants with them. Often, taking cuttings is the safest and easiest way to move them.

Using a furniture dolly or sack barrow is the easiest way to move large plant pots.

You may also like to read: How to Move a Garden to Your New Home. From plants to patio furniture, this guide has some invaluable packing tips to keep your garden items safe during your home move.

You

The most valuable item to be moved will be you, and if you are embarking upon a self-move, you are at the biggest risk of damage.

Moving home is exhausting and hard work, so if you are in any doubt about your physical ability to carry out a home move, always hire the professionals to do it for you.

You may also like to read: How to Move Home Safely. In this guide, we share 14 risks to avoid when moving home and how to make your home move as safe as possible.

How to Prepare Moving Boxes to Prevent Damage

The preparation of your moving boxes is key when preventing damage to your items when in transit, so we will go through this here in detail.

• Select the right box. Use small boxes for heavy items and larger boxes for light items. Never allow a moving box to exceed 20kg in weight as that is the maximum safe weight for lifting.
• Strengthen all the seams and closing flaps with additional packing tape. Tape the bottom of the box at least once along the seam where the two closing flaps meet and twice across the width of the box. Reinforce any seams that you think are vulnerable.
• Line the bottom of the box with padding. Use blankets or clothing to line the bottom of the box to form a cushion to protect the contents of the box. The buffer should be deep enough that when it compresses with the weight of the box contents, it still provides adequate cushioning.
• Heaviest Items First. Within the box stack items from the bottom to the top, heaviest to lightest.
• Fill in all the gaps. Towels and clothing make great gap fillers. The idea is to stop items moving around or knocking against each other whilst in transit to prevent damage.
• Pad the top of the box. Leave a gap between the contents and the lid of the box. This should be padded as you did with the bottom of the box to protect the contents when the boxes are stacked on top of each other.
• Securely seal the lid. Seal the box with double layers of tape as you did the bottom.
• Clearly label the box. Label the box with a description of the contents, and the room they will be stacked in at your new home, and also clearly mark the box as FRAGILE – THIS WAY UP.

You may also like to read: How to Label Moving Boxes. In this guide, we offer a simple way to mark your moving boxes so that you know which room they go in at your new home and in what order they should be unpacked.

How to Protect Your Property from Damage When Moving Home

Any damage to your floors or walls caused when moving home is going to be expensive to repair, as well as inconvenient to put right.

Use floor covering to protect your home floors, blankets to protect door frames and banisters, and drop cloths on walls.

You may also like to read: How to Protect Floors, Walls, Ceilings, and Doors When Moving Home. In this guide, we share some useful tips on how to protect your home from damage when moving furniture.

Home Contents Insurance When Moving Home – Do I Need It?

Yes. Should the worst happen and damage is caused to your property or household goods, it is best to be properly insured so at least you do not lose out financially.

Not only that, but you can insure yourself against unexpected costs on moving day, such as delays in getting the keys for your new home (key waiver) or cancellation cover should you need to cancel your home move.

When reading through the reviews on this site, you will see that a lack of adequate insurance is one of the most common sources of complaint, so ensure that your home move is properly insured.

You may also like to read: Home Moving Insurance – Do I Need It? Being underinsured is a common home moving mistake. In this guide, we tell you all you need to know about home moving insurance so that you do not make this mistake.

Should I Hire a Removal Company?

Of course, the best line of defence to avoid damaging your furniture, your property, or most importantly to avoid injury to yourself, is to consider hiring the services of a reputable removal company.

They have the skills and equipment to ensure that your items are handled professionally and with the minimum of distress to you or your goods.

It is particularly important to ensure that the removal company you hire is reputable and ideally a member of one of the industry associations.

This will give you added peace of mind that the staff are well trained and that should the worst happen, there are set procedures that the removal company must follow in the event of an insurance claim.

No doubt, having read this guide, you now realise what a time-consuming and arduous task packing for a home move is.

Most people who have moved home will tell you that hiring packers made their home move so much easier and less stressful. A full packing service offers exceptional value for money and should be seriously considered for any home move.

You may also like to read: How to Pick a Good Removal Company. The Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide. Choosing the right removal company for your move is so important that we have created this step-by-step guide for you so that you avoid the pitfalls that many movers make. It is essential reading for anybody looking for a removal company.

What Do I Do If My Removal Company Damages My Goods?

Professional home removal companies move thousands of items out of and into homes every year.

On the law of averages, it is inevitable that sometime during all those moves something may get damaged. Then what do you do?

The whole claim process will be easier if the home removal company you have selected to use is a member of one of the removal industry’s trade associations and has a clearly laid out procedure to deal with damage claims.

Always read any contract you sign very carefully so that you know exactly what the claims procedure is and exactly what your responsibilities are in the event of a claim.

Pay special attention to how much compensation you would be entitled to because often the cover is minimal and will not cover the actual cost of replacement or repair.

Be especially wary if you are hiring a man and van, as often they have no claims procedure and it is not uncommon for them to not offer insurance at all.

You should also be aware that many insurance policies will not cover any damage caused to items that you have packed yourself, so check your insurance carefully.

You may also like to read: How to Complain About a Removal Company. In this guide, we share tips on how to handle any problems that you encounter during your home move and ways to get a satisfactory resolution to any complaints you may have.

How to Stay Safe in Your New Home After Moving Day

Of course, there is still the potential for damage and injury even after moving day, and we have not forgotten to give you some top tips to employ after you have moved into your new home.

• Childproof your home. There will be a whole set of new dangers in your new home for your children, so it would be wise to childproof your new home as soon as possible. There are some great tips and advice in this article to help you.
• Secure your new home. You will want to safeguard your new home against intruders and the possibility of burglary, in this guide, we will offer top tips on how to protect your family and home.
• Prepare a fire safety plan. Fire can be devastating, your life and everything you own can be wiped out in minutes. It makes sense to take every precaution you can to prevent fires from occurring and plan for the worst before it happens. In this guide, we take you through how to be fire-aware and how to prepare a fire evacuation plan.

We wish you a safe and stress-free home move, and don’t forget to visit our home moving blog which is packed with guides on how to make your home move safer, easier, and cheaper.