How to Keep Your Treasures Safe When Moving

While you are at home, you might take all the proper precautions when caring for your treasures, but moving is a whole different story. For instance, you might think to use soft gloves to touch your finer items and regularly wipe them down to keep them free of dust, dirt, and other debris to keep your cherished valuables in prime, pristine condition.

However, when you plan on moving, the challenge of caring for them takes on new meaning. You cannot simply throw these items in moving boxes as you do for your books and clothes. If you want to keep them in prime condition, you need to think ahead. You will need an extraordinary skill set to pack and deliver these products without accidentally breaking them. As always, the best way to go is to consult a professional. A good mover can pack your items and give you the peace of mind to move them successfully.

It’s your stuff, and you love it. So don’t let it get banged up and broken. Instead, treat it with the care and respect it deserves. Of course, it’s best to hire a pro mover, but here’s how to add nice thick padding of safety so your items can stay scratch-free even during a bumpy ride on the moving truck. Below, you will learn how to handle, secure & pack your cherished valuables in 10 easy steps.

Moving extremely delicate treasures can be a challenging task. You have to be extra careful of your precious possessions before, during, and after the relocation. Make a detailed list of your antique pieces to keep a better track of them. Walk through your place and be sure to write down all the vintage pieces that you see. Include the name as well as the description of the antique’s current condition in your inventory. Take a picture. If you see any damage, it’s better to specify them in your record so you’ll have strong evidence if you need to file a claim against your mover.

Whether they are antiques or collectibles, yours are not ordinary items that can be taken for granted. In fact, any item of value should be properly appraised. Be sure to find a licensed and trustworthy antique furniture appraiser. You might even want toget more than one appraisal.

Moving puts your stuff at risk—and homeowners or renters insurance doesn’t always protect it. You may want to invest in contents insurance. This type of insurance typically covers your personal belongings while they're in your home or in transit to your new place. However, this coverage usually doesn't pay for damage to your belongings caused by movers packing the items or physically moving them. Make sure you understand how your belongings are covered in a move. 

You should wrap your artwork. But you cannot do this with your ordinary wrapping paper as this might smudge up and disturb the beautiful artwork.

Make sure to get plastic or glassine wrapping paper as these will not cause any disturbance, even if they touch the painting. After you have wrapped your painting in plastic/glassine, make sure you wrap it in a layer of thick bubble wrap to protect it from physical damage like rips, tears, and scratches.

The best thing you can do is wrap your art in the original box it came in. However, if you don't have this, don’t worry! You can find equally great alternate options like bicycle boxes, TV boxes, wooden crate packing, and other options.

Covering paintings and other antique artwork is extremely easy when compared to antique sculptures and furniture. Start by covering these bulky antiques in bubble wrap, as this helps prevent any damage that might happen when moving.

You can also consider covering these items under a layer of soft, thick moving blankets for added safety. The best thing you can do for high-value items is to hire a pro to do the job for you.

Whether it is a painting, sculpture, or furniture, your items might come with certain removable parts needed to hold them in their place. So make sure to remove all these parts and count them. Once you have done this, you can start to pack them in a separate box—but don't misplace that box! And make sure to add bubble wrap to keep them safe.

It's worth saying twice— carefully label all items as they can be very easy to lose during the move.

If you are a sneakerhead, you probably value your shoes above all else. How many shoes do you need to move? Experts say it's best to use the original box your shoes came in to move them. If you have shoes that you never wear— you might want to sell them before you move and save a little space— and earn a few bucks too. You can also wrap your sneakers in a favorite t-shirt to further protect them.

You can’t just roll up a good rug and chuck it in the back of a truck. Whether the rug is hand-knotted or hand-tufted, rugs can become easily damaged or (worse!) destroyed. Whether you own a particularly valuable rug, or even just a machine-made rug you love, be sure to clean it well, if you don’t have the time and money to have it professionally cleaned and wrapped, place the rug outside in the sun and beat it to get rid of dirt.

If you are still unsure how to pack your antiques with care or would like to steer clear of unnecessary risks and damage, do not hesitate to call us, we can help! As mentioned before, pros will help create a good environment for moving all your antiques without disrupting or damaging their physical condition.

If you choose to muuv with us, you can choose to have wood crating custom-made to fit the size of your antique paintings, rare sculptures, and more. Plus, our climate-controlled trucks will safely transport your beloved art, antiques, and collectibles to their new home.