Packing paper is the most versatile packing material when packing for a move. Practically, it can be used to protect all types of household items – from breakable items made from glass, porcelain, plastic, or wood to fragile objects made from metal (jewelry pieces, for example).
Wrapping paper is also used for safeguarding all sorts of electronic devices and numerous other things around the home that look and feel sturdy but need an extra level of protection to reach the new home safe and sound.
The usage of packing paper during the house packing process is strongly recommended simply because the padding material has a number of indisputable advantages.
Actually, the question is not whether you should use wrapping paper when packing up your things (the answer is a resounding YES!). The real question is whether you are familiar with the best way to use packing efficiently when packing for a move.
Read on to learn the best way to pack with paper when moving house.
Why you should use PLENTY of packing paper
If you can watch professional packers work on a move, you will notice right away that they use packing paper ALL THE TIME.
The reason for this is simple: paper offers many practical benefits during the packing process – obvious advantages that no packer can deny regardless of the level of their packing skills.
Here are the major advantages of using wrapping paper when you’re packing up your things:
- Soft. Packing paper is so soft that it will not scratch the surface of the delicate items you’re protecting with it. When several paper sheets are used at once, a soft protective layer is formed around fragile objects, thus keeping them from any sort of damage during the move.
- Clean. Brand-new wrapping paper is perfectly clean so it won’t soil or stain any of your delicate items. If you choose to use second-hand packing paper, inspect it carefully to make sure it’s clean enough for your packing needs.
- Sturdy. A single sheet of wrapping paper is easy to tear but several paper sheets wrapped around a fragile object form a strong and durable paper bundle that is surprisingly resilient to outside forces.
- Thin. Packing paper is much thinner than bubble wrap, meaning that you should be able to fit more paper bundles in a box, thus saving valuable space when moving house.
- Conforms to shape. Wrapping paper is perfectly pliable, meaning that it will conform to the shape of the items you’re trying to protect. Therefore, packing paper will surely protect your prized possessions from dirt, dust, and scratches.
- Cheap. Packing paper is quite affordable too, making it the perfect protective material for all your packing needs. The price of packing paper varies depending on the place you buy it from, the paper quality, and the quantity. Generally speaking, a stack of 200 sheets of wrapping paper will cost about $10.
- Eco-friendly. Paper is biodegradable which means that together with cardboard boxes, these two packing supplies are completely eco-friendly too. There’s also biodegradable bubble wrap but it’s more expensive than standard plastic wrap.
Must-read: Bubble Wrap vs. Packing Paper
How to use packing paper when packing for a move
Now that you know the great advantages of using wrapping paper when packing up your things for a move, it’s time to discuss all the different ways you can use wrapping paper for moving.
Intended use #1: Use packing paper to protect fragile items
Without a doubt, the best use of packing paper is to protect fragile items during a move. Oftentimes, you’ll be surprised how many things in a home can be classified as fragile. In reality, all items made from glass or porcelain have a high risk of transportation damage due to their easily breakable nature. Fragile items made from wood will also need to be wrapped up in paper first.
When packing fragile items such as
- kitchen plates,
- drinking glasses, including wine glasses,
- framed artwork pieces such as pictures and paintings,
- mirrors,
- lamps, and
- jewelry pieces,
your main goal is to create a soft initial layer of paper that will protect the fragile items in question. Remember that white, soft, print-free, acid-free paper should always be the first protective layer when packing breakable items with delicate surfaces.
Luckily, packing breakables with paper is super easy: just place a fragile item into the middle of a paper stack, pull 2-3 sheets of paper from one corner over the delicate object, cover it completely, and then do the same with the remaining 3 corners of the stack.
The final result is the formation of a tight paper bundle, secured with small pieces of tape, that will protect whatever is inside it.
Note: When packing hollow parts of fragile items – for instance, the inside of drinking glasses, tuck a sheet of wrapping paper inside the hollow area to make it stronger, thus reducing the chance of accidental breakage.
Read also: How to pack fragile items for moving
Intended use #2: Use packing paper to protect open blades or sharp edges
Packing paper is used in great quantities when packing a kitchen for moving. The reason is quite obvious: the kitchen is the room where the greatest number of fragile and breakable items within a home can be found.
The tricky task of packing dishes and glasses requires plenty of wrapping paper, of course, but packing kitchen knives (open blades) and forks (sharp prongs) should also be done with the help of packing paper.
The trick of packing knives and forks safely for moving is to space them out inside a paper roll. Just place a knife or a fork near one edge of the paper stack, roll 3 sheets of paper over it, then add another one and continue rolling the paper until the second item is covered as well.
By adding knives or forks into a tight paper roll, you’ll have close to 20 sheets of paper covering the sharp blades or prongs – more than enough to guarantee safety.
See also: How to pack knives for moving
Good to know: How to pack silverware for moving
Intended use #3: Use wrapping paper to protect valuable books
As a rule of thumb, books are packed straight into small to medium cardboard boxes. All you need to do is place one sheet of paper on the bottom of the box and another sheet on the very top when you’ve already filled the container with books. These two layers of wrapping paper will serve as extra insulation for your valuable volumes.
However, when you’re packing valuable books – ones that are either quite expensive or ones that have a strong sentimental value for you (usually gifts from special persons), then you have to wrap such volumes in several sheets of clean and soft packing paper before arranging them into a small box reserved for special books.
The additional paper sheets will keep dirt, dust, and even small amounts of moisture from reaching your priceless books during the house move.
Read also: DO’S and DON’TS when packing books for moving
Intended use #4: Use packing paper to protect electronic devices
Use packing paper to protect sensitive electronic equipment when moving from one home to another.
Create an initial protective layer by wrapping an electronic device into a couple of sheets of wrapping paper. This will give peace of mind that the delicate surface of most electronic units won’t get scratched or damaged in any way by the soft touch of the paper.
After the first layer of paper, remember to add an outer layer of anti-static bubble wrap that will form an air-filled cushion around the piece of electronic equipment, thus keeping it perfectly intact against any types of external forces typical for the transportation stage of the house move.
Check also: How to pack electronics for moving
Intended use #5: Use packing paper to pad moving boxes
To increase the overall safety when packing fragile items, you should definitely use packing paper to pad and line cardboard boxes before you pack breakables inside those containers. Consider it as another level of protection for your prized possessions.
Basically, all you’ve got to do is crumple packing paper into wads or balls and arrange them along the inside bottom of a cardboard box. By doing so, you’ll form a thick insulation layer of paper that will practically absorb any vibrations and even shocks during transport, and therefore keep the delicate items inside as safe as possible.
Another way you can use paper to line cardboard boxes is to lay a couple of sheets of clean wrapping paper on the bottom. This method provides less protection for your belongings than the paper wads one so it is applicable when you’re packing non-breakable things such as books, for example.
Goof info: How to pack boxes for moving
Intended use #6: Use packing paper to fill empty gaps inside boxes
The major uses of packing paper are to wrap delicate things as an excellent way to protect them and to line and pad cardboard boxes as an extra level of protection for your prized possessions.
But packing paper can also be used to fill gaps inside cardboard boxes with the purpose of making sure nothing inside the containers can shift during transport. In reality, paper is a great space filler, especially crumpled paper tucked inside any gaps of free space you notice inside a moving box.
The idea is simple enough: when packed items are not immobilized well prior to closing and sealing a cardboard box, those things are likely to shift inside the container and could end up damaged as a result. But when you insert pieces of paper inside those empty gaps, the whole space inside the moving box will be filled up and nothing should be able to move around during transit.
Instead of using brand-new packing paper to fill any gaps inside boxes, feel free to use discarded or even torn pieces of wrapping paper for the purpose. Also, using newspapers as space fillers is another good option that should lower your packing costs since newsprint is virtually free of charge.
Intended use #7: Use packing paper after the move
Interestingly enough, wrapping paper can also be used for a number of things after the house move is complete.
You can use packing paper for different post-move projects such as protecting floors or furniture pieces during renovation or repair works. Any sheets of paper that have remained perfectly clean during the move can be used for lining drawers, shelves, or even the cage of your pet.
Packing paper features various practical applications in the garden as well – either for making compost or for producing garden mulch.
Despite its affordability, you should think twice before throwing away for recycling perfectly clean and preserved sheets of packing paper. The thing is that if you just store it correctly, you can have all the wrapping paper you’ll ever need the next time you have to move out.
Useful info: What to do with packing paper after moving
