How to Pack a Large Mirror for Moving

Moving is challenging, even if you are prepared and live in a relatively small house or apartment. It will undoubtedly require a ton of energy, time, and, inevitably, money. However, if you have many belongings, the whole thing can get extremely frustrating. Especially for those who don’t have much experience or are moving for the first time. Additionally, if you own glassware or fragile items, it’s essential to get informed on the best way to pack them. To pack them, you will definitely need specific packing and moving supplies. For instance, it’s challenging to pack a large mirror. It can cause you a lot of trouble if you aren’t informed on the subject properly. Especially if the mirror you plan on packing is medium to large size.

So, consider reading the following text if you want to pack a large mirror for moving and aren’t sure what’s the best and safest way to do it.

1. Supplies

• A box
• Packing Tape and Packing Paper
• Bubble wrap
• Cardboard

There are a couple of options on how to pack oddly-shaped items for moving. And a mirror fits into this category. One of them is using a mirror box. It’s the best option as a plain box might not fit the dimensions and require more trouble. By using a mirror box, you’re saving yourself a lot of hassle while ensuring the mirror is entirely safe. You can buy a mirror box at almost any moving supply store and even some home improvement stores.

A mirror box is made up of four distinct cardboard pieces. They fit together and create a custom size that ensures you can fit it closely around the mirror. We recommend that you buy a mirror box 30 percent larger than the mirror because you need to add a lot of padding.

Furthermore, avoid using packing peanuts as they can shift around the box, meaning they don’t provide enough protection.

 

2. Preparation

Before the actual packing process starts, find a clean a safe place to prepare the mirror. Some moving specialists suggest you should use a kitchen table since it’s way easier to pack on an elevated surface.

However, if you have a crowded home and kids running around all the time, you can use a quiet place like your bedroom just to be safe from breakages and injuries.

Get some painter’s tape and make a big X across the front of the mirror (from corner to corner). In case the mirror gets damaged during transport, it will keep all pieces in place.

If the mirror you want to pack has sharp edges, you’ll need protectors. Use cardboard to create corner protectors to ensure they don’t get damaged.

3. Packing

If you purchased all needed supplies and prepared the mirror, the next step is vital and represents packing. A mirror is fragile. So, in general, the same rules apply, like when you have to pack fragile items.

The first step includes cutting two cardboard pieces and attaching them to the front and back of the mirror. When you’ve finished this small preparation step, put the whole mirror on a larger piece of packing paper and wrap it up like you’re wrapping a gift. After you’ve successfully finished wrapping the mirror in packing paper, now wrap it in bubble wrap (a tight layer). Make sure that the whole mirror is wrapped, meaning you should take a look at every inch of it to avoid any risk of possible breakages.

If you followed our guide carefully and are generally satisfied with packing your mirror, the final step is to tape up the box. Use crumpled packing paper, making sure there is no empty place inside the box, and use padding in a matter like you’re making a bed out of padding on the very bottom of the mirror box. Now, slide the already wrapped mirror into the mirror box and fill any possible empty space with crumpled packing paper as the mirror can even shift during transport, and even in some cases, break, which is an occurrence you definitely want to avoid.

To check if there is any possibility of the mirror not being packed upright, lift the box gently and shake it up to see if there are unwanted movements. If you sense or hear some movements, don’t hesitate, open up the box and add more padding.

4. Additional Tips

Write a couple of notes saying do not lay flat, caution, handle with care, and extremely fragile on the box that contains the packed mirror with a marker, and make sure the letters are big enough and noticeable.

• Never lay out a mirror on the ground.
• Place the mirror in the side position when moving.
• Inform movers you hired, or the friends, family members, or colleagues that are helping you with the move that there shouldn’t be any pressure on the mirror. They should never put something on top of it even if it’s a small box or object.

5. Hire Professionals

As we mentioned earlier, if you have no prior experience with the subject, we recommend that you hire a professional NYC moving and storage company to help pack and transport a large mirror. Although hiring professionals might seem like a costly move, keep in mind, especially if you have valuable possessions, that it is better to be safe than sorry.

Besides, some Brooklyn moving services even offer significant discounts if you book on time, but avoid moving on holidays as the prices are higher then.

Also, make sure to hire a reliable and certified moving company. Check out the customer reviews, various forums, and do a background check of the desired company.

Don’t forget to note and check that the movers handle the mirror with care. The final step is insurance. If you’re wondering whether is moving insurance necessary, it might be a good idea for you to get an insurance policy if you have very valuable and pricey possessions, just to be sure there is no space for something to go wrong.