What Is the Best Packing Material for Moving?

When unpacking after a house move, there is nothing better than finding all your items intact and unscathed – and the surest way to maximize the chances of that happening is to pack your belongings as safely as possible.

To do so, you need to 1) know how to pack your items the right way and 2) use appropriate packing materials.

While packing your belongings correctly is of paramount importance for keeping them safe during the relocation, it’s the packing materials that actually provide protection to your items – and the better protected your things are, the more likely they’re to survive the move safe and sound.

So, what protective materials should you use? What is the best packing material for moving?

It depends on the items you’re packing and the packing methods you’re using.

Read on to find out which packing materials provide the best protection to what kind of items and how to use different wrapping and padding supplies.

Packing paper – the most common wrapping material

When it comes to wrapping household items for moving, packing paper is the first thing that pops into mind. It can be used to wrap just about anything and creates a great initial protection layer.

Advantages of packing paper

• Soft and smooth, packing paper is very gentle to the surfaces it gets in contact with. It is also acid-free and ink-free, so itwon’t smudge or stain the surfaces.Therefore, packing paper is safe to use even for extremely delicate items (glass items, crystal items, china items, fine artwork pieces, sensitive electronics, etc.);
• Paper is easily pliable, so it wraps tightly around an item and provides perfect protection against scratches, dust, and dirt;
• Paper sheets are quite thin, so they take very little space – this helps save space when packing and allows items individually wrapped in packing paper to be easily stacked or bundled together;
• When crumpled, paper becomes very resilient and provides excellent cushioning;
• Paper is biodegradable and can be fully recycled – so packing paper is an eco-friendly packing material;
• Packing paper is easily affordable – large packing paper rolls can be purchased for under $20, while a big pack of packing paper (500 sheets) costs about $25-$30.

Despite all these benefits, however, packing paper is not necessarily the best packing material for moving – it is not very strong and can be easily torn when it comes in contact with a sharp object. Besides, paper doesn’t provide protection from moisture and cannot prevent breaking.

How to use packing paper

Safe and easy to use, packing paper is extremely practical. When packing for a house move, you can use it to:

• Protect delicate items (plates, glasses, vases, pictures, mirrors, screens, valuable books, fine wood finishes, sensitive equipment, etc.) – to form a gentle, yet highly effective first layer of protection around fragile items and sensitive items;
• Line and pad moving boxes – to create cushioning for delicate items;
• Fill the empty spaces in a box – to provide cushioning and prevent the items in the box from shifting around and coming in contact with one another during transit;
• Separate layers of items – to provide additional protection to the items from the bottom layer when packing a second layer of items in a large moving box;
• Cover the items in a packing box (or in a drawer) – to create a topmost layer of protection over the items in a moving container.

You can find more detailed information on how to use packing paper for moving here.

Bonus tips for packing with packing paper

1. Wrap fragile items in several sheets of packing paper – when a few sheets of packing paper are used together, they become very strong and difficult to tear, offer extreme resilience, and provide excellent protection to the wrapped item;
2. Stuff the inside of glasses, bowls,  and other “hollow” breakables with packing paper to provide extra support to the fragile items and reduce the risk of breakages during the move;
3. Secure packing paper with tape to keep it in place;
4. Use wads of crumpled packing paper to create cushioning layers on the bottoms of moving boxes and to fill the empty spaces in the packing containers – crumpled paper is very strong and very resilient, so it provides superb cushioning;
5. You can use newspaper instead of packing paper to provide cushioning in a moving box. You should, however, never wrap delicate items in newsprint – newspaper is thinner than packing paper (so it won’t provide adequate protection) and ink can bleed onto the fine surfaces (and ruin them).

Bubble wrap – the best protector of fragile items

Bubble wrap is indispensable for packing breakables – it provides perfect cushioning and offers top-notch protection to fragile items during a move.

Advantages of bubble wrap

• Made up of air-filled bubbles, bubble wrap offers excellent protection against shocks and vibrations and can prevent an item from breaking (the air-filled material will absorb the shock from an impact, so even if a fragile item is accidentally dropped or if it topples over or bumps against another item, it should not break);

• Bubble wrap comes in various forms (sheets, envelopes) and sizes (large bubbles, small bubbles), so it is extremely convenient – you can easily find a type that perfectly suits your needs;
• The air-filled material is lightweight and does not add to the weight of your boxes;
• Bubble wrap can conform to any shape,allowing you to safely wrap any object, regardless of its size and shape;
• The plastic material is quite durable and can be reused several times – which helps reduce moving waste and can save you money on packing materials for your next move;
• Bubble wrap offers a lot of fun and can help reduce stress – popping the air bubbles is quite enjoyable and is even believed to calm the nerves and alleviate stress.

Considering all of the above, it is quite obvious that bubble wrap is one of the best packing materials for moving. Yet, it is not without its drawbacks – it’s bulky (so it takes up a lot of space in a box), not very economical, and not eco-friendly (unless you buy bio-degradable bubble wrap which is much more expensive). Besides, the plastic material is not safe to use directly on delicate surfaces – it may stick to the surface and smudge it, especially in hot weather.

How to use bubble wrap

Bubble wrap is your best friend when packing for moving. You can use it to:

• Keep fragile items (anything made of glass, crystal, or porcelain) safe – to cushion the items, preventing them from breaking;
• Wrap oddly-shaped items (pieces of art, protruding furniture parts, accessories, etc.) – to create a protective layer around awkwardly-shaped objects that are difficult to pack;
• Pad moving boxes – to create a “buffer zone” in the moving containers that will absorb shocks from impacts and vibrations during transit;
• Add extra cushioning – to fill the empty space in a box and provide cushioning between the items in the carton;
• Cover items in a moving container – to create a protective layer between two layers of items or over the items in a box (just like packing paper).

Click here for more detailed information on how to use bubble wrap for moving.

Bonus tips for packing with bubble paper

1. Use anti-static bubble wrap to ensure the safety of sensitive electronics – the anti-static bubbly material will cushion accidental impacts and will dissipate accumulated static charge, protecting sensitive electronics from harm;
2. Pack CDs, DVDs, small framed pictures, and other small, flat, fragile items in bubble wrap envelopes;
3. Wedge some bubble wrap between the handle and the body of an item to prevent the handle from breaking;
4. Keep the bubbles in when wrapping an item in bubble wrap (the air pockets should be facing the item);
5. When packing highly valuable or extremely fragile items, use several layers of bubble wrap to ensure efficient protection from shocks;
6. Use packing tape to keep bubble wrap in place – secure the protective wrapping on all sides so that the wrapped item cannot slip out of the packaging.

The bubble wrap vs packing paper contest

So, taking all of the above into account, what is the best packing material for fragile items – bubble wrap or packing paper?

To ensure maximum protection to your fragile items during a move, you’re advised to use both packing materials – wrap your breakables in packing paper first, then add a protective layer of bubble wrap. The packing paper will be safe to use on the delicate surface and will fit snugly around the item, providing an excellent initial layer of protection – the bubble wrap will cushion the item and absorb any shocks, reducing the risk of breakages. It doesn’t get any safer than this.

Packing foam – the upper scale choice

Packing foam is a high-quality protective material that will keep your valuables safe and intact during the rigorous relocation process.

Advantages of packing foam

• Packing foam provides shock absorption, vibration dampening, and thermal insulation. It offers unparalleled safety to electronics, artwork, jewelry, and all kinds of fragile and sensitive items;
• Foam products are non-abrasive and save to use for delicate items;
• Packing foam comes in many forms (foam sheets, foam rolls, foam pouches, and foam corner guards), so it is extremely versatile and convenient to use;
• Foam sheets easily conform to any shape, so they can create fitting cushioning for awkwardly shaped items;
• Foam is lightweight and doesn’t increase the weight of a box;
• Foam wrapping is very strong and resilient, so it is very practical for protecting heavier items that may crush bubble wrap and packing peanuts.

All in all, packing foam is one of the most protective packing materials available. It is, however, quite expensive.

How to use packing foam for moving

Because of its high price, packing foam is usually used only for items of high monetary or sentimental value. When packing with foam materials, you’re advised to:

• Place small valuables (jewelry pieces, porcelain figurines, crystal glasses, small collectible items, small antique items, etc.) inside foam pouches. Pack each individual  item in a separate foam pouch, then seal the pouch with packing tape;
• Purchase foam rolls or sheets for larger items. Secure foam wrapping with packing tape to keep it in place;
• Use foam corner guards to protect the corners of framed picture, mirrors, flat screens, etc.

Bonus tip: Foam provides excellent cushioning, but foam products are too expensive to be used as space fillers. However, if you have some foam pieces you cannot use for packing (torn pieces, for example), be sure to use them to add extra cushioning in a moving box (one that contains breakables).

Packing peanuts – the best space fillers

Packing peanuts are great for filling empty spaces in moving boxes and preventing items from shifting and breaking while in transit.

Packing peanuts are extremely easy to use – all you need to do is cover the bottom of a box with a layer of peanuts, place your safely wrapped item(s) inside, and fill all the remaining space in the carton with the small styrofoam or starch pieces. Shake the box so the pieces can settle and fill any gaps, then top off the carton with more peanuts. Seal the box tightly with packing tape.

Bonus tips:

• Do not pack an item in a box with packing peanuts without wrapping it with packing paper or bubble wrap first – although they provide superb cushioning, packing peanuts are not effective when used alone;
• Keep in mind that heavy items can crush packing peanuts;
• Consider using starch packing peanuts instead of styrofoam packing peanuts – starch peanuts are non-toxic and biodegradable (so they’re an eco-friendly option) and don’t have any electrostatic charge (so they’re safer to use for electronics). They’re, however, rather costly.

Plastic wrap – the most versatile packing material

While most packing materials are only used for wrapping and/or cushioning items during a move, plastic wrap can help you in many different ways – it can protect against dust, dirt, and moisture, keep wrappings in place, secure furniture doors and drawers, bundle items together, prevent spills, etc.

The plastic material is inexpensive, recyclable, and safe for your items – it sticks to itself, but not to surfaces, so it won’t leave a sticky residue behind. Be careful not to use stretch wrap directly on wood or leather, though, as moisture may get trapped beneath the plastic and ruin the polished finish of wooden pieces, cause the leather or the wood to warp, or result in mold growth.

You can find more detailed information about the many uses of plastic wrap for moving here.

Cardboard – the most unexpected protective material

The words “packing” and “cardboard” go hand in hand – but the connotation is that of a “cardboard box for packing”. Cardboard, however, is quite versatile and can be used in several different ways during a house move – including as a protective material.

Cardboard is great for protecting screens, mirrors, and glass furniture elements – all you have to do is cut out a piece of cardboard that matches the size of the item you want to protect, place the cut-out over the fragile surface, and fix the cardboard piece in place with painter’s tape. For maximum protection, wrap the entire item in bubble wrap on top of the cardboard cover.

Clothes, towels, blankets, and other fabrics – the alternative wrapping materials

Using fabric items instead of specialized wrapping and padding materials is a really good trick:

• The thick, soft fabrics provide superb cushioning and can successfully protect all kinds of household items;
• You save money on packing materials as you use things you already have at home instead of buying bubble wrap, foam padding, and other professional protective materials;
• You need to move most of your fabric items to your new home anyway, so when using them as packing materials, you actually feed two birds with one scone.

The only downside of using fabric items as packing materials is that they take up a lot of space in a box and aren’t as lightweight as professional cushioning materials (so they will make the box heavier).

How to use fabric items for packing

You can use fabrics for several different packing purposes:

• Wrap furniture pieces, appliances, and other larger household items in blankets to protect them from dust and dirt and prevent scratching, denting, and breaking (do not forget to secure the blankets in place with stretch wrap or packing tape);
• Use towels and thicker clothes to wrap your items for moving – they’re large enough to wrap an item completely, flexible enough to fit snugly around an item, soft enough to be safe for delicate surfaces, and thick enough to provide efficient protection against damage;
• Line the bottoms of moving boxes with towels to create a cushioning layer for your items;
• Use t-shirts and other thinner clothing to fill the empty spaces in packing boxes.

See also: Alternative packing materials

So, what is the best packing material? All the above discussed wrapping and padding materials provide excellent protection to household items during a move – just in different ways. Their specific characteristics and advantages make each of them more appropriate for different kinds of items and different packing purposes, yet they all work best when used in combination.