During a removal, the largest worries tend to revolve around how much things cost. If you are packing your house up yourself, then the idea of things getting broken will be felt all the more keenly, in that you are the only person who can really control it! The notion of damaged items is a difficult one, in that the objects that get damaged will likely be well loved by you as well as costing a fair amount to replace, so it is certainly a priority that you pack up your delicate goods in safe and efficient way! Packing boxes is the last barrier against damage that your belongings will have, so it is absolutely essential that you take it seriously. Once you have taped up the boxes and labelled them, you will not have much control as to how they are treated by your removals team, given that there will be a large quantity of boxes and you will be spread pretty thinly on the day of the move as it is. The removals team will need to treat your boxes in the ways that they see fit; obviously they will not be throwing them around or dropping them, but there needs to be a certain vigor to the process as otherwise nothing will get done in time. This means that the boxes will be shaken up a fair bit, as well as stacked, so if your packing is not up to it, then things are going to get broken! If you have packed the boxes yourself, then it is likely that the removals company will not offer insurance on the items, so your contribution is again, essential.Start by selecting the most delicate items, like thin glassware, and putting them aside from the rest. These sorts of things should be put in a box of their own, and if you are particularly concerned about them, moved by yourself alone. You should still pack them up, but just don’t let them get thrown in with the other boxes, or things might get ugly! You should line the boxes that will be containing fragile things like glass, china, delicate wood etcetera, with bubble wrap, so that the vibrations of the van have a lessened effect on the things inside. Extremely delicate items should be wrapped individually with bubble wrap as well, but you should try to reduce the amount that you use overall, as it can be expensive and is terrible for the environment. Newspaper will usually do well to protect slightly hardier items, so be sure to give that some thought. A couple of layers of paper will do the job that bubble wrap does, and is a lot cheaper. Once the items are wrapped, you should load them in to the boxes in a way that keeps them laid flat together. You will find that the movement of the boxes by the movers as well as the vibrations of the van will re-jig the items within them, and this can cause damage. Locking things together through clever placement will reduce the amount that they can move, alongside filling any empty spaces with scrunched up newspaper. Labeling the boxes correctly will also help you a great deal with the safety of your belongings, as it will be the case that your removals team will certainly not want to use a box marked ‘best glasses’ for the first box at the bottom of the pile, nor on the top for that matter!