One of the most important things to consider when moving a wine collection is how to pack the actual bottles. A reputable moving company can help you figure out the steps you need to take to ensure minimal damage.
It can be difficult to find a reliable moving company to move your wine collection. Many companies will often refuse to carry some types of wine because of the risk of breakage. Wine is expensive, and successfully moving requires some very thoughtful planning.
Because moving fragile objects requires extra care, some movers just won’t want to accept the liability if something went wrong. They don’t have the ability to offer the type and amount of coverage you will need to cover expenses of any breakage or loss.
Avoiding losses requires exceptional care in packing. So, here are a few tricks that may help you move your wine collection with minimal breakage: fortunately, the best moving companies, like Dearman Moving & Storage of Columbus can offer sound advice and expert moving services.
Challenges of Moving a Wine Collection
Packing a wine collection is more complicated than moving other household items. You have to deal with a significant number of individual bottles of wine. The best way to transport your wines is in moving boxes that can move wine bottles with ease. Manufacturers construct moving boxes with robust materials, such as hard plastic instead of cardboard, and separate padded compartments for carrying wine bottles.
A full-service company like Dearman Moving & Storage of Columbus can offer special moving capabilities, including wine moving boxes, moving supplies, and moving advice that will help you move your collection in the safest, most efficient way possible.
The most sensitive part of a bottle of wine is not the glass itself but the area that includes the cork at the top, which requires not just packing but the proper arrangement of the bottles inside each box. That is a key item that must be considered when moving wine. When moving especially sensitive objects of this type, moving companies advise moving one box at a time to avoid injury and keep your collection safe.
How to Pack Wine Bottles Safely
There are actually a variety of moving boxes for wine bottles. Whether you are moving yourself or moving with moving help, you may want to order special wine moving boxes that you have researched to ensure the best possible outcomes.
When moving a wine collection, be sure to wrap the right kind of supplies to use with your choice of moving boxes in advance. You will need to acquire the right box for each size of wine bottles you want to transport. Packers make it a point to wrap all bottles before placing them into one of the dividers in the moving box.
If it’s more convenient to keep the wine out of the way of the main moving process, moving companies in Columbus also offer storage services to keep your wine safe until it eventually reaches its new destination.
If you’re packing the moving boxes yourself, consider filling the boxes with moving peanuts or moving paper to. These materials are good for extra stability in the moving process. For convenience, you may mark your moving boxes with moving labels, so the movers will know precisely what is inside each one.
Additionally, your moving company can assist you with other moving supplies and moving advice. Using the right moving services will keep your wines safe in transit and ensure they get where they’re going in perfect condition.
Safety Tips to Move Your Wine Collection
Setting Up
1. Arrange your moving dates so that you are moving so that the wine will not be exposed to extreme temperatures due to spoiling.
2. Your moving truck will usually be fairly full. Moving companies like to closely stack full moving boxes so that those with delicate items inside, which are more likely to break if they are subject to shifting or sliding of the box.
If you are moving locally yourself, go to a moving supplies store and get extra moving boxes to ensure that boxes will not be bounced around – or you look through your house to find old moving boxes that still have some life left in them.
3. If the weather is terrible on moving day, ask moving companies if they can wait until it clears up or move the date altogether. Moving companies should understand that it is better to delay moving than find out that the wine has been exposed to sketchy road conditions that may lead to unnecessary bouncing or shifting.
4. If you contract with a moving company with a large storage facility, try moving during winter when demand is lower. Moving companies are more likely to have spare space in their storage facilities at this time so that your wine can be kept there until a more appropriate moving day.
5. Pack your wine so that it is upright in its compartment in the box. Don’t allow any box bottles to end up on their side or – worse yet – upside. Slight changes in your arrangement can be damaging for your wine collection: corks in the bottle will absorb the liquid and possibly leak. Once in a final location, always store the bottles on their sides or in a wine rack . Also, make sure to prevent cork contact with the liquid inside.
If you end up moving your collection yourself because you chose a moving company that refuses to move because it’s fragile:
- You need to wrap each bottle well and fill each box fully, using wrapping paper, bubble wrap, towels or any other soft or resilient item. You can use anything as a buffer to keep the bottles from moving around too much.
- Fill moving boxes with moving pads (or moving pillows if you can find them). Moving companies always have moving pads, but make sure to get extras because they are not very expensive anyway.
- Remove any stickers or labels INSIDE the boxes you are using – they can leave behind a sticky residue that will ruin the labels on your bottles.
Moving Day
- If the moving company has agreed to handle your collection, mark each box of bottles as “Wine Bottles – FRAGILE” on all four sides and the top along with a “This side up ONLY” label. That way the moving company workers will take measures to handle your goods with extreme care.
- Don’t try to have the professionals move any bottles that are open – you will have to move them separately, as moving companies won’t move opened bottles of wine, period.
- Wrap moving boxes in moving tape or heavy-duty packing tape. Just be careful that the warning labels are easily visible on moving day.
- Label moving boxes with room or area labels so the moving companies can see where each one is going.
- If you are moving belongings across state lines, moving companies will require special paperwork. Complete formalities ahead of time to avoid your wine getting caught in any of the different moving regulations in other states.
The moving process is never fun, but moving a wine collection can be an absolute nightmare. However, if you prepare ahead of time and use the suggestions listed above, moving your wine collection should go as smoothly as possible.
