Whether you are moving to a new home or you are looking to free up space in your home and you have decided to move some of your goods into a storage unit, including your china set. You may have been given this set at your wedding or perhaps it was passed down in the family. Either way, china is fragile and usually holds a lot of memories. Before you pack even one piece of china please check out these tips on how to properly store your china to avoid turning your lovely set into a thousand tiny pieces.
Of course we must note that if you do plan to use your china on a daily basis that you should definitely make room for it in your kitchen so that it is accessible when you need it. However if you are likely only going to pull out your china set for very special dinner occassions then moving it to your storage unit makes a lot of sense.
How should china be stored safely?
There are several ways to safely store your china and one of the greatest ways for long-term storage is to use quilted cases for your china. You can purchase zippered packs of quilted cases that wrap around your china and hold it snug in place to prevent damage. These case sets can be purchased from most stores that sell household products such as Walmart and Sears.
The main benefit to using the ready-made cases is that the storage cases include cut-to-size protective sheets to put between your delicate plates as well as grids to separate your cups to prevent any damage.
Of course if you are working on a tighter budget, you can store your china in a cardboard box or plastic bin. The trick is to ensure that you line the bin or box with bubble wrap or some crumpled pieces of packing paper.
Here are some china storage strategies
- Stack your plates, platters and bowls on their sides. It is best to stack your china plates like a loaf of bread rather than on top of each other like pancakes.
- Place enough bubble wrap or crumpled pieces of paper between each piece of china to prevent the pieces from touching directly.
- Remember that your china is heavy. It is important to use smaller containers and use more of them rather than compacting a bunch of china in a larger box that will be harder to carry and can lead to damage.
- If you plan to store your china in cardboard boxes then it is best not to stick the boxes in areas that are likely to attract animals and pests that are going to eat the cardboard. There is no point putting your delicate china in a box that is going to be devoured!
- Label the boxes or bins appropriately so that you don’t have to unwrap every single box to try and find a specific piece.
So hopefully these tips help you store your china properly in your storage unit or your basement and when you need them again you can pull them out easily for your big event!