How to Pack Moving Boxes WITHOUT Bubble Wrap or Packing Paper

Out of bubble wrap? Too thrifty to spend money on packing paper? Here is how to pad fragile items for your move with soft items you already own!

Why should you pack moving boxes WITHOUT bubble wrap or packing paper?

Save money
Avoid a trip to the store
Use less boxes overall, which will save space in your moving truck
Earth-friendly

I have moved house more times than I can count. I have never bought packing paper or bubble wrap. And I have never broken any dishes or other fragile items while moving!

Individual results may vary. Not a guarantee! But I think you can do it!

Supplies

Fragile items you need to pack (dishes, lamps, picture frames, collectibles)
Soft items you already own and need to pack anyway (blankets, towels, clothes, stuffed animals)
Moving boxes (I got mine free from my neighbor who just moved in!)
Packing tape to seal boxes
Dark permanent marker to label boxes

Step 1: Start With a Soft Layer

Line the bottom of the box with something soft and somewhat flat, like a blanket or towel.

Step 2: Wrap and Add Fragile Items

Wrap fragile items with soft items so that there is always something soft between the fragile item and the box and between the fragile item and another fragile item.

For dinner plates, put each plate in a t-shirt and stack them.

Picture frames can also go inside t-shirts.

Step 3: Fill in Any Gaps With Soft Items

If you have something like a globe that is narrow in some parts and wide in other parts, support it by squeezing a soft item like a stuffed animal around the narrow part.

If you have something hollow like a lamp shade, fill it in with soft items. (Oops! That's my cat! Do not use real animals! My cat climbed into the box for the picture, but I replaced her with a stuffed animal before moving on to Steps 4 and 5.)

For drinking glasses, stuff a sock inside each glass. Then put the entire glass inside another sock. (Use only clean socks!)

Step 4: Add More Soft Items

Pack your items in tightly so there is no room for them to move around. Another blanket or towel can go on top.

Step 5: Seal and Label the Box

Seal the box with packing tape, all the way around the box on both sides.

Label the box with a dark permanent marker. Write the name of the room where the fragile items belong. For example, if a box has both t-shirts that go in the bedroom AND dinner plates that go in the kitchen, label the box "kitchen." When you arrive in your new home and start unpacking, you will want to open that box in the kitchen where the plates belong. It will be easy to lay the t-shirts aside and bring them to your bedroom later.

If you like being specific, you can also identify what is inside the box.

Write "fragile" on the box and indicate which side is up with an arrow.