Mastering the art of good packing

Mastering the art of good packing

What a relief when nightmares fizzle into nothing. A whole string of them haunted me last summer when I left Florence, my home for 32 years, to move back to Canada. First I dreamt I'd never ever be able to pack up all my books, notes, pottery, dishes, glasses,

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Wed 06 May 2009 10:00 PM

What a
relief when nightmares fizzle into nothing. A whole string of them haunted me
last summer when I left Florence, my home for 32 years, to move back to Canada.
First I dreamt I’d never ever be able to pack up all my books, notes, pottery,
dishes, glasses, plaster casts of works of art, and diverse irreplaceable
treasures. Well, I finally did get everything into cartons-134 of them-but then
I was sure the freighter carrying the container with my belongings would be
kidnapped by pirates.

 

 

When I
heard it had made it through the Suez Canal after all, I dreamt that my
container would be ripped off the deck during one of those frequent, fierce tropical
storms in the Indian Ocean. When I was
notified that my container was sitting at the docks in Vancouver, I was sure
that all my breakables had broken. When the container arrived at my house and
the doors swung open, I could not believe my eyes. There they were, all 134
cartons, looking not a whit the worse for wear. As I opened one after another,
I found every last item intact. Clearly, I had mastered the art of good
packing. With a bit of determination and imagination, you can, too, especially
if you follow my tried and true technique, which I have distilled into a few
simple steps.

 

First,
make an inventory list, and assign a number to each item.

 

Next, buy
extra-sturdy cardboard cartons (such as those from Allegri & Allegri near
Porta S. Frediano) in sizes that will not be too large, or end up being too
heavy, for you to lift. Buy bubblewrap, thin foam wrap and tape. Buy a sheet, 1
cm. thick, of foam rubber (gomma schiuma, usually pre-cut 2 x 1 m., e.g.
at the Centro Arredotessile in via Pietrapiana).

 

Go for a
walk at a time when stores put their cardboard cartons out on the street for
pick-up. Scavenge as many small and medium-sized cartons as you can carry. If
you see any styrofoam chips, take those, too. Go to bookstores, erboristerie and profumerie and ask if they are throwing out any airpads (cuscini
d’aria). If they have any, take as many as you can get. They are fantastic
because they weigh nothing and can be stuffed into those awkward empty spaces
that abound in packed cartons. For the same reason, don’t throw out any of your
old socks, hankies, pens or pencils until after you’ve packed the last carton.

 

Start taping together your extra-sturdy cardboard cartons. Use lots of
tape. Write your name on the outside, and number the carton, making sure to
note the carton number next to the item number on your inventory list, so you
can keep track of what you have put inside each carton.

 

Line the
bottom of the carton with a piece of bubblewrap (cut a second piece while
you’re at it, to lay on top of the carton before closing). Place something
rigid and heavy, such as a big book, on the bottom of the carton and line the
sides with more books (or similar rigid, flat items). In the empty space that
is left in the center of the carton, place some of your smaller fragile items,
wrapped in thin foam or bubblewrap, and ideally inside one of the small
cardboard cartons that you found on the street. If you have any airpads, use
them wherever you can. Stuff any remaining small spaces with squishable things
like socks or scarves, or something slim like pencils, or tubes of
cream-anything that will slip into the space and prevent the contents of the
carton from shifting. Even the cardboard rings of your depleted packing tape,
or poster tubes, come in handy for this purpose. Put clothes or towels on top
of the contents to fill up the carton.

 

Pack sets
of glasses, dishes or pottery using the box-within-a-box method: put all the
breakables into a sturdy cardboard or plastic container, which will fit inside
the larger, extra-sturdy cardboard carton. Wrap the glasses in thin foam or
bubblewrap. This not only cushions them but also prevents them from slipping
around. Cut pieces of the 1 cm foam rubber sheet to put in between each of your
plates, and take a larger piece to wrap around them all, and also to wrap
around bowls. Do not be stingy with extra foam. You need to protect your dishes
and glasses from pressure and movement. If you have any blankets or pillows to
ship, wrap them around the container with your breakables for extra protection.
You want to make sure that it is padded all around and that it sits snugly
inside the larger cardboard carton.

And
here’s a final bonus tip, whether you are moving or simply traveling. To keep
shirts, pullovers, trousers and other clothing from getting wrinkled in your
suitcase, place a plastic bag inside each garment when you are folding
it, and then slip the folded garment inside another plastic bag. You will have
created a series of air cushions that surround and separate your clothes, with
results that are astounding.

 

BUON VIAGGIO!

 

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