Smart Packing Tips: How To Use Bubble Wrap

Bubble wrap is a moving staple. Easy to use, it provides extra cushion, protects against scratches and keeps dust and dirt off wrapped items. It’s also relatively inexpensive, and you can save it for your next move or when you need to ship a package.

What you may not realize, though, is there’s a right way—and a wrong way—to use it. Use it incorrectly and you could forfeit all the protection it offers or, worse yet, wind up damaging some of your belongings’ surfaces. Use it the right way, and it’s one of the best packing materials there is. Before your next move, make sure you know how to use bubble wrap to get the most protection for your treasured belongings.

Why use bubble wrap

Originally intended to serve as textured wallpaper, it experienced its first success as packaging material in 1959, two years after it was invented, when IBM was looking for a way to protect its products during shipping. It offered flexibility and cushioning otherwise unavailable at that time. Here’s why it is still one of the best packing materials for your move:

Easy to use: It is one of the easiest packing materials to use. You simply wrap it around an object and secure it with tape. Because it is flexible, it fits snuggly around almost any item, regardless of how awkwardly shaped it is.

Protective: Air trapped inside two fused plastic sheets make up bubble wrap. It can even prevent items from scratches, chips or breaking if they hit the floor. Additionally, it keeps out dirt, dust and moisture.

Weightless: Because it’s made of air, it adds almost no weight to your boxes. As a result, your moving boxes will be easier to lift, making it theoretically less likely that you’ll sustain a back injury during your move.

Reusable: Moving again? You can store it for your next move or hold on to it to use as packaging material when you need to mail an item. Since you can roll it or store it in sheets, it won’t take up much space.

When to use it

You can use bubble wrap to cushion almost any item when packing for a move. However, you’ll especially want to use it when packing valuable, fragile and odd-shaped items. Consider using it when packing:

  • Stemware and chinaware
  • Wall art and mirrors
  • Flat-screen TVs
  • Computer screens
  • Decorative items
  • Vases and lamp bases
  • Glass tabletops
  • Sharp edges or corners

Depending on the item, you may need to use packing paper, too. For example, it can leave marks on computer screens, TV screens and glass surfaces if it comes in contact with them. You’ll need to first wrap the item in paper, then bubble wrap. Also, you’ll want to fill a hollow item, like a vase, with crumbled packing paper for additional support before wrapping the item in bubble wrap.

Types of bubble wrap

It comes with air bubbles ranging from ¼” to 1”. The most common size is 0.4”. Typically, smaller bubbles protect items from scratches, while larger bubbles protect items from impact. Given the nature of a move, err towards purchasing it with larger bubbles since it can also protect against scratches.

There are also different types of bubble wrap. In addition to standard, you’ll find it in a heavy-duty weight with larger with more durable bubbles and in an anti-static form. The pink-colored, anti-static version does exactly what its name suggests: it protects electronics from the static electricity that can fatally damage them. If you use regular bubble wrap on your computer, a static charge can build and ruin it.

Use the right side up

When working with bubble wrap, the bubbles should face inward, touching the item you are wrapping. Not only does this offer more cushioning, but it reduces the chance of the bubbles popping during the move. Additionally, the textured, bubble side of the wrap grips the item, holding it in place.

Having the flat side out also makes it easier to tape the bubble wrap and allows you to write on the wrapped surface.

How to use bubble wrap to pack for a move

Before getting started, set up a workspace on a flat surface and gather your supplies. You’ll need:

  • Bubble wrap
  • Packing paper
  • Packing tape
  • Scissors
  • Boxes
  • Markers

Start by assessing the item. Glass items and any item with a screen need to first be wrapped in packing paper so the bubble wrap doesn’t leave marks on the surface. Similarly, hollow items need additional support from crumpled packing paper or newspaper before wrapping with bubble wrap.

Next, place the item on a sheet of bubble wrap long enough to encircle it at least twice. Roll the item like a burrito, securing it with a piece of tape along the side and at the ends. Then, label it, if you want, and place it in a box. Heavier items should form the base of your box, while you should pack lighter, more delicate items at the top.

Items with odd shapes may require a little extra effort. For example, a wine glass requires extra padding around its weakest point, the stem. Wrap several layers of bubble wrap around the stem, and secure it in place. Once the stem has adequate protection, add packing paper to the glass itself and wrap the entire glass in bubble wrap.

You may want to add extra paper for padding between bubble-wrapped items in each box before sealing it. Label the box, and mark it “Fragile.”

Are you packing a mirror, artwork or a flat-screen TV? Besides wrapping the item in paper first so the bubble wrap doesn’t leave marks, make sure you use the right box. A box that fits your artwork or TV’s dimensions offers the best protection, regardless of how much bubble wrap you use.

After the move

Because bubble wrap is so durable, you don’t have to toss it after a move. Instead, save it for your next move or to use as packing materials when you need to ship a box. You can also donate it to others in the process of moving or recycle it. Most recycling centers will accept it even if your new hometown doesn’t accept it curbside.

Planning a move?

Let someone else do the work for you. Professional movers can properly pack all of your belongings. Check out Moving.com’s extensive network of reliable, licensed and insured movers. They’ll take the pressure off you, and you can rest assured your belongings will arrive in perfect condition.