-We all have favorite, delicate, and fragile things that give us much pleasure. From a beautiful hand-blown Venetian glass bowl purchased on vacation, a lovely ceramic giraffe that cost $2 at a local yard sale, or that peacock-patterned dish set purchased from Amazon, all are important. It doesn’t matter how much we paid or who gifted the item. If it breaks, so does part of us. Rick Runnells, owner of River Road Mini Storage in Paso Robles, has some packing secrets to help avoid opening a box to discover cracked and broken treasures.

• Start with quality packing supplies. Sturdy boxes, packing peanuts, bubble wrap, packing paper, or soft fabric, labels, black markers, packing tape, and a safe place to keep the packed boxes.
• Use boxes that are made for fragile items. Boxes designed for dishes, glasses, and other fragile items are ideal.
• Don’t overfill and use small to medium-sized boxes. For larger items, use one appropriately-sized box.
• Consider using wooden crates for sculptures.
• Wrap each item individually using bubble wrap, packing paper, or soft fabrics. Fill all the hollow spaces in vases, bowls, cups, and glasses. Wrap the stems of stemware and candlesticks, then wrap each item with 2 to 4 layers of bubble wrap or wrapping paper.
• Before adding wrapped items to a box, completely tape the bottom of the box and cushion the bottom and sides with packing peanuts and packing material.
• Add heavier items to the box first, leaving space between items. Fill the spaces with enough peanuts or other packing material to prevent shifting. Create a protective layer over the top of the items, making sure the sides of the box are also padded.
• Continue packing in layers, leaving about three inches between the top layer and the top of the box.
• Close and tape the box, add Fragile labels to all sides and the top, and also add a “This side up” label to the top. Write the contents on the box.
• Store the packed boxes in a safe place until it’s time to move them. Stack lighter boxes on top of heavier boxes.

Packing carefully, with the appropriate materials, and handling and storing the boxes safely can greatly reduce the risk of breakage.

“Storing boxes of fragile items is just as important as proper packing,” said the Paso Robles self-storage owner. If you are storing at home, use a dedicated closet or an enclosed section of the garage. You can even label the closet or enclosure for added protection.”

• If moving, handle fragile boxes separately. They should be the last to go on the moving van, and the last to go into the storage until. Consider dedicating a section of the storage unit to the fragile boxes.
• When moving items to a new home, consider having all of the fragile boxes put in one room or in a dedicated corner of a room. They’ll be safer in their own space. You’ll know where they are and can unpack them at our leisure.

River Road Mini Storage, the Paso Robles self-storage, has been serving the storage needs of the community since 1984.

• Code-controlled gate access 7 days a week.
• Well-lit and fully fenced.
• On-site security cameras.
• Conveniently located in downtown Paso Robles.
• Wide drive-up access to all units.
• Three sizes of units to choose from.
• Easy, affordable payment options.
• New tenants enjoy a 20% first-month discount with a promo coupon available on the website.

River Road Mini Storage
1631 North River Road
Paso Robles, CA 93446
(805) 239-4333