They say that breaking a mirror will bring seven years of bad luck and, whether that’s true or not, damaging one of your precious mirrors during a house move can be really upsetting. In this article, we’re explaining how to pack a mirror for moving in our step by step guide. 

On reflection

The average household contains several mirrors and, as well as practical purposes, many people like to use these clever items to create the illusion of space in a room. In the olden days, mirrors were constructed by spraying a thin coating of aluminium or silver onto a plate of glass, however, these days, the most common process is to heat the metal in a vacuum and then bond it to the glass. 

How to pack a mirror for moving

As with any object made from glass, a mirror is fragile and carelessness during a house move can lead to the shattering of the glass and damage to the frame so, in this section, we’re looking at how to pack glasses or a mirror for moving.

What you’ll need

– Bubble wrap

– Strong adhesive tape

– Masking tape

– Cardboard

– Large boxes

– Packing peanuts

– Corner protectors (if your mirror is square or rectangular)

– Labels

– A marker pen

Having all of these things ready in advance will save you precious time when it comes to packing up your mirror. 

A step-by-step guide to packing your mirror for moving house

1. Tape it up

With the best will in the world, there’s always the chance that your mirror will get broken in transit and, in this unfortunate event, the glass can shatter, scattering shards which can damage other items and people. To prevent this, place masking tape directly onto the glass in a cross shape, running from the top corners on the diagonal to the bottom corners. This will ensure that the glass will not shatter completely if broken.

2. Protect your corners

If your frame is square or rectangular, the corners can easily get chipped when moving house. To prevent this, use card or rubber corner protectors – these can be bought cheaply online or in home stores or, if you can even make your own using card and / or foam rubber. 

3. It’s a wrap

Grab your bubble wrap and wrap at least two layers around your entire mirror and tape the wrap securely. This is usually easiest to do by laying a sheet of bubble wrap on the floor with the mirror on top – and then wrap bottom to top and secure before turning over and repeating the procedure. 

4. Boxing clever

Cover the bottom of your moving box with a good layer of packing peanuts and then place the wrapped mirror inside. Plus any side gaps with your packing peanuts and add another layer on top to stop the wrapped mirror moving around while in transit. 

Where possible, you should only pack one mirror per box to cut down on the risk of damage or breakage during your move. 

5. Seal the deal

Once your mirror is safely secured inside the box, seal the top well and then clearly mark the box with labels stating ‘Fragile’, ‘Glass’ or ‘Handle with care’ as this will alert your movers to the fact that the contents are breakable. It’s also a good idea to label the box with which room it should be delivered to when you reach your new home.

6. Safe travels

Transport is often the most dangerous part of the move for your mirrors so extra attention needs to be paid to this. Ask your movers to store the mirrors in the van on their sides rather than flat to prevent other items falling on top of them. You should also ask that boxes containing mirrors are secured to the side of the van where possible for extra security. 

Looking good

A few well placed mirrors can make a huge difference to your home and, as such, it’s important that they’re kept looking their best. For this reason, taking extra care when packing and transporting your mirrors will help you to ensure that they stay looking great for many years to come !

Don’t know where to move all your glassy stuff? Check out those stunning places to live in Cyprus!