{"id":2907,"date":"2018-07-24T12:23:14","date_gmt":"2018-07-24T12:23:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/moving.tips\/?p=2907"},"modified":"2018-07-24T12:23:14","modified_gmt":"2018-07-24T12:23:14","slug":"bubble-wrap-vs-packing-paper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moving.tips\/packing-tips\/bubble-wrap-vs-packing-paper\/","title":{"rendered":"Bubble Wrap VS Packing Paper: Which is the best packing material for moving?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When it comes to moving and packing, many people believe that skimping on packing supplies is a good trick to reduce the moving costs \u2013 after all, it\u2019s quite easy to <a href=\"\/costs-saving-tips\/free-moving-boxes\/\">get moving boxes for free<\/a> and you can always use newspapers and old clothes <a href=\"\/packing-tips\/free-packing-materials-at-home\/\">instead of professional wrapping materials<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If you want to ensure that your items arrive intact and unscathed to your new home, however, you should provide them with the best possible protection \u2013 and it cannot be done with old boxes or substitute padding materials. You need quality packing supplies that will keep your belongings safe and sound during the entire relocation process \u2013 brand new cardboard boxes, specialized moving boxes, packing paper, packing peanuts, bubble wrap, foam sheets, etc.<\/p>\n<p>Packing paper and bubble wrap, in particular, are extremely important for ensuring the safety of your possessions \u2013 they protect the surfaces of your items against scratches, dust, and dirt and can prevent an object from breaking during the move. But which one is better? Which one should you use when packing for moving?<\/p>\n<h2>Bubble wrap vs packing paper: pros and cons<\/h2>\n<p>Both wrapping materials offer excellent protection to household items during a move, but each of them has its own specific benefits and drawbacks:<\/p>\n<h3>Advantages of bubble wrap<\/h3>\n<p>Bubble wrap is rightly considered one of the most practical packing materials available:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"ul_ol_padding\">\n<li>It <strong>offers unparalleled safety <\/strong>to household items during a move &#8211; the evenly distributed air-filled bubbles provide ultimate protection against shocks and vibrations during the transportation and can prevent an item from breaking if it is accidentally dropped while being hauled around or topples over or bumps against other items in the moving truck during transit. Needless to say, bubble wrap also protects the object against scratching and chipping;<\/li>\n<li>It can <strong>snugly fit any shape<\/strong>, allowing you to ensure the safety of oddly-shaped items during shipment;<\/li>\n<li>It comes in various forms (sheets, bags, envelopes) and sizes (large bubbles, small bubbles), so it is very <strong>easy and convenient to use<\/strong> &#8211; you can easily find a type that perfectly suits your specific needs and requirements;<\/li>\n<li>It is very <strong>lightweight<\/strong> and does not add to the overall weight of your shipment (and consequently \u2013 to the <a href=\"\/costs-saving-tips\/estimate-moving-costs\/\">final moving cost<\/a>);<\/li>\n<li>It is <strong>not as expensive<\/strong> as other specialized wrapping materials like foam sheets, for example;<\/li>\n<li>It can be <strong>reused several times<\/strong>, helping reduce waste and protect the environment (while also helping you save money on packing materials for your next move);<\/li>\n<li>It is<strong> fun <\/strong>\u2013 bursting air bubbles is not only enjoyable but is also believed to have a therapeutic effect, calming the nerves and <a href=\"\/bonus-tips-and-tricks\/reduce-moving-stress\/\">reducing stress<\/a>. What\u2019s more, you can come up with many entertaining applications of bubble wrap after the move \u2013 create fun bubbly contraptions or make eco-friendly costumes or toys, for example. (See also: <a href=\"\/post-move-tips\/what-to-do-with-bubble-wrap-after-moving\/\">What to do with bubble wrap after you move<\/a>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Despite its numerous benefits, however, bubble wrap is bulky and not as delicate, as cheap, and as easily recyclable as packing paper.<\/p>\n<h3>Advantages of packing paper<\/h3>\n<p>There is a good reason why packing paper is the traditional material of choice for wrapping household items for moving:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"ul_ol_padding\">\n<li>It is soft and smooth and, therefore, very <strong>gentle to the surfaces<\/strong> it is wrapped around \u2013 packing paper is safe to use even for your most delicate possessions (fine artwork, china, wood finishes, etc.) as it will not harm or mar the surfaces in any way (it cannot scratch or smudge the fine surfaces and won\u2019t leave any stains or sticky residue on them);<\/li>\n<li>It wraps closely around the item and <strong>provides perfect protection<\/strong> against scratches, dust, and dirt;<\/li>\n<li>It <strong>takes up less space<\/strong> than other filling and padding materials like bubble warp, towels, or pieces of clothing, helping you save space when packing for a move;<\/li>\n<li>It allows dishes and other items that have been individually wrapped in packing paper to be <strong>easily stacked or bundled together<\/strong>;<\/li>\n<li>Although paper is thin and not very strong, when crumpled it becomes extremely resilient and durable and <strong>provides excellent cushioning<\/strong> in a box;<\/li>\n<li>It is <strong>environmentally friendly<\/strong> as paper products can be fully and easily recycled and biodegrade quickly when discarded. Besides, packing paper requires very little energy to produce;<\/li>\n<li>It is <strong>cheap and easy<\/strong> to get.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As beneficial as it may be, packing paper cannot provide the heavy duty protection some household items need during a move \u2013 it is thin, tears easily, and doesn\u2019t have the air-filled cushioning power of bubble wrap.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Good to know:<\/strong> Both bubble wrap and crumpled packing paper can be used to fill the voids in a <a href=\"\/packing-tips\/how-to-pack-boxes-for-moving\/\">moving box<\/a> to immobilize the items inside and prevent them from shifting and from coming in contact with one another during transportation.<\/p>\n<p>The above differences between the two protective materials make them more appropriate for cushioning certain objects and less appropriate for padding others.<\/p>\n<h2>Bubble wrap or packing paper: when to use which<\/h2>\n<p>The specific advantages of each wrapping material define its best uses when <a href=\"\/packing-tips\/\">packing for moving<\/a>:<\/p>\n<h3>What to pack with bubble wrap<\/h3>\n<p>You can wrap anything with bubble wrap, of course, but some items just <em>need<\/em> the air-filled material in order to survive the move in one piece:<\/p>\n<ol class=\"ul_ol_padding\">\n<li><strong>Extremely fragile items<\/strong> \u2013 stemmed glasses, chinaware, vases, lamps, etc. Make sure you place some bubble wrap inside the cups, bowls, and any hollow spaces in your breakables for extra support and wedge some of the air-filled material between the handle and the body of an item to prevent the handle from breaking (when applicable). Wrap the entire fragile item in a sheet of bubble wrap and secure the protective layer in place with quality packing tape;<\/li>\n<li><strong>Awkwardly-shaped items<\/strong> \u2013 pieces of art, protruding furniture parts, toys, accessories, etc. Bubble wrap can fit any shape and provide the unwieldy piece with the protection it needs to survive the move intact and unscathed;<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sensitive items<\/strong> \u2013 electronics and electrical devices, antiques and fine furniture, etc. Anti-static bubble wrap is your best bet when it comes to packing sensitive items for moving \u2013 it will cushion any accidental impacts, preventing potential damage to the delicate pieces, and will protect electronic products from the effect of static-induced electric charges.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>Good to remember:<\/strong> Bubble wrap is indispensable for packing heavier and larger fragile objects as it can give them the extra cushioning they need to remain safe and sound during the moving process.<\/p>\n<h3>What to wrap with packing paper<\/h3>\n<p>Packing paper is your best option for protecting lightweight delicate items and fine surfaces:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"ul_ol_padding\">\n<li>Plates and dishes;<\/li>\n<li>Pictures and mirrors;<\/li>\n<li>Valuable books;<\/li>\n<li>Glass tabletops, glass shelves, glass cabinet doors, and any other glass furniture parts;<\/li>\n<li>Polished furniture pieces and fine wood finishes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Good to remember:<\/strong> Sharp corners and edges, protruding metal elements, and other pointed parts can easily rip or perforate packing paper, so they should always be wrapped in bubble wrap (they are unlikely to puncture a thick layer of air-filled plastic).<\/p>\n<p><strong>One final piece of advice \u2013 to ensure maximum protection to your items during a move, use both packing paper and bubble wrap. <\/strong>Wrap your breakables in packing paper first, then add a protective layer or two of bubble wrap. Do not forget to place a layer of bubble wrap or crumpled paper on the bottom of a moving box for extra cushioning, fill any remaining empty spaces in the box with crumpled paper or bubble wrap, and add several sheets of packing paper or bubble wrap on top of the items in a box before shutting it close. Your cherished possessions will be as safe as they can be.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When it comes to moving and packing, many people believe that skimping on packing supplies is a good trick to reduce the moving costs \u2013 after all, it\u2019s quite easy to get moving boxes for free and you can always use newspapers and old clothes instead of professional wrapping materials. If you want to ensure<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2909,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v15.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"To solve the dilemma &quot;bubble wrap vs packing paper&quot; and pick the best wrapping material for every packing task, you need to know the specifics of both materials.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bubble Wrap VS Packing Paper: Which is the best packing material for moving?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"To solve the dilemma &quot;bubble wrap vs packing paper&quot; and pick the best wrapping material for every packing task, you need to know the specifics of both materials.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/moving.tips\/packing-tips\/bubble-wrap-vs-packing-paper\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Moving Tips\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-07-24T12:23:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/moving.tips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/bubble-wrap-and-packing-paper.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n<meta property=\"fb:app_id\" content=\"854892191200604\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/moving.tips\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/moving.tips\/\",\"name\":\"Moving Tips\",\"description\":\"Moving and Packing Tips\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":\"https:\/\/moving.tips\/?s={search_term_string}\",\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/moving.tips\/packing-tips\/bubble-wrap-vs-packing-paper\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/moving.tips\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/bubble-wrap-and-packing-paper.jpg\",\"width\":600,\"height\":400,\"caption\":\"Solve the ultimate dilemma \\\"bubble wrap vs packing paper\\\".\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/moving.tips\/packing-tips\/bubble-wrap-vs-packing-paper\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/moving.tips\/packing-tips\/bubble-wrap-vs-packing-paper\/\",\"name\":\"Bubble Wrap VS Packing Paper: Which is the best packing material for moving?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/moving.tips\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/moving.tips\/packing-tips\/bubble-wrap-vs-packing-paper\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2018-07-24T12:23:14+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-07-24T12:23:14+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/moving.tips\/#\/schema\/person\/31c2f1379af3394e3602d037298b424d\"},\"description\":\"To solve the dilemma \\\"bubble wrap vs packing paper\\\" and pick the best wrapping material for every packing task, you need to know the specifics of both materials.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/moving.tips\/packing-tips\/bubble-wrap-vs-packing-paper\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/moving.tips\/packing-tips\/bubble-wrap-vs-packing-paper\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/moving.tips\/packing-tips\/bubble-wrap-vs-packing-paper\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"item\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/moving.tips\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/moving.tips\/\",\"name\":\"Home\"}},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"item\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/moving.tips\/packing-tips\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/moving.tips\/packing-tips\/\",\"name\":\"Packing Tips\"}},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"item\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/moving.tips\/packing-tips\/bubble-wrap-vs-packing-paper\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/moving.tips\/packing-tips\/bubble-wrap-vs-packing-paper\/\",\"name\":\"Bubble Wrap VS Packing Paper: Which is the best packing material for moving?\"}}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/moving.tips\/#\/schema\/person\/31c2f1379af3394e3602d037298b424d\",\"name\":\"Ethan Greenfield\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/moving.tips\/#personlogo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b43474006f73814132b0615152a9f16c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Ethan Greenfield\"},\"description\":\"Ethan is a relocation professional and an ex-moving coordinator. He has experience in handling relocations from start to finish with the consumer in mind. Now, Ethan is dedicated to sharing his knowledge with as many people as possible in order to help them have a better moving experience. Ethan Greenfield's work has been featured in established industry organizations like Move for Hunger (Non profit organization) and The American Moving and Storage Association. His work has also been featured in mainstream medias like Zillow, BuzzFeed and others. 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