Seems simple enough, the use of bubble wrap. You take a sheet of air bubbles, wrap it around your stuff, slide it into the box and be done with it.

Having offered bubble wrap for sale at DAK Self Storage for awhile now, I can tell you that there are some right and wrong ways to go about packing with bubble wrap.

Take a moment to learn now so you can save yourself aggravation down the road.

What Items Are Appropriate for Bubble Wrapping?

Just about anything, as long as it isn’t so heavy that it’s own weight pops the bubbles around it. As you can imagine, immediate popping eliminates any usefulness of the wrap.

More specifically, items that are valuable (such as artwork and glassware) almost require bubblewrap, or at the very least hefty amounts of Styrofoam peanuts and newspaper. Peanuts can get messy – bubblewrap won’t.

What’s the Right Way to Use Bubble Wrap (Bubbles In or Out)?

Believe it or not, there is a right and wrong way. The best method is to face the bubbles to the inside. This provides multiple points of contact which helps distribute any impact and shift to different bubbles. It also helps disperse the weight so that less popping occurs.

Who knew?

What Size Bubbles are Best For My Belongings?

When you start shopping around, you’ll quickly realize that there are multiple sizes of bubble wrap. They can range from very small and easily popable, to quite large and durable. Choosing the right style is important for successful packaging.

In general the rule is bigger=safer. The small bubbles are more flexible and take up less space, therefore they are useful for light items that are not particularly fragile. However, the bigger bubbles provide a deeper air cushion and tend to be more resilient against impact. Therefore, they are a better choice for large or fragile items, or simply if you need to take up more space with your package filling.

Other Tips

Here are a few more tips to help ensure packing success:

• Strive for 2 inches of bubble padding between your breakable items and the side of the box.
• Fill any empty box space with more wrap to ensure a minimum amount of shifting during transit.
• After you’re done packing, give the box a gentle shake to check for excess shifting. If you have a lot of movement, open the box and reassess.
• Utilize bubble-wrap-bags if you don’t have the time to do individual wrappings.
• Buying bulk rolls before beginning your packing process can save money. If you have any left over you’ll always find uses for it later.