How to Wrap a Mirror for a Move

How to Wrap a Mirror for a Move

Will breaking a mirror really get you seven years of bad luck? Probably not, though the idea that shattering a looking glass can bring grave misfortune to the clumsy offender has been around since ancient times. According the folks over at HowStuffWorks, the superstition most likely comes from the ancient Greek idea that your reflection is your soul, separate from the body. So when you smash a mirror into pieces, you are actually harming your soul.

Maybe that’s a little far-fetched, but breaking a mirror or a piece of glass is one of the worst things that can happen on a move. Even if the item isn’t a cherished family heirloom, the shards can damage, scratch, or rip the other furniture in the truck or — worse yet — injure you or your movers. The best way to avoid getting any mover blood on your items? Wrap and pack your mirrors properly.

These shiny items are easy to overlook (there’s a pun in there somewhere, trust me). When we think of the most difficult objects to move, we often think about the biggest and heaviest items we own. Our dressers, hutches, mattresses, refrigerators, and safes — these are the items so heavy and bulky that many people consider hiring professionals to deal with them.

But one nice thing about big, weighty furniture pieces is that all that bulk makes them pretty resilient to wear and tear. A dresser with a scratch or two on the side is still a functional dresser. A broken mirror, however, is no mirror at all. (As we mentioned before, it’s an injury risk!)

So, without further ado:

How to Wrap a Mirror for a Move — Step 1: Supplies!

This is the easy part. You’ll need packing tape and a moving blanket. That should be it. If you don’t have moving blankets, you can check out our guide to moving supplies or just use an old comforter or blanket (the thicker the better).

Spread the blanket out on a flat surface like a table or the floor and you’re good to go.

Step 2: The Mirror!

The next thing you’ll want to do is simply place the mirror or picture frame face-down on top of the blanket. Like so:

Step 3: Know When to Fold ’em

Once the mirror or photo is placed on the center of the moving pad, take the side with the largest portion of overhanging cloth and fold it over the back of the mirror thusly:

Step 4: Repeat!

This part is pretty self explanatory. Take the side of the pad opposite the first fold, and do the same thing. Then repeat with the top and bottom.

Step 5: Wrap it up (with tape)!

Grab your tape, and wrap some across the top of the mirror. Two or three times around (and tight) should be plenty. Do the same to the bottom and you’re done:

Step 6: You’re Done!

That’s it. You’ve wrapped a mirror! Here’s how it should look:

When loading into your car or truck, remember that you want it to stand vertically. Never let it sit flat on the floor while in transit. This is because the piece will absorb the shock of driving over bumps and other things much more safely while standing up. Whereas when sitting flat on the floor, a jolt to the piece will hit a single location on it with much more intensity, and increase the possibility of breaking it. (When packing a truck, we solve this issue by standing up the mirrors and other flat objects snugly between the mattress on box spring.)

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Safe Responsible Movers – Boston, MA – How to Wrap a Mirror

Featured photo: Frans van Mieris the Elder [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons