A vinyl collection can be just as valuable and treasured as any jewellery or furniture. When its time to move home, you want to make sure that it is packed and transported carefully. The last thing you want is for anything to happen to your collection in transit. Since records are quite fragile, you’ll need to take steps to make sure they’re ready to be moved.
Organise your collection
This goes for all your possessions but doubly so for your records. Group them however you find to be most intuitive. This could be alphabetically, by genre, or by year. Since we recommend that you actually remove the vinyl from its cardboard jacket it is helpful if you can quickly identify each record at your new home. This will make the unpacking process much easier and more hassle-free and minimise the amount of time your records need to spend in boxes.
How to prepare your records for moving
One of the best ways to prevent your records from being damaged in transit is to remove them from the cardboard jacket they came in and place them in a high-quality protective plastic sleeve. The jackets are perfectly fine for retail or home storage but are not suited to providing protection while on the road. The records can push through the corners of the sleeve or even pick up blemishes from friction against the cardboard. For added protection, you can even wrap each sleeved record in bubble wrap, but this will mean they take up significantly more space. You might consider this option only for the oldest and most precious items in your collection.
Packing your vinyl collection
Make sure that you have the right packing boxes. There are specific record boxes available that you can use that are well suited to the task. Remember to only store records upright, never stacked on top of one another. Only place enough records in each box to fit snugly. Too few and they’ll have room to fit shift in transit and may become damage. Pack them in too tightly and there will be too much pressure on them. You can also place the jackets in between each record to provide further protection and make it easier to put everything back together at your destination. Once packed, give the box a very gentle shake to make sure nothing can move inside. You might find that the last box isn’t quite full, in which case fill it with bubble wrap, foam padding, or even crumpled paper to fill the space. Once all your boxes are packed, place a sheet of foam or bubble wrap over the top, put on the lid, and seal it tightly.
Transporting your records
Make sure that you know which boxes contain your records. Writing ‘FRAGILE’ and ‘THIS WAY UP’ are a good way to quickly indicate to any movers that they are to be handled with care. Place the boxes on a flat surface. Ideally on the seat of your car or in the cab of a moving truck if you have one. If placing it in the boot of your car or the rear of a van or truck, make sure to store it carefully. Don’t stack more than two boxes of records on top of one another, and ideally don’t place anything at all on top of them. Place them on a flat surface such as on a piece of furniture and firmly secure them so they cannot slide in transit. Take a look around the storage space and make sure that nothing can fall and crush them during the drive.
If you’re moving house and need a professional team to make the process easier, contact Mitchells Moving Company. We’re a well-established team known for our reliability and diligence. We can pack and transport your vinyl collection carefully and conscientiously as part of your move. For a removal service you can rely on, speak to a member of our team by calling 0800 023 4610 or by emailing info@mitchellsmovingcompany.com.
