Moving house is where glass collections go to die, usually in one box that somebody put on top of the books. The damage is rarely caused by a dramatic drop; it is caused by pieces touching each other and vibrating for two hours in a van. Once you understand that, packing becomes a matter of separation and filling voids rather than wrapping everything in an enormous amount of paper.

Sort before you wrap anything

Moving is the honest moment to admit which glasses you never use. Anything chipped goes straight in the bin, wrapped in card, rather than being carried to a new kitchen where it will eventually fail in somebody’s hand. Odd survivors from broken sets are worth a hard look too. Every piece you do not pack is one you do not have to unpack, wash and find a shelf for.

Small boxes, never large ones

Glass belongs in small strong cartons that stay liftable when full. A large box of glassware is heavy, tempting to stack and impossible to carry without tilting. Line the base with crumpled paper two or three centimetres deep, and do the same at the top. If you are packing a set you have bought recently from a catalogue such as https://netany.org/ and still have the original moulded packaging, use it, because it was designed for exactly this journey.

Vertical, wrapped, and never touching

Wrap each glass individually in paper, working from a corner and tucking the ends inside the rim. Stand tumblers upright rather than on their sides, since the rim is the weakest point and side-loading concentrates force there. Do not nest glasses inside one another, however tempting; they lock together under vibration and crack when separated.

Jars, lids and awkward shapes

• Fill jars with tea towels, socks or clean cloths so the walls are supported.
• Unscrew every lid and pack the lids separately, so threads and rims do not grind.
• Take silicone seals out and bag them; they are cheap to replace and easy to lose.
• Wrap jugs with the handle padded, since that is where they break.
• Pack glass straws in a rigid tube or box, never loose among soft items.

Fill the voids and label the top

Shake the box gently before sealing it. If anything moves, add more paper until it does not, because movement is the whole problem. Mark the box on the top and at least two sides with the contents and the words indicating which way up it goes. Vans get loaded in the dark by people who did not pack it.

Unpacking is its own hazard

Open glass boxes on the floor, not on a worktop where something can roll off. Take one piece out at a time and unwrap it over the box, so a piece that broke in transit does not spill fragments across the room. If you find breakage, wrap the shards in thick card immediately rather than leaving them in the paper pile you are working through.

Temperature after a cold journey

A box that has spent a winter night in a van is genuinely cold. Let glassware come up to room temperature before you wash it, and start with warm rather than very hot water. Sudden temperature change cracks glass, and the first wash in a new kitchen is a surprisingly common moment to lose a piece that survived the entire move.