Month: May 2026

Fragile items are the ones that make moving feel like the highest stakes. A cracked mirror, broken wine glasses, or a damaged piece of artwork isn’t just a financial loss — some of these things can’t be replaced at any price. The good news is that most breakage during a move is preventable. It comes down to two things: the right materials and not rushing the process.

Start with the Right Supplies

Packing fragile items with inexpensive, inadequate materials is a false economy. You’ll need small to medium-sized boxes for most breakables — larger boxes get too heavy and too difficult to handle safely. Stock up on plain packing paper (not newspaper, which transfers ink onto surfaces), bubble wrap, foam sheets or foam pouches, packing tape, and something to fill empty space — packing peanuts, crumpled paper, or small towels all work. The goal for any fragile box is that nothing moves once it’s sealed. If you can hear or feel the box shifting when you gently shake it, it needs more cushioning before it goes on the truck.

Dishes and Glassware: More Care Than You’d Think

Dishes should be packed vertically, standing on their edges like records in a crate — never flat. Stacking them flat places all the weight on the bottom pieces, and that’s where most dish breakage happens. Wrap each plate individually in packing paper, and place a sheet of bubble wrap or additional paper between each one. 

For glasses and stemware, stuff the inside of each glass with crumpled paper first, then wrap the outside and give extra attention to stems, which are the most vulnerable part. Use boxes with cell dividers when packing wine glasses or other stemware — they keep pieces separated and prevent contact during transit.

Artwork and Mirrors: Stand Them Up, Always

Framed artwork and mirrors should always travel upright, never flat. Lay them flat, and they’re far more susceptible to pressure cracks from weight stacked on top. Use painter’s tape to create an X across the glass surface before packing — this doesn’t make the glass unbreakable, but if it does get hit, the tape holds the shards together rather than letting them scatter. Wrap the piece in bubble wrap secured with tape (tape on the wrap, not directly on the frame), then place it in a specialty picture or mirror box. Fill any remaining space in the box with packing paper so nothing shifts.

Ceramics, Collectibles, and Heirlooms

Irregularly shaped items require more patience than standard household goods. Wrap every piece individually and completely, paying extra attention to protruding parts — a ceramic figurine’s arm, the spout on a teapot, the corner of a decorative tile. For items with significant sentimental or monetary value, consider double-boxing: pack the item in a well-cushioned smaller box, then place that box inside a larger box with additional padding on all sides. Mark these boxes “Fragile” on every face, and load them last so they ride on top of heavier items on the truck.

Know When to Ask for Help

For a large collection of fragile items, or for individual pieces that are genuinely irreplaceable — fine art, antiques, family heirlooms — a professional packing service is worth the investment. Professional packers have access to custom crating materials and regularly handle high-value, delicate pieces. They know which items require specialty boxes, which need custom foam inserts, and how to pack a truck so that the fragile items stay safe through every turn and stop between New Berlin and the destination. Our residential moving team includes packing services specifically designed for households with fragile or high-value items.

Loading Matters as Much as Packing

Items in a well-packed box can still get broken if the box is placed under heavy items or allowed to shift during a sharp turn. Fragile boxes should be loaded last and positioned on top of heavier, more stable boxes. Keep them upright with the “this side up” orientation respected. If you’re overseeing a move with a mix of professional movers and personal loads, make sure everyone on site knows which boxes are fragile and where they belong in the truck.

Move It Safely. Move It Right.

Schroeder Moving provides professional packing and household moving services for Wisconsin families throughout Appleton, New Berlin, Milwaukee, and the surrounding area. Whether you need help packing your most delicate items or want a full-service move from start to finish, we have the experience to protect what matters. Request your free estimate today.

Technology is the backbone of how most Wisconsin businesses operate today. Phones, computers, servers, network hardware — when these things go down, everything stops. That’s what makes the IT component of an office relocation fundamentally different from moving furniture or filing cabinets. The stakes are higher, the variables are more complex, and the cost of getting it wrong shows up on day one at the new location. With the right plan in place, a tech-heavy move doesn’t have to mean downtime.

Start with a Complete IT Inventory

Before anything gets disconnected, document everything. Create a detailed list of every piece of technology in the building: workstations, monitors, printers, phone systems, network switches, firewalls, servers, and any specialty equipment. For each item, note the model, serial number, and exactly where and how it’s currently connected. This inventory isn’t just an administrative step — it’s the foundation of your reconnection plan. Without it, the setup at the new location becomes a guessing game.

Back Up Everything Before You Touch a Single Cable

Data loss during a move is rare when handled properly, but the consequences are severe enough that there’s no reason to leave it to chance. Back up all critical systems — servers, shared drives, databases — before any equipment is moved. Test those backups to confirm they’re complete and recoverable. Store backup copies separately from the equipment being moved, whether on an offsite server or a secure cloud environment. For regulated industries such as healthcare, legal, or financial services operating in the Milwaukee or Fox Valley areas, this step also intersects with compliance obligations and should involve your IT or legal team.

Label Every Cable and Component

Complex cable runs, server racks, and multi-device workstations can look completely unfamiliar once they’ve been disconnected from their context. Before disassembly begins, photograph every setup — server back panels, workstation cable connections, phone system wiring. Label each cable with a tag that identifies both what it connects to and where it goes. Bag and label all peripheral accessories together with their corresponding device. This documentation turns what could be a half-day of troubleshooting at the new location into a straightforward reconnection process.

Prepare the New Location Before Moving Day

One of the most common mistakes in commercial IT moves is arriving at the new space before it’s ready for technology. Confirm well in advance that the internet service is active and fully provisioned. Check that electrical capacity is adequate for the equipment load — particularly in server rooms or data closets. Verify that cooling is sufficient for heat-generating equipment. Walk the floor plan with your IT team and pre-identify where each workstation, printer, and network device will be positioned. When every piece has a designated spot before the truck arrives, setup on the other end moves significantly faster.

Minimize Downtime with a Phased Approach

For businesses that can’t afford a full weekend shutdown, a phased migration is worth the additional planning effort. Moving one department at a time — or moving non-essential systems first while keeping core operations running at the old location — allows the business to maintain function during the transition. Critical systems like phone lines and internet should be the last things disconnected at the old site and the first things confirmed at the new one. Your moving partner and IT team should coordinate these priorities well before move day.

Work with Movers Experienced in Commercial Technology

Standard moving equipment and standard handling aren’t appropriate for servers, rack-mounted systems, or precision electronics. Anti-static materials, padded crating, and careful loading protocols matter for this type of equipment. The right commercial moving partner in Wisconsin will have experience with technology-heavy office moves, coordinate directly with your IT team, and know how to handle the physical side of the relocation without creating the very problems you’ve worked to prevent. Our team has been managing commercial moves — including technology-intensive ones — for businesses across New Berlin, Appleton, Milwaukee, and throughout the state for decades.

Wisconsin’s Commercial Mover for Complex Moves

When your office technology needs to be down for the minimum possible time, experience matters. Schroeder Moving offers commercial relocation services designed around business continuity — with project managers, IT-aware move coordination, and the capability to handle even the most technology-intensive office moves. Request a free commercial moving quote today.