Many of us have items that we collect from the places we visit. For example, Jen collects magnets from places that we travel to. I collect shot glasses.
Over the years, I’ve amassed a decent sized collection of shot glasses. To the point where packing them all up for a move is a bit of an ordeal. However, I’ve gotten really good at at. I’ve moved dozens of shot glasses, multiple times and have only had one break in twenty years.
Packing shot glasses requires attention to detail and patience. The process itself is just like larger glasses, cushion your box and then wrap each glass individually with bubble wrap. The key is taking your time and not rushing.
I’m going to walk you through, step-by-step the way that I have found to have the most success in getting my shot glasses to our new home safe and sound.
Table of Contents
Gather Your Materials
The most important piece of the packing puzzle for anything in your house is to have the proper packing supplies. Emmert Wolf once wrote that, “a man is only as good as his tools”. That definitely applies (for a man or a woman) when it comes to packing.
What You’ll Need to Pack Shot Glasses
- Packing Box (preferably a small one)
- Cushioning Material (Air Pillows, Bubble Wrap, Packing Paper and/or T-Shirts)
- Tape
- Scissors
- Marker
- Patience (I know this isn’t an actual item, just want to really hammer this point home)
Once you have all of your materials, gather your shot glasses and find a space to work – either at a table or maybe sitting in the floor. Where ever you’re going to be comfortable.
Pack Your Shot Glasses
Step 1 – Secure the Bottom of Your Box
Before we start wrapping the first shot glass, make sure to properly tape and secure the bottom of your box. We do not want to be flipping this box over unnecessarily once we have it full of our shot glasses.
Step 2 – Line the Bottom of the Box
Next, we want to line the bottom of the box with some sort of cushioning material. I personally like to use Air Pillows for this purpose. They’re thicker than regular bubble wrap and they tend to fit perfectly in a smaller box.
You can buy Air Pillows off Amazon, but I also try to save them whenever something we receive packages in the mail that has them in it.
I have a box in the garage that I throw all the air pillows in and when it’s time to move I have plenty to re-use. Makes me feel eco-friendly and saves me money. Win win!
If you don’t have Air Pillows and don’t want to buy them, you can also use bubble wrap or packing paper to line the bottom of your box. If you’re really on a tight budget, you can even use T-Shirts or regular pillows straight off your bed (been there, done that).
Step 3 – Wrap Each Shot Glass
With the exception of taller “double shot” glasses, all shot glasses are pretty much the same size. Use this to your advantage by pre-cutting the bubble wrap you’ll need for each glass.
I cut my bubble wrap squares at around 8″ x 6″. At that size, the bubble wrap will wrap all the way around the glass and you’ll have plenty on each end to wrap over the top and the bottom. They don’t have to be perfect, so don’t beat yourself up if they’re a little off.
Now line the bubble wrap about a half inch below the bottom of the glass.
Wrap the bubble wrap around the glass and tape to hold it in place.
Now, you should have a little extra at the bottom that you can now fold over the bottom and tape.
Finally, you should have a little more extra above the glass. Tuck that extra bubble wrap down into the glass. It should stay in place pretty well if it’s nice and snug inside the glass, but if you feel it needs it – hit it with a strip of tape.
Step 4 – Line Your Shot Glasses in Rows
As you finish each glass, start lining them across that bottom layer of cushion you put in the bottom of the box. Leave a little room in between each one.
Once you’ve filled up a row of glasses, lay down another layer of cushion and then repeat.
Keep following this process until your box is full and your shot glasses are all packed up and ready to go.
If you have any extra room at the top of your box, then fill it with more cushioning material. Empty space is your enemy in a box with fragile items like shot glasses. You want to keep your shot glasses secure and in place – not jostling around all over the inside of the box.
Step 5 – Close the Box and Label
Close the flaps of the box and seal it with tape.
Finally, LABEL THE BOX ‘FRAGILE – SHOT GLASSES’. I can’t stress this enough.
We like to think that all of our boxes are going to be handled with care whether by the movers, friends and family or even ourselves. But, the truth is moving is exhausting and it’s easy to start to get a little lazy towards the end of moving day.
Having your box clearly labeled to show that it contains breakable items is the best way to catch someone’s attention to be extra cautious and not just ‘go through the motions’ with this particular box.
That’s it! You’re done!
Packing Only a Few Shot Glasses?
What if you don’t have enough shot glasses worthy of filling up an entire box?
I would include your shot glasses in with the rest of your glassware. The process is going to be very similar, depending on if you’re using partitions with your glassware box.
Just remember to wrap each one individually, cushion your layers and remove excess room from the box and you should still be fine.
Final Thoughts
Oftentimes, shot glasses are not just shot glasses, they’re memories. Maybe they’re a collection of memories from places you’ve visited. Or maybe it’s that one shot glass that you used all night at your sister’s wedding.
Whatever the case may be, you want to make sure your shot glasses get to your new home all in one piece.
By following the steps I’ve given you in this article, you should stand a really good chance of doing just that.
Good luck with your move!
