Your Moving Guide to Packing Lamps

Wondering how to pack lamps for moving? If you’re preparing for a move and asking yourself that question as part of your room by room packing checklist, this packing guide is for you! Learn the best way to pack lamps, lampshades, and lightbulbs to avoid damage to these delicate items.

Gather Packing Supplies

Packing lamps for moving isn’t difficult, but it requires a few supplies to do it right. First, measure each lamp base and lampshade individually to ensure you get large enough moving boxes for each piece—keeping in mind that you’ll be packing bases and shades separately. Lamp boxes are durable moving boxes that are specifically shaped for lamps, but you can use any moving boxes your lamp pieces will fit in, as long as you pack them well.

There are also several different packing materials you can use to cushion lamps in their boxes—including packing peanuts, crumpled packing paper, packing foam, small moving blankets, and air pillow packaging—so choose the one you prefer to efficiently pack your items. Here are all the supplies you’ll need for packing lamps:

• Moving boxes

• Bubble wrap

• Packing material/filler

• Unprinted packing paper

• Resealable plastic bags

• Elastic bands

• Scissors

• Packing tape & masking tape

• Marker

Prep Your Lamps

Most lamps are delicate, so they require some preparation before packing to help prevent damage during transport. Take apart one lamp at a time to avoid losing or mixing up pieces from multiple lamps. Most lamps can disassemble easily, but even if yours can’t, follow as many of the steps below that your lamp allows:

• Unplug the lamp.

• Wind up the cord, and either secure it with an elastic band or wrap it around the base and secure it with masking tape.

• Unscrew the finial/cap that holds the lampshade in place, and unscrew the lightbulb.

• Remove the metal screws, shade riser, and any other small pieces as applicable.

• Place all small lamp pieces in a resealable plastic bag, and carefully label it with which lamp it belongs to.

Pack Your Lamps

If you’re packing a floor lamp that won’t disassemble, wrap the lamp in a moving blanket and secure with packing tape. Otherwise, multiple lamp bases can be packed into one large moving box, as long as they’re properly protected.

However, always pack especially breakable lamps—such as those made of porcelain or glass—by themselves. Use packing material to fill the negative space in each box, preventing the lamps from shifting around and knocking into one another. Here’s how to pack each lamp for moving:

• Wrap the lamp base entirely in either packing paper or bubble wrap—depending on how breakable it is—and secure with packing tape.

• Wrap packing paper around the fragile parts on the top of the lamp, and secure with packing tape.

• Place the lamp base upright in the box.

• Tape the resealable plastic bag with the lamp’s small pieces to the inside of the box with its correct lamp base.

• Fill any gaps in the box with packing material.

• Seal the box shut with packing tape.

• Label the box with its contents and notes of “fragile” and “this side up” to show movers exactly how to handle it.

Pack Lampshades Separately

Lampshades need to be packed separately because they’re so easily damaged by other items—they can quickly get bent, ripped, or stained if not handled properly. Pack your lampshades securely but not tightly, as this can also ruin their shape. These are the best tips for packing a lampshade:

• Wrap the lampshade in plain packing paper to avoid newspaper ink from transferring onto the shade.

• Place the lampshade upside-down in its own properly-sized box to help protect its shape. Typically, you can nest a smaller lampshade inside a larger one as long as both are well-wrapped (silk lampshades should not be nested).

• Fill any gaps in the box with packing material.

• Seal the box shut with packing tape.

• Label the outside of the box with details about which lamps these shades go with, as well as notes like “fragile” and “this side up.”

Pack Lightbulbs

Lightbulbs can shatter with the smallest jostling, so they also need to be packed separately from lamps. Due to how dangerous broken bulbs can be, if you’re preparing for a long-distance move, you may want to dispose of your lightbulbs and just buy replacements in your new town. Some lightbulbs require specific recycling due to the dangerous materials inside, so check before throwing out your bulbs.

However, if you’re taking your lightbulbs with you, you can buy boxes with dividers—like those used for packing kitchen glasses—to make packing simple. Follow these instructions if you need to pack lightbulbs:

• If a bulb must be used with a particular lamp, place a small piece of tape on its base and write which lamp it goes with.

• Wrap each bulb individually in bubble wrap, and secure with packing tape.

• Place lightbulbs in the box within their cardboard dividers, and fill any gaps with packing material.

• Seal the box shut with packing tape.

• Label the box with “fragile” and “lightbulbs” so you can find them quickly for your first night in your new home.

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