Ask anyone who has moved house recently what the worst part was, and packing usually comes up before the removal van even gets a mention. It’s the task everyone underestimates — both in how long it takes and in how easily it goes wrong when it’s rushed. And the numbers back that up.
How often do belongings get damaged during a move?
According to research by Compare My Move, almost half (48%) of UK adults have experienced at least one item being broken or damaged during a house move, with the average affected mover losing two items (Compare My Move survey, 2025). Mirrors top the list of casualties, making up 23% of all damaged goods, followed by crockery (20%) and tables (18%).
The real cause of most breakages isn’t bad luck. Over a third (37%) of people who experienced damage admitted they simply hadn’t spent enough time packaging their items properly, and 33% acknowledged they were the ones responsible for the breakage — not the removal company (Compare My Move, 2025).
In other words, most breakages are preventable. They tend to happen when packing is rushed, materials are inadequate, or fragile items are boxed without proper protection — all things a professional packing service is specifically built to avoid.
Why packing is the most stressful part of moving
It isn’t just breakages. Separate research commissioned by Tempcover found that 46% of movers considered packing the most challenging part of the entire process, while 60% felt stressed simply by how long it took to clear the house (Tempcover / OnePoll survey, 2026). The same study found that 21% of people specifically worried about damaging belongings in transit, and moving house is consistently ranked alongside bereavement and divorce as one of life’s most stressful events.
A lot of that stress comes down to time. Packing an entire home properly — sorting, wrapping, boxing and labelling room by room — routinely takes far longer than people expect, especially once you factor in years of accumulated belongings that need decisions making about them.
What a professional packing service actually covers
Rather than an all-or-nothing choice, packing support can be tailored to whatever level of help you need:
- Full or partial packing services tailored to your move
- Careful wrapping of fragile items such as glassware and ornaments
- Cartons, garment rails and specialist packing materials, sized correctly for what’s inside them
- Organisation and labelling to support efficient, room-by-room unpacking
- Packing for long-distance or multi-location moves
- Secure preparation of items destined for storage
For businesses, the same principles apply on a larger scale — packing office equipment, IT systems, confidential files and stock securely, with labelling systems that keep a phased or multi-site relocation organised from day one.
Packing materials matter more than people think
A cardboard box is not just a cardboard box. Different items call for different materials, and using the wrong one is a common cause of damage:
| Item type | Recommended packing |
|---|---|
| Glassware, ornaments, mirrors | Bubble wrap, packing paper, dedicated fragile cartons |
| Hanging clothes | Garment boxes with internal wardrobe rails |
| Books, documents | Small, sturdy boxes (kept light enough to lift safely) |
| Furniture | Wrapping and, where needed, disassembly before transit |
Reusing old, weakened boxes is one of the most common — and most avoidable — packing mistakes, since they’re far more likely to fail mid-move than new, purpose-made cartons.
Packing before storage: why it matters even more
If your belongings are heading into storage rather than straight to a new home, the packing standard matters even more. Items may sit untouched for weeks or months, so proper wrapping and sealing protects against damp, dust and shifting during handling — not just the short trip in a removal van. This is particularly relevant if you’re storing furniture in a shipping container during a house move delay, storing seasonal clothing or a wedding dress, or holding stock or equipment on pallets for your business.
Choosing the right level of support
Not every move needs a full pack. Many people choose a partial service — professional packing for fragile, valuable or awkward items, while handling everyday boxes themselves. Others prefer a full pack so the whole job is done in a single, organised day. Either way, having the right materials and an experienced team behind fragile or high-value items removes one of the biggest sources of moving-day stress and one of the most common causes of breakages.
Don’t let packing be the reason something gets broken. Our team can pack anything from a single fragile item to a full house move, using purpose-made materials and garment rails. Get a free packing quote or call 0151 343 1264.
Statistics referenced from Compare My Move’s UK home moving survey (2025) and Tempcover’s OnePoll-commissioned research on moving house stress (2026). Figures reflect the most recently published UK-wide research at the time of writing.
