Your record player and vinyl collection is more often than not one of the more valuable items in your home – both in terms of price and sentimental value. It is also one of the most fragile and difficult to move items. When you do move then, it is important to take all the precautions possible to protect your record player and vinyl collection. We’ve compiled this guide to show you how you can pack a record player like the experts in just five steps:
- Wrap and pack individual records.
- Clean record player.
- Dismantle record player.
- Protect record player and all its components.
- Label and put into a secure box.
- Transport with great care.
1. Wrap and Pack Individual Records
Start with your vinyl collection. It is recommended that you remove the records from their jackets and paper sleeves and put them in a poly/protective plastic sleeve to prevent seam-splits and scuffs.
Once this is done, pack the records tight into a box. You can use a standard box or get a specific cardboard record box – the latter is specifically designed, but it is not an essential. At this stage, you can place your records next to their jackets in the box for added support and protection, but don’t put the records back inside them.
For extra protection, you can wrap individual records in a thin layer of paper or bubble wrap, or fill the boxes and the gaps between records with thick cardboard, foam, packing paper or bubble wrap – just always keep them upright and don’t stack your records on top of each other.
If there’s room for your records to shift in the box, there’s room for them to scratch or chip in transit. Remember not to force the records in though – your records should be snug but not squished. If there are too many records in a box, you can warp them.
If you find yourself overwhelmed with records, consider selling or donating the ones you won’t miss – just make sure you keep hold of those sentimental and valuable records.
Before you close and seal the box, place another layer of protective materials on top of the records – just a sheet of bubble wrap 0r cardboard will be fine. When that’s done, secure the box with parcel tape and label it with what’s inside. We also recommend that write ‘FRAGILE’ on the box so that you and your movers remember to move the box with extra care.
2. Clean Record Player
Now for the actual record player. As with most items, you’ll want to give your record player a good clean before you move. This should just be a quick dust, but it’s still an important step as you don’t want to take dust into your new home, nor have dirt damage your player in transit.
3. Dismantle the Record Player
If possible, remove the dust cover, platter, tone arm, and turntable from the record player. If you can’t remove the tone arm, secure it to the arm lock – if you don’t have one, a cable tie will do the trick. If you don’t think you’ll remember where each part goes, we’d advise that you take a photo before you dismantle the player for future reference. For more guidance, this helpful video from mizeradigital guides you through the process of dismantling your record player for transportation:
4. Protect Record Player and Its Components
Wrap each of the individual components in multiple layers of bubble wrap and secure with tape. The smaller parts can go in a padded envelope, but the larger parts should go in a box – secured just like the records with packing materials for extra protection. You can wrap the platter and its cover together – more on that below.
5. Label and Put Into a Secure Box
We recommend that you line the bottom and sides of the box with foam or bubble wrap before you put the record player inside. Pack the heaviest pieces first, so start with the platter, the turntable and then the dust cover. Put layers of foam in between each piece so they don’t touch.
Fill all spaces with bubble wrap or packing materials to make sure they cannot move at all.
6. Transport With Great Care
It’s not over until it’s over: when you transport your records, you need to make sure it is done with great care and in the right conditions. Make sure that your records aren’t too hot, nor rattling around in their boxes.
If in doubt, hire a removals team.
At Falconers we use meticulous moving techniques, passed down and perfected through generations for over 132 years, to ensure your record player – and all other items – are moved and kept in perfect condition. If you don’t feel confident, we’d recommend that you hire an experienced removals team like us.
To learn more about our storage facilities, or our removals service, take a look at out our website or contact Nathan.
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Written by Holly Charman, for Falconer Removals.
