By now you should be well familiar with the excellent protective properties of bubble wrap – the flexible sheets of plastic containing air-filled bubbles along their surface.
Bubble wrap is used when packing for a move to protect rather fragile and easily breakable items such as kitchen plates made of ceramics and drinking glasses simply because it provides an outstanding degree of protection against vibrations and shocks on the road.
Also, the plastic sheets are used to safeguard delicate wooden structures, all types of art pieces, and even fragile electronic devices and electrical parts.
That’s right – bubble wrap is used heavily during the house packing process. But here’s the most interesting part: did you know that there are as many as 7 different types of bubble wrap and each one has its own distinctive purpose?
Using general-purpose bubble wrap when packing for a move is perfectly fine. However, if you know the different kinds of bubble wrap and when to use each one during the packing task, then you can really take advantage of the enormous potential of the protective material.
Read on to learn the different types of bubble wrap and when to use them when packing for moving.
Bubble wrap comes in different sizes
Before we explain in detail the different kinds of bubble wrap and how you should use them while you’re packing up your things for moving, let’s first take a closer look at the bubble wrap sizes.
Different bubble sizes have different purposes and that’s exactly why you should know whether you should use smaller bubbles or larger bubbles to pack your glassware, for example.
- Small bubbles. Plastic wrap with smaller air-filled bubbles will provide less protection against the inevitable shocks or impacts during a house move but it’ll give you a higher level of protection against accidental scratches and scrapes.
- Large bubbles. Plastic film with larger bubbles will provide excellent padding against vibrations, shocks, and impact thanks to the fact that the bubbles have more air inside them – that is, better cushioning and padding properties. However, plastic wrap with larger bubble sizes takes plenty of space inside a box and is therefore not ideal for protecting smaller breakable items such as china plates and drinking glasses.
Find below the standard bubble wrap sizes and what they should be used for in general:
- 1/16-inch thickness, 1/8th-inch diameter. Air-filled bubbles that are only 1/16th of an inch in thickness do not provide the best possible level of protection for breakable items. Nevertheless, the plastic film can be wrapped around breakables several times thanks to their minimum thickness. Plastic wrap with tiny bubbles is usually used as effective protection against scratches, scrapes, or other types of surface damage. In most cases, you should use this size of bubble wrap for protecting small delicate items such as glassware.
- 1/8-inch thickness. This bubble wrap size is once again best for small and delicate items that can be easily scratched during the relocation process. It does provide a bit extra protection than 1/16’’ bubble wrap but you should still consider wrapping each fragile item with at least a couple of layers of the protective plastic film.
- 3/16-inch thickness, 3/8-inch diameter. This is by far the most common size for bubble wrap and its best application is for protecting breakable items of light to medium weight.
- 5/16-inch thickness, 1-inch diameter. This is considered medium-size bubble wrap and is a great option when you need extra protection for your fragile things or you wish to fill in any empty spaces inside your boxes much more quickly and efficiently. Keep in mind that the larger the bubble size is, the better protection you will get against any possible damage from direct impacts.
- 1/2-inch thickness, 1¼-inch diameter. This is considered large-size bubble wrap and is an excellent option when you need the best possible protection for your medium-weight breakables. With more air trapped in those larger bubbles, the protective layer around your delicate items will be almost impenetrable. Also, the 1¼-inch bubbles in diameter prove to be first-class filling materials for voids inside cardboard boxes.
See also: Where to get bubble wrap for free
Types of bubble wrap and their intended usage
All in all, there are 7 different types of bubble wrap you can use during the house packing process.
1. General-purpose bubble wrap
This multi-purpose bubble wrap is the type of plastic film you picture in your head when you hear bubble wrap. It does provide an effective and economical solution for protecting your fragile items against accidental damage during a house move.
General-purpose bubble wrap is manufactured using high-quality medium-weight plastic and is therefore strong and durable enough to protect most if not all the breakables found in your home.
Multi-purpose bubble wrap comes in two different grades: regular grade (single-layered) and heavy-duty grade (double-layered). When used carefully, most of the bubble wrap you use to protect your delicate items or to fill empty spaces inside moving containers is reusable, which in turn will help you keep packing costs to a minimum the next time you have to move house.
Read also: How to pack with bubble wrap
2. Kraft paper-backed bubble wrap
Kraft-backed bubble wrap is covered on one of its sides with durable Kraft paper.
This type of bubble wrap is used primarily for protecting delicate wooden surfaces such as valuable furniture pieces. One of the greatest advantages when using Kraft-backed bubble wrap when moving expensive furniture is that it will let the wood structure breathe and not sweat, thus eliminating the possibility of moisture being trapped inside the air pocket.
Also, the paper side will be much gentler to delicate furniture surfaces than the plastic side of regular bubble wrap.
Kraft-backed bubble wrap can also be used for protecting hardwood floors against damage such as scratches and dents.
3. Foam-backed bubble wrap
Foam-backed bubble wrap is an excellent choice if you’re looking for that extra level of protection compared to what multi-purpose bubble wrap can give you.
The soft layer of foam on one side of the plastic film will provide additional cushion for very delicate items that happen to be quite expensive as well – fragile collective items, for example.
Similar to Kraft-backed bubble wrap, foamed sheets of plastic film will not sweat like regular plastic either, making this type of bubble wrap ideal for protecting antique furniture pieces as well.
Generally speaking, if you’re moving extra fragile items that require special care during the move, then you simply can’t go wrong using foam-backed bubble wrap.
4. Self-adhesive bubble wrap
If you plan to secure sheets of bubble wrap with double-sided tape, then you’d be better off using self-adhesive bubble wrap.
This kind of bubble wrap is a great choice when you’re trying to protect delicate items such as glass pieces, furniture units, or even a flat-screen TV. The adhesive aide on the bubble wrap will enable the protective plastic film to stay firmly attached to the delicate area it’s supposed to protect during the relocation.
Bear in mind that it’s much better to use self-adhesive bubble wrap than to use multi-purpose bubble wrap together with regular double-sided tape. Why?
Self-adhesive bubble wrap is much easier and safer to remove compared to double-sided tape which is not only hard to remove but can also leave nasty residue marks on the sensitive surfaces it’s been used on.
Useful info: Bubble Wrap VS Packing Paper: Which is the best packing material for moving?
5. Anti-static bubble wrap
When packing super-fragile electronic components or electronic devices, you want to ensure that you’re using anti-static bubble wrap to protect those delicate parts.
Electronic parts have the tendency to build up static electricity due to the constant friction between the components and the protective layers around them. And if you happen to be using standard bubble wrap, a possible electrostatic discharge may not only damage the electronic parts in question, but it could even start a fire in some rare instances.
You’ll be glad to learn that anti-static bubble wrap (usually pink in color) is made in such a way as to slowly but surely dissipate electrostatic discharge (ESD).
So, when you’re packing electronic devices such as a laptop, a TV screen, or a computer screen, make sure you use anti-static bubble wrap to protect them from a possible electrostatic discharge.
6. Metalized foil bubble wrap
What’s the best bubble wrap? It’s the type that will serve best your packing needs at the moment.
If you need bubble wrap that will protect heat-sensitive items from damage, then the type of bubble wrap you’ll need is called metalized foil bubble wrap (aka temperature-controlled bubble wrap).
Foil bubble wrap has laminated sheets with foil that is responsible for regulating the temperature of the items wrapped inside it. Basically, this type of foil protects heat-sensitive items from extreme outside temperatures and abrupt temperature changes that may damage them during the transportation stage.
Temperature-controlled bubble wrap is used for packing exotic food items, valuable pieces of art (especially paintings), and even important documents that you want to keep perfectly intact.
Good to know: 10 things to do with bubble wrap after you move
7. Eco-friendly bubble wrap
Last but surely not least, there’s also environmentally-friendly bubble wrap to choose from if you wish to execute a green move with a minimum amount of negative impact on the environment.
Generally speaking, eco-friendly bubble wrap provides the same level of protection as standard multi-purpose bubble wrap but roughly 40% of Enviro bubble wrap is made of recycled plastic.
So, why don’t you show that you care for the environment by using eco-friendly bubble wrap that’ll make less of an environmental impact than standard bubble wrap?
Feel free to combine multiple types of bubble wrap for best results when you’re packing by yourself.
However, if you feel largely overwhelmed and you’re not sure which type of bubble wrap to use in order to protect your fragile items in the best possible way, then do the right thing and hire a full-service moving company that offers professional packing services.
