Most of us are well acquainted with the process of packing up our belongings for one journey or another, be it a short trip or a move from one home to another. However, this is typically limited to suitcases of clothing or boxes with personal items like books and kitchenware. Packing up an appliance, on the other hand, can be a task that many of us aren’t experienced in. Here are some tips to make sure that part of the packing process goes smoothly and easily.

Small appliances will typically include items like microwaves, electric kettles, toaster ovens, blenders and more. Many such items will have components that can come off, so you’ll want to remove whatever extraneous or loose pieces you can. If those parts are fragile or may otherwise slide around in transport, make sure to pack them in something cushioning.

If the appliances you’re transporting are small enough, you’ll want to box them up, and you’ll want to make sure you place adequate cushioning around them as well to make sure their mechanical and electronic components are kept secure and safe. Those loose parts from before should be packed in close proximity to avoid loss, and can even potentially be packed within each other for extra storage (i.e. the rotating plate from inside a microwave); just make sure those loose parts don’t move around inside.

If the appliance is too big to be boxed, wrap something cushioning around it like a blanket or bubble wrap and secure that wrapping in place with packing tape, to better protect it. Once the appliances are boxed up, make sure to mark any boxes they’re in as FRAGILE and include a THIS SIDE UP note with an arrow for good measure.