Let’s say you have a set of Christmas stemware you use several times for the holiday but want to store the rest of the year. Maybe you don’t have shelf space or you don’t want it to get dusty on that top shelf 11 months of the year. (It’s amazing how yucky glassware gets in a closed kitchen cupboard.)
If you need to store glass in a box long term here are tips to make it easy and keep your glass safe.
Stemware and Tumblers
Wrap stemware in clean paper – tissue or unused newsprint works well – and stand them up in a box or lay them on their sides.
1. I like to get a sheet that is about 6 inches wider than my stem is tall and long enough to go around the piece several times. Lay the sheet of paper down, put your stem on it so several inches of paper overhang the top and foot.
2. Roll the stem in the paper at least around once.
3. Fold the paper over the foot, and angle the paper up on a fold towards the rim.
3. Roll another half or more around, enough to get the fold well tucked under.
4. Fold the top edge of the paper around the rim of the goblet.
You can use bubble wrap instead of paper or use both for extra protection. If you live in a very hot climate or will store your glasses in a hot closet then it’s wise to use paper underneath bubble wrap to keep the plastic from melting onto the glass.
Now you can store your stems in a sturdy box with a lid or plastic tote. I use the boxes that paper reams come in.
We saw some interesting stemware protectors with hard sides at the home show this past weekend. These might be nice to try.
Storing Plates and Bowls
Always put a paper plate or paper towel between plates or bowls that you are stacking. Then wrap the stack well in bubble wrap and store in a box.
An alternative method is how moving companies wrap china.
1. Get several sheets of paper and stack on the table.
2. Put one plate on the paper near an edge
3. Fold the corner of a piece or two of paper over the top of the first plate. Put a second plate on top of this folded over paper.
4. Fold the next sheet or two over this second plate. You can repeat a couple times if you want.
5. Now fold everything together and wrap tightly. We wrapped our dinnerware this way when we moved and it worked great.
Just as with glass, you can use bubble wrap too, but I recommend you use it over paper if you will store in hot place.
I don’t recommend the soft sided dish containers unless you will then put the stack into a box. The soft sides don’t give much protection; they seem more suited to keep your dishes clean than to protect for long periods in a closet.