Many of you were upset that we suggested using newspapers to wrap antiques. We should have warned you that this is a short-term solution. The ink will do damage over time. Read about 20 other suggestions for wrapping your breakables when moving them--go to last week's ezine and read the tips in our blog. Here's one, an ECOLOGICAL VERSION OF BUBBLE WRAP:
Sylvie Nault said ...
I am an Ebay seller, Vintage-by-Jojo, and I sell mostly vintage glass that travels from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, to anywhere in the U.S. I found a great way of cutting my expenses and helping the planet by recycling solar plastic covers for swimming pools. These huge blue plastic covers have bubbles just like bubble wrap. If you are lucky, you can get a 32-by-16-foot-long cover for a few dollars instead of paying the outrageous price at Office Depot. You do, of course, need to cut it in strips of 2 by 3 feet with a very sharp pair of scissors--but still, it's worth it. Then you clean it once it's cut. I have experimented with two solutions and found the best to be the washing machine, making sure to use warm water and at least 1 cup of Javex (bleach) to disinfect. The other solution is a bathtub soak with lots of soap and Javex, followed by a rinse with the telephone shower head. The third could be the dishwasher, still with Javex, but only on the top basket. Cheers, Sylvie, aka Charlo1910 on Ebay.
CORRECTION
Oops. The Stetson China Company mentioned in last week's Mystery Mark should have said that the company closed in 1966.
9 comments:
In regards to the swimming pool cover alternative to "bubble wrap," while all kudos to Sylvie for going to such measures to repurpose an old swimming pool cover, honestly I find it easier to just buy the bubble wrap. (UHaul is an excellent source) My time is worth something too.
(Not to mention that finding old swimming pool covers is not all that easy. Most down here in Ohio seem to be made of a canvas-tarpaulin kind of material.)
As for packing, I've found that unprinted newspaper can be very useful, though I wrap everything I sell in acid free tissue first.
to save our planet she recycles used swimming pool covers
THEN washes them in warm water and bleach
water is precious and in California the lack of ,causes tens of thousands of farmers to let their fields go fallow and jobs lost
and then to poison it with bleach
Having packed and repacked for 1200 antique shows at least, I can fully affirm that plastic grocery bags...or similar...are the best. The idea is to munch them around....cushion them...not wrap. Cushion is the key word. You can scrunch 150 around a teacup and scrunch another 150 as a nest for that teacup...the weight is nil...Cushion, again is the key word.
The stuff is clean unlike newsprint...and is totally reusable ad infinitum. I never lost or chipped an item packed with good old grocery bags!!!
I put my egg cartons & meat trays in the top wrack of the dishwasher over my glasses. Once they are clean, I reuse them for packing materials. Just another green item to reuse. They are sturdy and help save on the amount of the peanuts used.
We have successfully used butcher paper for wrapping smalls for years. It works great, nothing gets broken in storage or during ebay shipping. Bubble wrap and diapers are just too expensive for volume shipping or storage and newsprint ruins stuff. Sam's Warehouse sells large rolls of commercial grade butcher paper at a very reasonable price..
Thanks, Denny Delear
Regarding the "recycled" swimming pool covers, by the time she is done washing in a wash machine, bleaching, drying, and cutting, it seems to me that she has used a lot of energy and time to "go green". And pool covers are heavier than typical bubble wrap, so shipping will cost more. Just go buy a roll of bubble wrap. It will be better for the environment and your wallet in the long run.
I pick up unused rolls of newspaper from the news printing company. These are unprinted, contain a lot of paper, and are free. Just on word of caution: If the packaging does not meet the USPS standards than the insurance, if purchased, is worthless.
I shipped a set of delicate goblets across country and inserted each one in an old sock from my husband's sock drawer. I folded the top of the sock around the bowl of goblet after I had inserted it. Then I used newspaper to complete the packing. Each goblet arrived safe and sound. Don't laugh it works and it's a great way to recycle. P.S. You can buy bunches of old socks for a minimum amount of money at thrift stores etc. Or ask friends to donate their holey ones or ones that have lost their partners.
I also sell on ebay and use bubble wrap which I collect from area stores. I know when they get shipments in and they are more than happy to give you the bubble wrap from where they unpack. They will also give you large bags to collect it in. I get lots of bubble wrap from both Dillards [glassware and cosmetic dept] as well as Hobby Lobby. It is clean and comes in many sizes.
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