How to Stop Bottles From Leaking During Shipping

Bottle shipping can be a bit tricky. For starters, you need to know how to prevent them from breaking and leaking. Of course, there are many different types of bottles not to mention the various liquids that can fill them. Bottles can also get damaged while traveling, so you can employ some of the same methods to safeguard them for this purpose.

One of the most common bottled items that gets shipped is alcohol, like wine and beer, but the methods for how to ship glass bottles of liquid are fairly consistent. As with other kinds of bottled liquids (and foods), you will want to consider the temperature, as extreme hot or cold can affect the quality of the contents. Use corrugated partitions to prevent the bottles from touching and avoid using wadded paper and polystyrene peanuts because they will settle down to the bottom. Use a strong box appropriate for the weight of the bottles and molded pulp or die-cut corrugated packaging inside along with a corrugated outer container within the box.

Be sure to put a corrugated pad at the bottom as well and reinforce the outside of the box with extra tape, especially on the bottom. If you use bubble packaging, it must be a minimum of 2 inches thick around the top, bottom and sides of the bottles, attached securely to the bottles and accompanied by extra void fill if necessary. Do not overload the shipping container and make sure that the to and from addresses are clearly marked. Write "fragile" and "glass bottles inside" on the outside of the box and insure the contents if needed.

In addition to preventing breakage, you must make your bottles leakproof before shipping them. Preparing the box is a wasted effort if you don't prepare the bottles. You can accomplish this by creating a double seal on each one. You can make this seal from an added layer of plastic; either use a premade peel-off plastic lid or double-wrap plastic around the bottle's lid.

Another option is to place the bottle inside a waterproof bag. Make sure that the bottle fits inside and is not sticking out and that the bag is sealed shut. For added security, place the bagged bottle inside a second waterproof bag and seal it shut with extra packing tape or a strong rubber band. You'll want to keep the bottles standing up; never lay them on their side for shipping, as that increases the chance of a leak.

Spray-pump bottles are notorious for leaks, but a plastic wrap can solve this problem. Unscrew the bottle's cap, put a small piece of plastic wrap over the opening and screw the cap back on. You'll still be able to screw it on tightly with the plastic there, and the top will stay in place.

Plastic wrap is also a good hack for travelers who bring along toiletries.. Keep in mind that things expand when you are in an airplane, so you can also prevent leaks by squeezing out any excess air (like you would for toothpaste tubes) from your toiletries before packing them. Before flying, add some extra liquid to your containers (fill a 3-ounce shampoo bottle to the top, for instance) and fix leaky spray bottles. Placing them in waterproof bags is also a good idea as long as the sizes conform to airline safety regulations.