Everyone has their own tips and tricks for moving. Using newspaper to pack has been around for years, but it might be time to think about replacing newspaper with something better. Here’s why you shouldn’t use newspaper.

The black ink on newspaper can rub off and transfer onto things you are moving which is why you shouldn’t use newspaper as packing material. China and other fragile items can end up covered in newspaper ink once your boxes have arrived at their destination. While it isn’t harmful and doesn’t stain (most of the time), it adds an additional step once you move into your new home or apartment. Nobody wants to spend their time unpacking by placing dishes into the dishwasher to remove black marks rather than into their new cabinets.

Here’s what we recommend wrapping your fragile items with:

• Packing paper free of ink

• Fabric for non-fragile items (you can use dish towels and clothing items)

• Bubble wrap

• Leftover holiday wrapping paper

The best part of using dish towels and clothing items is that you kill two birds with one stone. Those cloth items will need to be transported anyway, so why not put them to good use?

While paper is usually the preferred material, one thing to be aware of is the weight of things you’re packing. Ink free packing paper might get flattened during a move if used with heavy items, decreasing its ability to cushion fragile items.