How to Pack Your Kitchen for a Move
Out of all the rooms in the house, the kitchen can be the biggest challenge when it comes to packing for a move. Not only is it likely home to your largest number of breakables, but it’s also full of items you use on a daily basis–and will likely need right up until the day your moving truck arrives. So what’s the best strategy for packing your kitchen? Below, we’ve put together some of the tips we’ve learned through years of moving our customers.
General Kitchen Packing Tips
Start with the specialized items.
The best place to start packing your kitchen is with the items you don’t use every day. That might include specialized kitchenware and appliances like a juicer, a stand mixer, or large roasting pans, as well as smaller tools like a pastry blender, garlic press, lemon zester, etc. To make it easier on yourself when you’re unpacking, label boxes with every item packed inside, and don’t mix specialized pieces and everyday essentials in the same box (that way you can unpack in order of priority).
Use the original boxes.
If you still have the original box your food processor or wine glasses came in, use those to pack your items to ensure a snug fit.
Wrap breakables individually.
In addition to padding the bottom, top, and sides of boxes used to pack breakables, things like ceramic plates, fine china, and glass or crystal stemware should be individually wrapped in bubble wrap or newspaper to prevent damage.
Nest items together.
One of the best ways to save space in your packing boxes is to nest within one another. Stack individually wrapped cups on top of one another, pack your breakfast bowls inside a large mixing bowl, fill a pitcher with napkin rings, or fill a soup pot with table linens, for example, to make the most out of all the space your kitchenware takes up.
Make sure everything is clean and empty.
Before packing any appliance or utensil that has come in contact with food, make sure it’s both clean and empty. Mold can grow surprisingly fast in dark, warm, and enclosed environments like a box on a moving truck.
Sort through the pantry.
While it’s perfectly acceptable to pack unopened non-perishables and bring them to your new home, you’ll want to pass on that’s been opened. For one, it will lighten your load to throw away opened products, but it also eliminates the risk that an opened bottle of syrup will spill all over the other items it’s packed with, or that you’ll open up a box and rice will come pouring out everywhere. It’s also a good time to check expiration dates and purge anything that’s passed its prime.
Buy disposable dishware.
Stock up on paper plates and plastic dinnerware in the week before your move. That way, when it comes time to pack up your kitchen essentials, you’ll be all ready to enjoy that pizza delivery. It’s a good idea to bring disposable dishware to your new home, too, in case you don’t get to unpacking your kitchen immediately.
For more expert moving advice, get in touch with Orange Movers!
