Pack Your Kitchen For Moving

Deciding where to start when packing for moving homes can be very stressful. Each room presents its own special challenges, but the kitchen can be especially intimidating. Unlike the other rooms in your home, you have to consider things like perishable food and sharp utensils. Though it can be scary, once you know how to pack your kitchen for moving, it’ll seem like a breeze. Following these tips for packing your kitchen will save you time, stress, and broken wine glasses.

Fridge and Freezer

-Start by taking an inventory of all the food in your fridge and freezer.

-Take the time to throw away anything that is past expiration.

-Rearrange everything in your fridge logically to make sure you can visibly see everything that you need to eat before your move.

-Look up recipes that will let you use up what you have in your fridge and freezer with sites like Supercook that give you suggestions based on the specific ingredients you have.

-Avoid grocery shopping for everything except the essentials. Stretch what you have in your fridge and freezer until the week of the move.

-In the last few days before you move, empty everything out to give your freezer time to thaw and dry out. Order in or go out to eat in these last few days.

-If you plan on bringing any cold items with you, pack them in a cooler with plenty of ice packs.

-Once your fridge is completely dried out, don’t forget that you can use it to store dry items inside during your move. This will help you save on space and is a great way to keep items together. Consider putting things like kitchen towels inside.

-When your fridge is completely ready to be moved, tape the doors shut and wrap it in stretch wrap to keep the doors from swinging open and getting damaged.

Pantry

-Similar to the fridge, you’ll want to go through your pantry and get rid of anything that expired.

-If you come across food that you do not want to bring with you to your new home, grab a box and start filling it. Bring everything you don’t want to your local food bank to help those in your community who could use it.

-To pack your spices, tape down the lid of each container. Then, pack them all in a sealed Ziploc bag to further prevent spills.

-If you will be packing any glass jars of food, make sure to wrap them in either 2 layers of packing paper, or bubble wrap. Place these jars toward the bottom of boxes, as they are heavy and may crush lighter items.

-Be careful when packing cans. They are likely the heaviest items in your pantry and can easily cause boxes to tear if you are not mindful of them. To avoid overpacking boxes with heavy cans, use them to pack the bottom layer of boxes. Then, pack lighter items like chips or pretzels on top to balance the weight of your boxes. If you do not want to separate your cans, stick with small boxes.

-Avoid packing any pantry items that are packaged in boxes or bags on the bottom, as their packaging can easily break open and food will spill everywhere.

Cutlery

-Leave out 2 sets of silverware per person in your home until the week of the move. This way, you aren’t stuck without cutlery at dinner.

-Go through your silverware drawer and sort your cutlery by type.

-Once you have all of your cutlery separated, use a rubber band to keep them all together.

-Wrap your bundles of silverware with 2 pieces of packing paper and set them inside of a shoebox. Tape the box closed to ensure none of the silverware falls out.

–For sharp knives, place them inside of their block or cover. If you do not have this, place cardboard over the blade of the knife. Make sure to label appropriately so that you do not cut yourself when unpacking.

Appliances

-If you still have the original boxes for your kitchen appliances, go ahead and use them to repack everything.

-If not, you’ll generally need to use medium-sized moving boxes.

-Take the time to thoroughly wash and dry every appliance. If you will be storing your items, this is especially important. Food particles can attract pests, and any moisture can cause your items to grow mold or rust.

-Depending on how fragile your appliances are, you may need to disassemble them. Any fragile pieces, like glass, should be double wrapped with packing paper or bubble wrap.

-Before placing appliances in boxes, make sure to put a double layer of packing paper or bubble wrap on the bottom of the box. This helps absorb shock when moving boxes and adds a layer of buffer in case the bottom of the box breaks open.

-If appliances have smaller pieces, put them in a labeled Ziploc bag and tape them to the front of the appliance.

-If you have a KitchenAid mixer, follow our tips for how to properly pack your KitchenAid Mixer.

Pots and Pans

-Start with the biggest pot you have. Place it either flat or diagonally the box. If the lid can completely close, go with this box.

-To save space, place smaller pots inside of the largest one you have. To avoid scratching, place packing paper, cardboard, or bubble wrap between each pot.

-Lids should be removed and individually wrapped with packing paper to avoid cracking and breaking.

Plates

-Plates should be packed vertically to avoid breaking.

-Place 2 layers of packing paper or bubble wrap on the bottom of the box.

-When packing plates, put a layer of bubble wrap, cardboard, or foam plates between each plate. This will avoid scratching and damage by contact between plates.

-If your plates are extremely breakable, you may even want to use dish towels to wrap them to add an extra layer of protection.

-Most places that sell packing and moving supplies have dish pack boxes made specifically for packing your plates and dishes. Take advantage of these.

-Do not overpack boxes with plates, as they are more likely to tear through the bottom. If you are not using a dish pack box, use only small boxes.

Furniture

-If you have any furniture that will be disassembled, take it apart and put all the screws and hardware in a Ziploc bag. Then, tape the bag to the furniture.

-If you are not taking apart your furniture, make sure to properly protect it from scratches. This can be done by putting placemats, towels, or blankets between each piece of furniture.

-To save space on chairs, stack them seat to seat in the moving truck and in your storage unit. Make sure to put a small cloth in between to avoid scratches.

-You may also want to reinforce the edges of your furniture with cardboard or bubble wrap so that it does not get damaged during your move.

Breakable Items

-Breakable items such as wine glasses or mugs should be set aside.

-Double wrap them in packing paper, bubble wrap, or towels.

-Place all breakable items in a small box or shoe box and tape it shut.

-Make sure to properly label the box to indicate the fragile items and set this box aside to keep with you during the move away from heavier items that could break the contents.

Miscellaneous

-Your kitchen likely has other miscellaneous items like oven mitts, wine openers, and various other tools. You will want to wrap anything that can be damaged as you would any other kitchen item.

-Keep all like items together. This can either mean in the same box or just in a large Ziploc bag.

-Miscellaneous items can be used to fill small spaces in other kitchen boxes or can all be thrown into one box.

That’s it! After you’ve completed all of these tasks, you will be all packed and ready to move into your new kitchen. Make sure to keep your new kitchen looking like it just came out of a magazine with these tips to declutter your kitchen. Looking for even more help with your move? We’ve compiled this checklist for everything you need to do before you move into your home. Let us handle the details so you can get back to the excitement of moving to your new home.