How to Pack Your Kitchen For a Move

Packing the kitchen for moving sounds quite dubious and somewhat funny. The first image that comes to mind is that you will cut out your old kitchen and stick it as it is inside your new home, preferably wrapped in a merry craft paper. However, the reality is more down-to-earth and tiresome. So what does it mean to pack a kitchen for moving? 

The short answer is you pack each item in the kitchen as you do with belongings from other rooms. However, your kitchen contains a wide range of different things to move, from frozen berries to godforsaken pots and pans relatives presented you on a wedding day. What is more, the kitchen is a magnet for greasy and never-wholly-washed appliances, which must be attended to before starting packing everything else for the move. 

That’s why the first thing to do even before thinking about packing paper or moving anything is to gather strength to throw away unneeded objects. Of course, ‘throw away’ sounds too radical. You can interpret it as selling, giving away to friends, or donating to those who really need this stuff. The point is to decide what you actually require in the new apartment and what is time to say goodbye to before the move. 

After making some hard decisions, you are ready to start the primary moving process – cleaning. Alas, using packing paper is not the next step, as before putting utensils in the boxes for moving, you need to brush away any dust, shake out crumbles and wipe off years of stains from microwave and pots and pans. So before the move think better whether you need that set of plastic bowls from the last picnic or you can toss them out. 

Dedicate at least a day to this challenge. We also recommend getting some help to move from friends who will cheer you up by playing with miscellaneous trifles you forgot you possessed. And yet, before taking action to pack your kitchen for moving, think of appropriate packing materials to save the kitchenware for your new life.

What You’ll Need to prepare kitchen items for moving

The basic packing set for the move includes variously shaped boxes, soft filling, tape, and packing paper. However, there is also one vital option that you may not have thought of – your clothes. Instead of spending money on additional soft materials to preserve fragile items, you may use T-shirts or blankets to fill gaps in the boxes and reduce the chance of any damage during the move. We only hope that the kitchen is not the last room you’ve decided to pack.

Here we’ll discuss in detail some materials needed for packing anything fairly resembling pots and pans.  

Moving Boxes

Obviously, the number of boxes depends on the size of the kitchen you plan to move. Here we’ll get an estimate for a family-sized kitchen with belongings accumulated within the decade of living in one place.

• Original boxes from appliances. 

This is a prime time to use all saved boxes from a microwave, blender, and dishwashing machine. The best way to prepare for moving any kind of kitchen tool is to place it in its original packaging. So if times and rot haven’t decomposed those carton boxes, get them out and make them useful once again.

• Large boxes. 

They are perfect for moving variously shaped light-weighted stuff like plastic salade bowls or baking tins. Remember, the bigger box, the more things it can contain and the heavier it will be. That’s why you shouldn’t buy only large containers for all utensils for the move. In the end, you just won’t lift them.

• Medium boxes.

These are great for everything else, from cutlery to pots and pans. Don’t forget to fill spaces between solid objects with towels or another filling before moving.

• Boxes with cell kits.

Cell kits are carton dividers that go inside of a box to support and protect fragile items like wine glasses. Use them to separate delicate items and fill the free space in a box.

Equipment / Tools

Your closest friends and allies for the packing day will be a pair of scissors, scotch tape, and labeling markers. Just in case, grab a razor knife to have it near after moving to the new place. 

Packing Materials

Other items for the move include rolls of packing paper, bubble wrap, old newspapers and magazines, styrofoam, and any fabric like rags or your clothes. 

Best way to pack your kitchen when moving

There are two character traits required for this challenge – creativity and caution. You will need to free your mind to accept unusual but ingenious packing ideas and predict whether they will work out or fail dramatically in your moving day. A successful example is putting knives inside a cup and covering the transformer with bubble wrap or packing paper. A worse one is to stick all glass bowls into each other without a layer of protective material. Actually, forget this idea entirely. It is pure madness.

Before discussing specific methods of packing various items, here are some essential tips to keep in mind while working on a moving plan:

1. Put small things inside bigger ones. 
2. Don’t leave free space. Cram it with odds and ends and some kind of filling.
3. Combine soft and breakable, like towels and glass lids.
4. Label boxes. Especially with delicate items.
5. Place boxes with fragile items on top of others. 

Another thing to remember is preparing a survival kit for the first days in the new home after moving. Of course, having a pizza at night of arrival is a pleasant idea, but the morning will be a good one only with coffee or tea served in a mug instead of a plastic cup. Dedicate one box for moving essential utensils like a couple of spoons, a knife, maybe a couple of pots and pans, and a plate to serve you during the first days. Moreover, don’t forget about cleaning devices like soap and sponge. You wouldn’t like to have a pile of dirty dishes in a sink when there is no substitute nearby.

The food issue

The kitchen is a sacred food place. However, during the move, you need to get rid of most of it. Not for nothing, its name is perishables as at first chance they will remind about themselves with the awful smell and dreadful insects. To avoid such a catastrophe, plan a goodbye party for neighbors and friends to use all remaining food. Moreover, it’s a great chance to give away everything hidden for ages in a pantry. If there is something valuable left, donate it to the local food bank. And don’t forget to save some cheese and ham for the moving day and the journey. You will need the energy to lead the process till its end.

Packaging for kitchen dishes

You’ll need the usual setup like packing paper, but the technic is essential. If you have ceramic or glass plates and bowls, you’ll need to cover each of them to preserve while moving. However, the same rules apply – stuck one into another but wrap it around with a soft covering beforehand. For example, here is how to pack a set of flat plates using a long sheet of packing paper:

1. Take a layer of bubble wrap and place the end of the roll of packing paper on top of it.
2. Put the first plate on these layers and cover the top of it with paper.
3. Place the second plate on top or inside of the previous one and also cover it with paper.
4. Continue the process with all plates but keep an eye on the weight. You don’t want to have a box that is too heavy.
5. When all the dishes are covered, take the bubble wrap and coat the plates’ tower. Place it in the box and fill empty spaces with soft materials before moving.

 

Packaging for small appliances

The best way is to stick them inside the original boxes. If you don’t have this option, start with disassembling the device, then cover it with bubble wrap and put it inside a small box which doesn’t leave a lot of free space. For better protection, use foam to strengthen the box’s sides. 

Packaging for fragile items

If your case is wine glasses, there are special boxes with dividers to fit such items. Furthermore, to make such a box yourself, use cell kits. If it is variously shaped china, cover each piece with bubble wrap or soft textile. To reduce the amount of used packaging, consider taking your clothes as wrapping material. And remember to label boxes with fragile items and place them on top of others during the move.