How to Properly Pack Your Kitchen

Packing your kitchen is the most time-consuming room of the house to pack.  If there is any room to leave for the movers it’s the kitchen but if you are looking to save some money moving or you are simply moving yourself you will find a little sanity in this easy guide on the proper way to pack your kitchen including cups, wine glasses, plates, tea pots, pots and pans.

Before even starting to do the actual pack, here are the first things you need to complete:

Throw Out Stuff You Don’t Use

Your kids are up and grown – why do you still have a hundred of those annoying plastic popsicle makers that are sixteen for a dollar. These are not even worth the price of the box you will need to pack them

Prepare an Essentials Box

My essentials box would look a lot like this

But if you are a better person than me, you may want to pack items that you will need soon after your movers arrive with your stuff.  This should include dishsoap, papertowels, some generic pots and pans.

Before getting started with the nitty gritty of packing your kitchen, here is a quick little video that has more info about packing in it’s 1 and a quarter minute glory than any other long, drawn out packing video you will ever watch.

First Things First

Gather your materials, here’s a quick starter list for an average kitchen

5 Large Boxes : For lightweight and hard to pack items such as plastic kitchenware, dish racks, small appliances, baking tins.

10 Medium Boxes : For heavier items such as small appliances, pots and pans, silverware, contents of drawers, cookbooks.

5 Heavy Duty Boxes ): These have thick, double-walls, perfect for packing fragile items, such as plates, glasses, stemware, wine and canisters.

Paper: You should need a 15-20 lb bundle

Tape: Get heavy duty moving tape

Sharpies

5 Glass Dividers: Dividers are extremely useful for packing glasses and wine

Pack up Kitchen Items You Don’t Use Frequently

Start by packing those items in your cupboards and drawers that you don’t use on a daily basis. It could include:

• Food storage containers
• Mixing bowls
• Cookie sheets, pie pans
• Small appliances, such as mixers, blenders, etc.
• Cookbooks
• Extra dish towels, dish cloths, and oven mitts
• Special utensils, such as barbecue tongs, meat mallets, ladles, and spatulas.

Pack up the Booze

Wine and alcohol can be packed early on in the process. Select the bottles you plan on opening between now and the move, Other items you may want to pack now are food items that are in glass bottles, but are still sealed, such as cooking oils, and liquor.

 

Pack up Dishes, Cups and Glasses

Remember to pack vertically.

Pack the Pantry

The pantry should’ve been sorted by now, keeping only those items you want to move. Start with the spices then work your way to the larger items. Canned goods aren’t worth moving unless you’re moving yourself. Movers will not transport perishable items so those you will have to toss.

Prepare Appliances

Defrost and clean at least 24 hours in advance. Improper preparation can lead to gas leaks, broken parts, and appliances that won’t work. Moving companies will not transport deep freezers that aren’t defrosted so you will need a week to prep your freezer.