When you are preparing for a move, there are a lot of moving parts. It can feel overwhelming as you try to pack all of your belongings while still maintaining a degree of livability in your home. One of the most challenging rooms to pack for a move is your kitchen. It is challenging for a couple of reasons - you still have to eat, many items need to be kept cold, if not frozen, and many of the items are fragile and could be broken if not handled carefully. Our professional movers have put together a guide to packing your kitchen for a move. Check it out.

Preparing Your Home For Packing

The first thing you want to do when packing your kitchen for a move is get organized. Go through your food, bakeware, dishes and utensils and separate out the things that you will not need or do not want in your new place. Unopened, non-perishable food items can be donated to your local shelter or food pantry. Organization that retail items will take gently used dishes, cookware, and utensils. The only way to pack your kitchen efficiently is to make sure you are only packing and bring essentials with you.

Separate The Items You Need

Depending on how many days or weeks in advance you are packing your kitchen for your move will dictate what kind of supplies you will need to eat and clean up meals at home before moving day. If you are only packing a few days in advance, disposable plates, napkins, and silverware will offer you what you need. If you are packing a couple weeks in advance, it may be a better option to reserve a meal setting for each person in your family, keeping a sponge and some dish soap out so you can reuse the items you eat off of.

Gather Your Materials

You will need packing materials for your kitchen, including boxes, tape, and packing tissue or peanuts to keep your breakable items safe. Gather these items based on the amount and types of dishes you have. Smaller boxes work best when packing the kitchen because these materials tend to be a little more dense than, say, clothes, and you want to prevent the boxes getting too heavy.

Then, Just Start

Every drawer and cabinet presents its own set of challenges. Picking one area to start with when packing your kitchen helps you manage the chaos a little better. Here are some tips for packing common kitchen items:

Pots and Pans

Stack these within one another, being sure to protect each piece of your cookware with packing paper. Use packing paper to keep the dishes from moving once the smaller pots and pans are stacked within larger ones. This is an ideal box for your dish towels or pot holders, as well. You can use them as a buffer between your items in the box. Our movers recommend wrapping and packing your pot lids separately as a means of maximizing the space within your boxes.

Glasses and Stemware

You might want to look for specialty dividers at your local moving company or liquor store for your glassware. These work perfectly for packing glassware because it keeps the fragile items separated and in place. Try to find a box that matches the maximum height of your glassware. You will not want to leave a lot of dead space in your boxes and you do not want to pack anything on top of your glasses, either, because they are too delicate to hold much weight.

Plates and Bowls

Plates and bowls are a little easier to pack than some of the more bizarre shaped items like pitchers or mixers. When packing your kitchen for a move, you can wrap and stack each of your individual dishes into a box, being careful to avoid stacking more than four dishes in any one pile.

China and Fragile Items

If you have delicate china or other fragile kitchen items, check out our post on packing and protecting china here.

Serving Utensils and Flatware

You can easily plastic wrap any dividing trays you are already using in your kitchen drawers for a nice, simple way to pack your kitchen. Be sure to wrap all of your knives individually, first, in a layer of packing paper, followed by a dish towel or pot holder. Pack them horizontally in the box to prevent injury when unpacking your kitchen boxes at your new home.

Appliances

If you are moving appliances, it is ideal to use their original boxes. However, with smaller appliances, you can utilize traditional storage boxes if you no longer have the originals. A good rule of thumb to follow when packing your kitchen for a move is this: the heavier the item, the smaller a box you should use. This helps keep boxes from getting too heavy to lift and move easily.

Food Items

You want to start with your non-refrigerated foods when packing your kitchen. Spices, baking goods, and other pantry items are a good starting point. Use small or medium-sized boxes for your food items, being careful to disperse heavier items, like flour and sugar or canned goods, across the boxes so they don’t get too heavy. Perishable items can be packed in coolers, but if you are packing your kitchen for a long-distance move, you may be better off discarding your perishables before your move. For all food items, be sure they are tightly sealed so that there are no spills or leaks during the transportation.

Quick Tips When Packing Your Kitchen For A Move

Packing your kitchen is no easy feat. Here are some parting tips to keep in mind:

• Use packing paper to fill gaps
• When in doubt, add another layer of wrapping
• More smaller boxes is often better than fewer larger ones
• Reinforce the bottoms of your boxes with packing tape
• Start early

If packing your kitchen seems daunting, consider working with a local moving company to help you manage your moving and packing necessities. Contact Amazing Moves today for an estimate.