How to Pack Your Kitchen for Your Move
Packing a kitchen for a residential move is a tall task. It can be challenging to pack as one of the most often used rooms in the house, especially while still actively living in the home. To simplify the process, we’ve put together these tips to help make the job easier for you.
1. Start Using Perishable Foods
To avoid throwing out food, make meal plans a few weeks before you move and start packing. This will help you downsize your kitchen and make packing easier. Use what’s already in your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry to decide what to prepare. This way, you have less waste, save money, and have convenient, ready-to-eat meals during those busy days leading up to your move.
2. Go Through Your Items
If you’re like most other people, you probably have duplicates in mugs, flatware, dinnerware, and utensils. Plan to sell, give away, or donate items you probably don’t need. Next, go through your cabinets and drawers and put aside items you never or rarely use, such as gadgets that collect dust. Once you decide what to keep and downsize, you can start the packing process.
3. Collect Boxes and Packing Supplies
To pack your kitchen, you’ll need a variety of packing supplies. Generally, you’ll need:
- Large boxes for lightweight items
- Heavy-duty boxes with thick lining for small appliances and fragile items
- Dishpak boxes
- Bubble wrap, packing paper, and foam to safeguard breakables
- Peanuts to fill extra space in boxes containing fragile items
- Packing tape to seal boxes
- Sharpie and labels to identify what’s in boxes
You might need various boxes of different sizes to pack up your kitchen.
- Pack Least-Used Items First
Pack your least-used kitchen items first to cause the least disruption in your household. This way, you can stow those boxes out of the way while focusing on other tasks. Items you probably won’t need until after your move include:
- Food storage containers
- Mixing bowls
- Baking accessories
- Cookbooks
- Small kitchen appliances/gadgets
- Wine glasses
- Holiday tableware
- Vases
- Extra potholders, dishtowels, etc.
You can also remove your kitchen décor and knick-knacks off your walls, shelves, counters, and other spaces.
5. Clear Out Drawers, Cabinets, and Shelves
An excellent place to start is with your junk drawer. This will help you downsize unnecessary clutter while packing away miscellaneous items you probably won’t need. Next, you can move to your shelves and cabinets. Try to group like items together to make it easier to unpack at the other end of your move.
As you pack up cabinets and shelves, keep out one set of dishes, flatware, and cups for each person. If you still plan to prepare a few meals until moving day, keep out a pot, frying pan, or baking dish, as necessary.
6. Pack Up the Pantry
Use as much as possible in the month leading up to your move so it’s less bulk to pack. Sort out any expired foods or ones with damaged packaging you may have missed and discard them.
Moving Made Easy!
Packing a kitchen often requires patience, but the more you do ahead of time, the easier this task becomes.
Ready to plan your move? Contact us today to obtain a free quote!
