How to Pack Your Kitchen Items for Moving

When moving, the best way to tackle packing up all of your worldly possessions is to devise a plan where you pack up your stuff room-by-room. When you get to your kitchen follow our packing tips to ensure that your china, glassware, jars and utensils get to your new home safe and sound.

1. Sort: The kitchen is filled with numerous components – china, bowls, cooking books, utensils, etc – that should be organized into sub sections. First, decide what you are not bringing with you. Are there old bowls that you never use or even jars of food that are just sitting in your pantry. Now is the time to let go of these items – whether by donating them or throwing them away. Once you have an idea of what is left, organize these into a couple of piles: china/bowls/dishes/cups, books, dishtowels, kitchen appliances, utensils, and food such as spices and canned items (never anything refrigerated).

2. Obtain Boxes: Purchase boxes from a reputable moving company or a box company such as Shop4Boxes.com. We recommend going this route rather than locating boxes from a grocery store or on the street because these boxes are sturdier and designed to handle moving. These sizes are ideal for your kitchen:

• Medium Moving Boxes (18x14x12): These boxes are great for smaller appliances such as a coffee maker and smaller pots and pans.
• Large Moving Boxes (20x20x15): Large boxes are ideal for items that are not super heavy, but may have an awkward shape such as baking tins or a dish rack. You can also pack dishrags with these items.
• Kitchen Moving Boxes (18x18x22): These heavy duty boxes are ideal for fragile items such as glasses, dishes, china and plates. These boxes are also good for appliances.

3. Set Aside Essentials: When you finally move into your new home, you may not want to unpack right away or you may find that finding something as simple as a bowl or a fork to be impossible when faced next to a mountain of boxes. Of course, we hope for the best by labeling our boxes but it is wise to set aside some kitchen essentials to get you through the last couple of days at your new place and the first couple of days in your new place. Some items to keep on the side include: a couple of forks, spoons and knives (depending on the size of your family), two to three bowls or plates, two to three cups, stack of napkins or paper towels, dish soup and a sponge, etc. You can either set these items in a small-to-medium-sized duffle bag or place them in a bare cupboard.

4. Start Packing Less Important Items: Once you have your boxes, it’s time to get to work. Start by packing items that you don’t use every day such as decorative vases, cookbooks, extra dishtowels, the majority of your pots and pans, pictures and small appliances. Pack them in their appropriate box (as listed above) and not haphazardly or all together – this can lead to damage and breakage of your belongings on moving day.

5. Pack Fragile Items: Now, it’s time to pack your china, dishes and glasses in medium-sized moving boxes or kitchen boxes. In the kitchen boxes, pack like items together – dishes with dishes, plates with plates and so on. Make sure you have sufficient packing materials such as Bubble Wrap®, stretch wrap and packing paper, which is good for filing in extra spaces. Since these items are the most susceptible to damage, make sure they are well-protected and tightly packed. You should also make sure that these boxes aren’t too heavy, where they can break

6. Pack Pots and Pots: Pack them in a medium-sized box, leaving one out in case you need them in the next couple of days before your move.

7. Pack Your Utensils: When you are packing your utensils, make sure to keep one or two sets out so that you will have a few pairs for the first few days as you are unpacking. You can also include spatulas, large mixing spoons, can openers, etc with your standard forks and knives. Wrap a few forks together (five to six is a good number) with packing paper and place them gently in a small-to-medium-sized box.

8. Pack the Cupboards: In general, items in your pantry such as canned goods aren’t worth bringing to your new place. However, there are some food items you may want to keep such as spices, oils and glass jarred items. When packing food only use medium-sized boxes. For all other food items, try to eat your refrigerated food before moving day and throw anything else out the night before.

9. Tape it all Up: Do a final check of your boxes, making sure everything is well-protected but not too heavy that the boxes break. Use proper packing tape and seal up your boxes.

10. Mark Each Box: As you are taping your boxes do a final check and mark your boxes based on its contents as well as if an item is fragile. You may also want to indicate the room the boxes go to such as kitchen, dishes, etc.