Moving Blog

Why You Should Pack Your Kitchen First When Moving

April 15, 2018

When planning to make a move, no matter how far or close you plan on moving, it can be a huge benefit to start with the kitchen when you begin packing. The kitchen has just as many small items as it does big items.

The majority of the items in your kitchen are also easily breakable. Moving the kitchen is a lot of work and that is why we suggest doing it first and doing it right in order to simplify the rest of the moving process.

Sort through your Kitchen Items

Your kitchen is full of small and large items and you likely don’t need everything in it. If you haven’t used those mugs you got ten years ago for Christmas, donate them and don’t bother moving them.

  • Sort through your kitchen items so you can narrow it down to what you really use to save on packing space and moving costs.

Pack what you can ahead of time such as cookbooks, measuring cups, thermometers, etc. Keep out what you will use for instance silverware or your coffee maker.

Avoid pre-packing anything with absorbed cooking oil such as a cast-iron skillet which can get ruined if it’s stored away too early.

Recognize Multi-use Items in your Kitchen

You can use certain items in your kitchen as packing or storage for other items. For instance, use small Tupperware containers to store silverware or cookie cutters.

  • You could even use small Tupperware to store jewelry such as earrings or rings or other small items that might get easily misplaced.

Put smaller pots inside of larger ones to conserve space when packing boxes while keeping kitchen items together.

Choose the Right Boxes for your Items

Most of the items in your kitchen are fragile which is why moving your kitchen can be so stressful.

Plates, bowls, and glasses can all be easily broken in a move and that is why it is important to spend a little more time packing the kitchen to ensure that the items are protected and secured.

  • You can purchase boxes that are designed to hold breakable kitchenware secure or you can pack kitchenware into smaller boxes so they are less likely to shake or hit against other things.

If you pack things correctly, it will prevent you from having to replace them.

Protect Breakable Kitchen & Dining Items

Ideally, you would pack breakable items in bubble wrap and that is a pretty good way to ensure things won’t break in a move.

However, bubble wrap can be expensive to use although it is the most effective form or wrapping fragile items.

  • Many people choose to use old newspaper to stuff inside and around items.
  • If you’re going to use newspaper, make sure you use at least three sheets on breakable items.

You can also use bubble wrap, newspaper, or even shredded junk mail, to cushion the bottom of the boxes and support the bottoms as well.

Specific Labels for Kitchen Items

Again, your kitchen is filled with a large variety of items. Don’t label all of your kitchen boxes just as “kitchen” to avoid frustration when unpacking. Label boxes according to where you’d put the items inside.

For example, label silverware, cutting boards, crock pot, etc.

When you are unpacking, you’ll be able to know exactly which box has to go in which location of the kitchen, making it easier when you start sorting through the mass amount of items.

Moving can be stressful but packing is a huge part of that.

Hiring professional movers can help ease your mind when preparing for a local, long distance, or an overseas move.