Packing a kitchen often turns out to be one of the most difficult things when house shifting. Unlike other items like clothing or books, kitchen items differ in shape, size, and materials they are made of. There could be glass items, crockery, heavy utensils, electronic appliances, food packaging, bottles, and plenty of small items, which all need to be packed separately. Otherwise, packing will turn out to be quite messy.
Moreover, you will need the kitchen immediately upon arrival to your new place. That is why you should pack the kitchen in a thoughtful manner so that you can easily find all necessary items after moving. Careful packing will help to prevent damage to fragile kitchen items in the process of transporting.
Regardless of whether you are moving to another apartment in the same city or going to relocate to a completely different place, taking some extra care with the packing of kitchen items will make a huge difference. Here is how you should prepare, sort, pack, label, and transport your kitchen items.
Start by Sorting Everything in Your Kitchen
Before loading things into boxes, spend some time looking around your whole kitchen. Open cabinets, drawers, shelves, storage compartments in order to understand what should be moved.
Classify all belongings into several categories: the things you use daily, things that are used occasionally, items for donation and those that should be thrown away, as well as special items. Moving is an excellent chance to dispose of old packaging, unneeded utensils, expired foodstuffs, and appliances that have not been used for ages.
It is of little use wasting time and money on transporting items that you do not need anymore. The fewer things you are going to transport, the less boxes will be needed to pack and unpack your things in a new place.
At the same time, do not throw away useful things just because you are in a hurry. Try to act pragmatically and make the decision about each particular item whether you need it or not.
Check Food Items Before Packing
The number of food products in your pantry may surprise you, but not all of these items need to be moved. First, check the expiry date of each product and discard anything that is already expired or close to expiring.
It will be better to consume what you have from opened packets and fresh food products, among others, before moving. Unopened dried foods like rice, flour, pulses, spices, packaged snacks, among others, can be moved if they are packable.
Liquids need some extra care when being prepared for the move. You need to ensure that cooking oil, sauces, syrups, cleaning liquids, and other bottles are tightly sealed and are packed upright. Put them in leak-proof bags or boxes first before putting them in moving boxes.
The liquid in one bottle can spoil other items in the moving box if there is leakage.
Pack Plates, Bowls, and Crockery Carefully
Crockery is one of the most fragile things in the kitchen, hence should be adequately protected. Do not put dishes loosely in the boxes. They can bump into each other while being transported and get broken.
Cover fragile things separately with bubble wrap, packing paper, or another material that will serve as a protection for them. The plates can be put vertically in the boxes and padded from each other. Bowls and cups must also be sufficiently padded from both sides and inside.
Do not make your boxes too heavy. Boxes overloaded with crockery may become hard to handle and fall apart as the base of them breaks. You need strong boxes and even distribution of weight.
Finally, once you have packed the things, cover the empty spaces in the box with something soft to prevent crockery from moving while being transported. Mark the box with the label “FRAGILE – KITCHEN.”
Protect Glassware and Delicate Items
Such fragile objects as glasses, wine glasses, serving plates, jars, and many other kitchen items should be packed with even greater care.
Pack each individual item separately and include additional protection for handles and edges. Make sure not to let any glass item touch another one directly. After placing all the items into the carton, carefully try moving them to see whether the items shift. If they do, use additional packaging materials.
If you have extremely valuable and fragile items made of glass, you might want to use stronger boxes or special packaging methods. Professional packers will also help you to pack your fragile kitchen items whenever necessary.
Do not forget that the purpose is not just to pack all the items in one box, but to make sure that they arrive at your new kitchen in the same condition as when they left the old one.
Pack Heavy Utensils Separately
Kitchen items like pressure cookers, pans, pots, iron skillets, and even heavy plates can get quite heavy when put in one box. Do not pack all the heavy items in one box; rather use several boxes for packing them.
Items that may scratch each other should be packed separately. This is applicable especially in case of metal cookware that have polished surfaces. Smaller utensils can be packed in large pots; however, proper protection is necessary in such cases.
Packing of knives and other sharp items should be done safely in order to avoid damage to other items and injury to people moving the box. Sharp corners of the items should not be left uncovered inside the boxes.
Prepare Kitchen Appliances for Moving
Cleaning of electrical appliances like mixers, microwave oven, coffee maker, air frier, toaster, blender, and electric cooker should be done prior to packing. All food debris, oil, and moisture should be cleaned prior to packaging.
Wherever possible, it is advisable to pack using the original box since they are specially made for that particular appliance. However, where the original box is not available, make sure you use a strong carton with enough cushioning.
Detach all parts and pack them separately. Cables should not be left hanging; rather, they should be packed properly in coils. In case your appliance has glass parts, take extra caution in packing them.
Refrigerator, washing machine, and dishwasher are some examples of big appliances that may require special packing prior to transport. It may be advisable in some cases to disconnection them.
Pack Kitchen Drawers and Small ItemsUse the Right Packing Materials
The choice of proper packing materials can significantly improve the safety of your kitchen items. Strong corrugated boxes, bubble wrap, packing paper, foam sheets, stretch film, and strong tape are among the most common materials used for packing kitchens.
Various types of kitchen items will need various types of protection. Fragile items will require more care than plastic items or household appliances. You shouldn’t use low-quality cartons simply because they are available at your place.
Fragile items must be properly cushioned. Packing materials must ensure that items cannot move inside the box. In addition to this, packing materials must guarantee sufficient protection from normal handling during transportation.
When you hire professional packers and movers, you should find out what kind of packing materials they will use. It can help you to avoid unnecessary troubles when calculating costs.
Pack Kitchen Drawers and Small Items
Kitchen drawers may have hundreds of small things like spoons, forks, peelers, graters, measuring cups, bottle openers, and many others. As these things are relatively small, it would be convenient just to throw all of them in a box, but it will complicate unpacking.
It is necessary to put similar things together in small boxes or zip lock bags and then pack them in a carton. For instance, it is possible to pack all kitchen accessories for baking in one box and all cutlery in another one. Thus, it will be easy to get access to them when you come to your new kitchen.
One should not fill small boxes with metal things too much, even if each of these things is not heavy.
Pack Spices and Dry Ingredients Properly
Spices and dry items may be transported without any problems, yet all of the packets must be tightly sealed prior to packaging. Check each one for loose openings or damages on packaging.
All opened packets must be repacked into tightly closed containers or bags, so that in case of opening, neither powder nor grains scatter in the carton.
Do not store spices and dry foods next to fragile crockery or glassware. In case of an accidental opening, you do not need any food particles contaminating your boxes full of clean kitchen utensils.
It will also be very helpful to pack the most often used spices and basic ingredients in your essentials box.
Handle Bottles and Liquids With Extra Care
Liquid is one of the most difficult kitchen items to pack and carry because even a drop or two may ruin both the cartons and items surrounding them.
Always ensure that caps are tight before packing any bottles. Pack bottles in airtight plastic bags and ensure that they remain upright in the carton.
Do not pack unnecessary kitchen liquids where such liquids are either cheap or available at your destination. It does not make sense carrying a half-filled bottle of cleaning liquid.
If the transportation of cooking oil or other liquids is necessary, ensure that the carton is strong enough to contain the liquids.
Prepare the Refrigerator Before Moving
Unlike any other kitchen appliance, the refrigerator needs more preparation. Begin with getting rid of all the food items inside the refrigerator and cleaning the insides. Rather than moving the food that is perishable, it would be better to eat it before the move.
It should then be dried up well once it is emptied since leftover water may create problems later.
It must be disconnected and prepared in accordance with the guidelines given by the manufacturer. In case of doubt as to how to disconnect or transport the appliance, seek professional help.
Once in the new place, it needs some time before the fridge is switched on in order to adjust to its new surroundings.
Label Every Kitchen Box Clearly
Labelling is a very basic way of facilitating kitchen packing. Instead of labelling all of your cartons with “Kitchen,” try adding a brief description of what is inside each carton.
For instance, using labels like “Kitchen – Glasses,” “Kitchen – Cooking Utensils,” and “Kitchen – Appliances” will help you recognize the cartons easily. Also, mark your fragile cartons so that they get special treatment during the move.
Another way of labeling would be through using numbers for each carton. You can use labels like Kitchen 1, Kitchen 2, and Kitchen 3, while having a brief content list.
This process is especially important when you’re moving out from a large household with many cartons going to various rooms.
Keep Your Kitchen Essentials With You
There is no reason to unpack all kitchen cartons right away once you’ve reached your destination. Pack a box with the basic kitchen items you will need on the first day.
These may include some plates, mugs, spoons, kitchen implements, tea or coffee, bottles for liquids, snacks, and some commonly used food ingredients. Store the box separately from the rest of the shipment, if possible.
The presence of these basic items in the kitchen will allow you to make yourself something simple to eat or drink without unpacking lots of boxes and sorting out the items.
Unpack Your Kitchen in the Right Order
After all your possessions have been moved to the new place, begin unpacking the kitchen in order of importance and not just all at once.
Your first step will be to unpack all those things that you need urgently and then unpack your regular cookware, crockery, drinking glasses, and regular appliances. Once all these things are in place, unpack those things that are used less often – for example, serving plates and baking utensils.
Now is a good chance to arrange your kitchen according to your actual needs. Things that are used more often must be easily accessible, and those things that are used rarely can be stored away at a height.
Unpacking in stages is less exhausting and gives you enough time to arrange everything properly.
Common Kitchen Packing Mistakes to Avoid
The worst thing you can do when packing kitchen belongings is to start packing without sorting out what you have first. This will end up having too many things moved which will complicate unpacking.
Using light boxes to pack heavy cookware is also another mistake made by many people. Heavy boxes tend to break at the bottom when picked which might cause damage to your belongings or even injuries. Ensure that you use sturdy cartons and balance the load equally.
Another common mistake is forgetting about cushioning of the space in the box. Even when packing fragile things in individual bubble wrap, they might get jolted and bump against each other during transit.
Do not pack your kitchen belongings on the last day. There are many things in the kitchen and rushing may lead to broken things, loss, and disorganization.
Final Thoughts
Packing a kitchen for house shifting is not just about placing all items in boxes. From discarding all the extra items to checking the food products and wrapping the crockery, each type of item demands its own method of packing.
It is important that you pack the kitchen systematically. Pack everything starting from the first day, pack room by room, use right packing materials for each category, distribute the weight evenly, and mark every carton properly. It is advisable to keep all your necessary kitchen items together, so that you can easily find them once you move to your new place.
However, if you do not have sufficient time or fear damage to your kitchen items, then hiring packers will help you in this regard. Experienced packers know how each household item has to be packed.
Sunrise Packers & Movers provides professional packing and moving services that take care of your household items during the whole moving process. Right from the fragile kitchen items and appliances to your furniture and daily household items, we make sure that we pack everything carefully and load it safely.