Packing Up The Most Delicious Room in the House: Tips for Success

This article goes a bit into detail about how to pack up the most important room of the house. We mention saving a few items aside to use until the last minute and unpacking the kitchen first to feel at home in the new place.

Read on for all our iMoving tips.

Packing a kitchen for a move is always a challenge, given that you really need this room and its content until the last day and the fact that most of the items here are quite breakable.

Here are some tips from iMoving’s seasoned movers to help you pack up your kitchen efficiently and quickly:

1. Start Early To Avoid Delays

• Start packing as much in advance of your move date as possible by packing up the things you use less here like baking items, fine china, and more. The kitchen is often the last room you’ll want to pack in full, so give yourself plenty of time to sort and pack up everything well.

2. Supplies

• Get everything ready to go so that when the urge and desire to pack hits, you are keen to hit the road running.
• Boxes: Use sturdy, medium-sized boxes. Keep a variety of box sizes on hand. Avoid overpacking the cartons as they can get too heavy and break.
• Packing Helpful Materials: Bubble wrap, packing paper, and dish towels can be used to wrap fragile items. Get enough of these supplies so that the whole family can pack at the same time.
• Packing Tape: Make sure you have strong packing tape to secure boxes. This is probably the key missing item that causes delays in family packing plans. 
• Markers: Label boxes clearly with their contents and the room they belong to in your new home. Labeling is by far the most important step for a successful move.

3. Sort and Declutter: Aka Purge

• Go through your kitchen and sort all things into categories: keep, donate, or trash. I’m sure you have duplicate items like seven mixing spoons you could do without, or at least could give away some of the things to pare down.
• If you haven’t used something in the past year or it’s no longer needed, consider getting rid of it.
• Pack up your kitchen in an organized fashion so that it will be simple and quick to unpack in the new kitchen by drawer.
• Purge that food. Stop buying extra months before the move as kitchen items like cans are very heavy to move. 
• The final week you should really only have the basics in your fridge and pantry. Donate any open items to local schools or nonprofits that won’t mind that items are used. 

4. Pack Thing By Thing

• Drawers and Cabinets: Start by emptying drawers and cabinets. Group similar items together. Box them in the way you will want to have them organized in your new house. 
• Pots and Pans: Stack smaller pots and pans inside larger ones. Place packing material between them to prevent scratches. Wrap lids separately. The same goes for all pans. 
• Glassware and Dishes: Wrap each glass piece separately in bubble wrap. For extra protection, use towels or blankets in the box between layers of dishes in there. Don’t go light on the bubble wrap.
• Small Appliances: If you have the original boxes, use them they will fit perfectly and be safest there. Otherwise, wrap appliances in bubble wrap or towels and pack them securely. Don’t overpack these boxes and pad them well.
• Utensils and Kitchen Tools: Wrap utensils together and wrap them. Place them in a box with some cushioning material. You don’t want that one matching fork to mess up your set so make sure to count the number of pieces when you pack them away. 
• Save Some: Think about keeping a few utensils out for your last day's use. 

5. Label Boxes

• Clearly label each box with its contents and the spot it’s intended for. For example, “Pots and Pans - Kitchen” or “Dishes - Kitchen.”
• Mark boxes by Fragile for the movers.
• Labeling saves countless hours for the unpacking mission.

6. Protect Fragile Items A Little Extra

• Wrap breakable items like coffee cups, glasses, plates, and mugs in bubble wrap or packing paper. Use lots of layers to keep them really safe. Place them in boxes vertically if possible, to minimize the risk of breaking them.
• Fill any empty spaces in boxes with crumpled paper or towels to prevent shifting during transit. You can use any soft fabric like blankets, sheets, clothing, or whatever else you have on hand to fill the space. 

7. Pack a Moving Day Essentials Bag

• Set aside a box or bag with essential items you’ll need immediately when you arrive at your new home. Include kitchen things like a few plates, cups, fork and knife, a can opener, and basic cleaning supplies.
• Try to clean out your new kitchen before the movers arrive with all the boxes and big appliances so you can really get this lesser cleaner area deeply squeaky clean.

8. Use Dish Packs for Extra Protection

• Consider using dish packs (boxes designed for packing dishes and glasses) for added protection. They come with dividers to keep items separate and secure. Ask your mover to supply these for you.

9. Secure It Down

• Tape all boxes securely and check they are well-sealed to prevent any items from falling out. Don’t overstuff any box just use another one. 
• Reinforce the bottom of each box with extra tape to handle the weight.

10. Move and Unpack Strategically

• As you load the moving truck, place kitchen boxes in a way that makes them easy to access when you reach your new home. They should be towards the front of the truck if possible. 
• Unpack the kitchen first to get your new space organized and usable as quickly as possible.

By following these steps above, you can make the packing process of your most delicious room of the house go smoother. We are here from iMoving to help ensure that your kitchen items arrive at your new home in good condition. No one wants broken glasses at the end of a move. Take the precautions needed to keep everything in tip-top shape.