How to Pack Kitchen Items and Store Them for Moving

Your kitchen is the heart and soul of your home—and it wouldn’t be yours without all your essential kitchen items! If you’re moving, you’re probably taking as many of these items as possible to save money and make your new place feel like home. To do that, you’ll have to pack those items up, transport them, and maybe even store them for a while. It’s an involved process, but it doesn’t have to be difficult. In this guide, the team from Stor-It will show you how to pack kitchenware, transport it, and store it successfully for your move.

Getting Started: Less-Used Items Go First

If you’re like most homeowners or renters, you probably use your kitchen several times a day. Packing kitchen goods begins with the least-used items. You pack these first because they’re less likely to get used between pack-up and the move. Seasonal spices, specialized mixers, fine china, and those cookbooks you’ve never cracked open are all prime candidates for early pack-up.

Assemble Your Packing Supplies

The kitchen is full of unique items that deserve special care. Some are fragile, like plates, bowls, and glassware. Others are expensive and/or awkwardly shaped, like most appliances. Some are also sensitive to temperature and humidity, such as cooking spices. Knowing how to pack up a kitchen and store its contents means knowing how to pack pots and pans, how to pack spices for moving, and even how to pack utensils for moving.

We’ll get to that. First, you need packing supplies for all of it.

When it comes to packing up your kitchen, cushioning is your friend. We recommend investing in lots of bubble wrap (we’ll cover all of the instances where it can be used as the guide goes on). Beyond that, boxes are also essential for easy grouping, carrying, and stacking in storage. Both plastic and cardboard will work—just make sure your boxes are close to the same size; otherwise, you’ll be playing an unwanted game of Tetris in your moving truck, closet, or storage unit. Other essential packing supplies include packing tape, markers for labeling, and tie-down straps for transportation (if necessary).

Need help finding high-quality packing supplies for your kitchen? Here at Stor-It, we proudly sell the industry’s finest packing and moving supplies at each of our storage locations. You can also order them online by using the link above.

The Tough Stuff: How to Pack Pots and Pans for Moving and Storage

Every kitchen needs pots and pans, which means you’ll be packing yours up as you prepare to move. The good news: these cooking essentials are fairly sturdy. The bad news: they take up a lot of space. Thankfully, you can address the bad news with a bit of creative stacking. Think of your pots and pans as Russian dolls. The large ones can hold the mid-sized ones, which can hold the small ones. Before you start stacking, make sure each pot or pan is lined with cloth or bubble wrap to keep it in great condition. Load your stacks into a box and you’re ready to go. Just remember to wash each pot or pan before you use it in your new place.

The Fragile Stuff: How to Pack Dishware and Glassware for Moving and Storage

Nobody likes broken dishes. Even worse are dishes and glasses that break after being packed up. Extra work, all for nothing. Treat your dishes and glasses with the utmost care and consideration. Don’t skimp on cushioning, and try to minimize weight as much as possible. Cover your dishes and glasses in cloth or bubble wrap before you pack them. Since they’re usually pretty fragile, we recommend adding an extra layer of wrap. If you have a box designed for holding glasses separately, use it. Wonder how to pack bowls for moving? Repeat the same strategy discussed above: cushion, stack, repeat.

The Perishable Stuff: How to Pack Spices for Moving and Storage

You’ll want to eat most of the perishables in your kitchen before you move, but there are a few choice goods that you may want to keep. Your spices will likely top the list. These tasty condiments already come in jars of bottles, so most of the packing is done for you. You just have to make sure that those containers don’t open. Again, here, cushioning is rule number one, especially for glass. Use a bit of bubble wrap, cloth placemats, or dish towels to wrap up and bottles before placing them in boxes.

Rule number two: tape down your lids. Even the most secure tops can pop open during a move, especially during long drives where pressure can change. Tape keeps things sealed to avoid spillage.

The Small Stuff: How to Pack Utensils for Moving and Storage

They say don’t sweat the small stuff, and that adage applies to packing up your kitchen, too. Utensils and other small cooking items can typically be packed together. If you have a silverware holder in your drawer, take it out and pack your entire array of utensils without breaking a sweat. Have nicer stuff that needs its own spot? Use napkins or dish towels to wrap each piece up before placing it in a box. If you’re going to store actual silver, don’t use plastic wrap or newspaper as this can cause unwanted complications with the material. Instead, use plastic bags or fabric.

The Big Stuff: How to Pack Appliances for Moving and Storage

Some of your kitchen appliances may not be making the move with you, but a few of them will be centerpieces in your next home. Small appliances like microwaves, toasters, and mixers should be carefully wrapped and placed in boxes, if possible. If they don’t quite fit, make sure you’ve done a good job wrapping them so they stay in good shape during transit. You may need some tape for this; bonus points if you’ve kept your appliances’ original boxes.

For bigger appliances like refrigerators and ovens, teamwork is key. Enlist family, bribe friends, or hire professionals to help you load and unload these big-ticket items. During transportation, make sure they’re tied down or immobilized between other objects.

Free Up Space With Self Storage

Your move may go smoothly, but your new place might not have enough space to hold all of your kitchen equipment. In these cases, self storage can help you hang on to your beloved items while keeping your new kitchen clutter-free. (As an aside, self-storage units are also a good choice for movers who anticipate short-term stays in one place or another, as well as businesses in need of seasonal kitchen storage.) Available in a wide range of sizes with both climate- and non-climate-controlled options, self-storage units take the hassle out of excess items in your home or business. Many are available at affordable rates with flexible month-to-month leases, and some offer enticing amenities to make storage a breeze. Search for self storage in your area to find an option that fits your needs.

Get More Kitchen Packing Tips and Store Your Stuff With Us

Want more information on how to pack your kitchen for moving? Need more kitchen storage tips and tricks? Here at Stor-It, we have you covered. Check out our 10 Packing Tips guide and our 5 Useful Tips for Long-Term Storage blog post to get started, and explore our wealth of additional packing and storage resources to cook up a game plan for your kitchen.

Ready to reserve your storage unit? You’re in the right place. As Idaho’s oldest and largest self-storage providers, we proudly own and operate 16 storage locations across the Gem State, each with a huge selection of amenities and storage unit options for kitchens large and small. Click the link above to find the facility that fits your needs, and reserve your storage unit with our team today!