The kitchen is consistently the room that surprises first-time movers the most. What looks like a manageable collection of dishes and appliances turns into an enormous volume of oddly-shaped, fragile, heavy items that require specific packing techniques to survive a move intact.
Start with what you rarely use. The stand mixer you break out at Christmas, the fondue set from your wedding — these should go in boxes first, weeks before moving day. This reduces the crunch in the final days and gets your least-essential kitchen items safely packed early.
Invest in proper dish packs. Standard boxes are not suitable for plates and bowls. Dish pack boxes have double-thick corrugated walls and are specifically designed for heavy, breakable kitchen items. Our crews use them exclusively for all dish and glassware packing.
Pack plates vertically, not flat. Counter-intuitively, plates survive moves better when packed on their edge rather than lying flat. Think of how record stores store vinyl — the structural integrity of a plate is much stronger along its edge than across its flat surface. Pack them like records with dividers between each plate.
Use your dish towels and cloth napkins as packing material. Wrap serving bowls in dish towels, nestle glasses inside folded napkins. This serves double duty: it packs your kitchen linens and provides excellent protection for your dishes simultaneously.
Never leave empty space in boxes. Empty space allows items to shift and collide in transit. Fill all gaps with crumpled packing paper. Shake each box gently before sealing — if you hear movement, add more fill.
Label by contents AND fragility. Write on the side of each box (not just the top), including what room it belongs to and a fragility rating. Our labelling system uses red tape for all fragile boxes so the crew knows immediately to handle them with extra care.
Pack your appliances in their original boxes if possible. Nothing protects a blender or espresso machine better than the custom-moulded packaging it came in. Keep original boxes for your most expensive appliances.
Defrost your refrigerator 24 hours before moving day. A running fridge cannot be moved safely. Defrost it the night before, clean it out, and leave the doors open. Pack a cooler with anything temperature-sensitive.
Treat sharp knives seriously. Wrap each knife individually in several layers of packing paper and clearly mark the box "SHARP — HANDLE WITH CARE." Knife blocks can be wrapped intact.
Plan your kitchen essentials box. Pack a separate "open first" box with the items you will need immediately in your new home: coffee maker, mugs, a pot, basic cutlery, dish soap, and a sponge. This box goes in last and comes out first.
