Your kitchen is one of the more difficult rooms to pack. With all the fragile kitchenware and appliances, you want to make sure you wrap them appropriately to prevent broken dishes and shattered wine glasses. The Southern California moving experts at Affordable Quality Moving & Storage have provided you with a simple guide to get your kitchen sorted, packed, and ready for your move.
If you are interested in learning more about how our professional movers can help pack your kitchen for you, call for a free estimate!
Moving Tips for Packing Your Kitchen & Appliances
Appliances
Appliances such as stoves, dishwashers, washers and dryers, and refrigerators can be a major hassle to move. In addition to being heavy and clunky, appliances need to be correctly prepared before a move to prevent damage and ensure their proper operation at your new destination. Whether you are choosing to move your appliances yourself or have enlisted the services of a professional moving company, it is important to keep the following tips in mind.
- Check your owner’s manual: Most major appliances will have their own specific instructions regarding proper moving procedures within the owner’s manual, including shutdown steps, proper disconnection from utilities, and more. If you do not have a copy of your owner’s manual, check the manufacturer’s website for this information.
- Contact your utility companies: At least two weeks before moving day, contact your gas, water, and electricity providers and make sure to transfer service to your new home. Since most state laws prohibit moving companies from interfering with gas appliances such as stoves, be sure to arrange to have your appliances disconnected by a licensed professional before you move.
- Clean and prepare your stove: Your stove will need to be thoroughly cleaned inside and out, with all racks removed and securely packed. Use tape to fasten knobs and keep parts from being lost during your move.
- Unplug and empty your refrigerator: Your fridge will need to be unplugged at least 24 hours before moving day and cleaned out of all perishable foods. Once the freezer has defrosted, wipe away all condensation and scrub all surfaces to prevent the development of mildew and foul odors. If your unit has an ice maker, disconnect the water line and drain it completely. Finally, take out all racks and stow them securely so they do not shift during transport.
- Empty your dishwasher: Remove all dishes and racks from your dishwasher and pack them separately. Running a self-cleaning cycle is also a good idea before a move to ensure any leftover food particles are washed away.
- Secure all doors, cords, and lids: Using tape or rope, make sure all lids and doors are snugly shut so they do not swing open during the move and damage nearby items. Likewise, use tape to ensure all power cords and extra parts are kept easily accessible and with their respective appliances.
Dinnerware & Fine China
As professional Southern California movers, we understand how important it is to pack your kitchen right. Because everyone needs to eat, the kitchen is always the last room to be packed up and the first to be unpacked. Given how central your kitchen is to your move, it’s crucial to pack your kitchen safely and confidently. Today’s blog is a guide to help you pack up your dishes securely and efficiently so you can enjoy an easy and stress-free move.
Here are the supplies you’ll need:
- Sheets of packing paper or newsprint
- Packing tape
- Labels
- Marker
- Medium-sized box
As a note, you can replace this entire project by using specially-designed dish packing boxes. Dish boxes are designed to keep glassware from rattling around, but the tradeoff is that they’re more expensive than regular boxes (and not particularly useful for anything else).
Step 1: Reinforce Your Boxes
Take your medium-sized box and put an extra layer of packing tape along the seams at the bottom. Glassware is heavy, and if you aren’t careful, your dishes could burst through the bottom of your box.
After you’ve taped it up, line the bottom with wadded-up balls of packing paper or newsprint. This creates a layer of cushion between the bottom of the box and the glass. Try to make a layer of paper balls about two-deep.
Step 2: Wrap Dishes
For glass plates, lay a plate on top of two sheets of packing paper. Pull the corners toward the center of the plate until it’s completely wrapped. Then, put another plate of identical or similar size on top of that plate, and pull the corners of the second sheet of packing paper toward the center. Once both plates are wrapped in packing paper, tape it up.
For cups, bowls, or wine glasses, fill the cup with packing paper. Then wrap each item individually, including the handles or stems.
Step 3: Place in Box
Dishes, cups, and glassware should go into boxes vertically, like you’re loading a dishwasher. Laying them flat makes them a lot more likely to break, but packing them vertically means they can take more impact without a problem. Pack plates and cups in separate boxes—the idea is to pack the dishes as uniformly as possible.
Once you’ve packed the box with as many dishes as you can, fill any gaps with wadded-up packing paper. The key here is to make sure your cups or plates cannot move around while in transit. Movement = impact = breakage. The fewer gaps there are in the box, the safer your glassware.
Step 4: Label the Box!
Using your labels (or write directly on the box), write “Kitchen-Glassware” or however you’d like to label the items inside. Then, draw an arrow on the side of the box indicating which side should be pointing up. After that, make sure to label it fragile on the top and sides of the box.
Silverware
When packing silverware, the easiest and most effective way is to tie the silverware together with a rubber band. Once they are tightly secured in a rubber band, you can wrap them up with bubble wrap to prevent them from slipping out or getting scratched. Once all your silverware is packed, store them in a small box so they don’t get mixed up in large boxes with other kitchen items.
Pots & Pans
To pack your pots and pans, you will need to wrap the glass lids with packing paper and place them upside down inside the pan. You can then put the pans horizontally and diagonally in a large box and stack the pots and pans. To prevent them from scratching, you can place packing paper between each pan.
Let the Santa Clarita Moving Experts at AQMS Help Move Your Kitchen Appliances!
When you arrive at your new home, you don’t want your belongings to arrive broken or destroyed. Prevent the headaches from packing and leave it to our expert movers. The team of professionals at Affordable Quality Moving & Storage has the right equipment and knowledge to pack your kitchen appliances and have them arrive at your new home in perfect condition. When you choose AQMS, you can have peace of mind knowing we’ll be well-prepared to pack your items and transport them to your new home.
Avoid stress and contact our Santa Clarita movers today at (661) 622-2636! We are available to assist customers with local and long-distance moves, and we have offices in Temecula, Burbank, San Diego, and Santa Clarita to better serve customers throughout Southern California.
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