How to Pack Dishes for Moving Easily

You should know upfront that the kitchen falls under the most difficult rooms to relocate. So, you’ll definitely have your work cut out to finish, but whether you decide to take this task in the beginning or towards the end of the process is up to you. Some people prefer to do it while they’re still fresh and full of vim and vigor, whereas others find it more comfortable to save the trickiest bit for the finale. Whatever your case is, these are the things you should know before you dive into the wrapping.

How to Pack Dishes When Moving – Preparation Phase

Right, so all of the crucial aspects are almost done, you found out how to get a job before you move, and you created a moving budget. You got the idea how to pack clothes for moving, and now you’re trying to learn some moving hacks when it comes to one of everyone’s favorite rooms – the kitchen. Let’s face it, we all love to have soothing meals and a drink or two, so being extra careful here can save you a lot of nerves and money. Once you decide it’s time for cross country moving, you need to create a household inventory list. Now, for the kitchen, this means going through all your belongings and writing down what you plan on taking and what you don’t need and can give away, donate, or simply chuck out (no, you don’t need it all.)

You finished step one, and you know what you’ll be packing? Perfect, now what’s left is to find suitable materials and supplies to get you going.

How to Pack Dishes? – Materials You’ll Need

This task is unimaginable without the right materials, so you should start planning where to get these ahead. Perhaps you’ve got a friend who went through long distance moving recently and can spare you some of the moving essentials, or you can look them up in nearby stores or online. Or maybe your favorite local restaurant can be a part of the solution to your problem and lend a hand. This being said, you’ll need:

• Packing paper for moving in abundance – The more, the better since it can protect your breakables and glassware to a large degree.
• Boxes for dishes – You can find some specially designed for these, or you can simply use regular ones. Besides, you can also make special containers to keep your kitchen items safe.
• Tape and marker – To secure the boxes and label them properly.
• Alternatives to paper – Bubble wrap, blankets, newspaper, T-shirts, pads, sleeves, little boxes, or basically anything you believe can be of use here. You should know that there’s not only one method that is right when you transfer your kitchen, but there are solutions that have been tested more than other options.

What Should I Start Packing to Move My Kitchen?

The moment you’ve been waiting for is probably the basic question – where do I start? Many tasks are difficult because we don’t know how to break them into smaller chunks and struggle to find a good starting point. Well, if you opt for beginning with packaging fragile items, you won’t be making a mistake. Why? Simply because china, porcelain, and all fragile items do take more of your energy because they are usually valuable and, well, break easily. Standard mugs and plates you can pack in the end when you’re already tired and worn out.

What you need to remember when you take your fragile items up is that you can’t possibly overdo with protection. Stack bubble wrap, durable boxes, packing paper, moving foam, and other supplies, and make sure you grant each of your precious items enough space and protection. This means don’t overload the boxes and do pad them from bottom to top. Finally, seal them with duct tape and label them fragile and which side is up. If you have some expensive dinner sets, perhaps you should consider hiring reputable long distance movers because not only will they ensure everything arrives in one piece, but they also provide you with top-rate moving insurance. So, it’s not a bad idea to put this in your moving binder as a thought.

How Do You Pack Glasses for Moving?

When the hardest bits are out of the picture (fragile items and understanding how to move a piano, we’re looking at you), you’re ready to master how to pack glasses for moving. The first step here is to sort them by size and shape because you’ll be making pairings according to these. Once you did this, you should pad a box of your choice on all sides and put glasses inside in the upright position. Prior to doing this, you should put wadded packing paper inside the glasses for extra protection and wrap it around all glasses and stems, if there are any. Don’t lay the glasses down because that can lead to problems. Besides, if you have a particularly fragile glass, think about using two boxes, one with protective materials that serve as the shield to your box. It does sound like too much, but if your glassware is to cross long distances, it pays off. If you feel like it, you could also make a special separating container out of cardboard, but this is not mandatory. Take a look at the following video if you’d like to learn more about this step.

How to Wrap and Pack Plates?

Regardless of whether you’re moving for love or moving to another state alone, you’ll be needing your precious plates. So, make sure you have enough material and time on your hands. Plates are perhaps the easiest kitchen item to get over with because they should be packed in bundles of four. If you’ve got plates of the same or similar size, what you want to do is take one, put it in the middle of packing paper, and pull all corners over your plate. When you do this with the remaining plates (that’s three more,) wrap and seal the bundle together with tape. Put the bundle in a padded box vertically – that’s an important tip – and label it fragile, and what side is up. And, voila, that’s all.

How to Pack Dishes for Shipping?

If you’re preparing your dishes to be shipped for some reason, perhaps because you are moving to another country and need international shipping, or because you’re using storage services of long distance movers, you should set aside enough time to pack your kitchen items properly for shipment. Basically, the procedure will be the same as it is when it comes to thinking about how to pack dishes for a move, but you should be even more careful here because you won’t be able to do anything once you send your kitchen items away. This means be generous with packing materials, use double boxing as much as you can, and under no circumstances forget to label the fragile items and which side is up.

Expert Tips You’ll Need

Practice makes perfect, and though you have learnt the ropes by now, some tips can always come in handy. These tricks will help you avoid some of the most common mistakes and enter your new kitchen with a clean slate.

Put Glasses and Other Dishes Vertically in the Box

Though most people believe that dishes should be transported the way they are placed in cupboards, it’s actually not a good way to go about this. All dishes you are stacking in boxes need to be placed vertically because they’re less prone to breaking in this position.

Changing Home Like a Pro With No Cleaning Involved

We know you’ll most probably be tempted to polish all your kitchen items prior to your relocation. But don’t do this! Relocations tend to unfold in their own unpredictable ways, and it’s much safer to clean everything once it arrives at your new home. This is particularly important if you’re using an alternative to packing paper because the risk of stains increases with other options such as newspapers or blankets.

How Do You Pack Dishes for Moving Without Paper?

As we mentioned above, this is possible, but definitely not the best option. Packing paper was simply designed to be wadded and provide padding, which is why it’s completely worth investing in. Still, if you want to go the other way, these are some of the best alternatives:

• Clothes – T-shirts, sweaters, scarves, and whatever you can use to wrap around your dishes. Still, be careful here not to use clothing you find valuable because you never know what shape it’ll take after the move.
• Newspapers – These are great because they are similar to paper, but their disadvantage is that they are more sticky and pose the risk of leaving traces of ink on your items.
• Blankets – Same as clothes, quite useful if you no longer need them for their primary purposes.
• Bubble wrap – This one is hailed as the star of all packing, but be careful with heavy items since if the bubbles burst, the wrap loses its powers.

What Is the Best Way to Pack Dishes?

After all, if you’re still in the dark about some things, or you’d simply like to save time and energy, getting professional help is ideal. Moving services that include packing service, both full and partial, can be a great solution to all your dilemmas, and you can leave all your kitchen troubles far away. Not only will a reputable cross country moving company provide all the necessary boxes and packing supplies, but it will also be able to give you a reliable quote from the word go. So you won’t have to worry about how much do movers cost or how to pack a moving truck. Long distance movers will do all the hard work, and the only thing you can start thinking about is how to tip movers.

Packing Dishes for Moving Doesn’t Have to Be Stressful

Regardless of whether you decided to seek expert help or go it alone, knowing the process will help to a large degree. Perhaps you’re relocating your entire family, moving with pets, or are involved in an office move, apart from changing homes. Whatever the situation is, don’t let the kitchen overwhelm you, and approach it as cool as a cucumber because stressing out won’t help. Good organization will make all the difference, as well as seeking assistance when needed. Relocating companies have perfected their cross country moving services and packing dishes as part of them. So, if you avoid the moving scams and choose a company with stellar reviews, you really won’t have a care in the world. Before you know it, you’ll be sitting in your new kitchen celebrating success.