The kitchen is arguably the most complex room to pack; here are a few kitchen packing tips from Jay’s Moving Saskatchewan to make the job easier.

Prepare a box of essential items from your kitchen that you’ll need during the last two days in your old house and the first couple of days in the new home. This might include items like:

• Paper towl and rags
• Salt, pepper
• Coffeemaker (don’t forget filters and coffee)
• A Toaster
• An easy food item for one dinner or lunch
• An unopened small jar of jam/peanut butter
• A radio
• A mug, plate, fork, knife, and spoon for each member of the family
• A sharp knife and scissors(to open the rest of your boxes)
• A small emergency kit, and
• A flashlight.

Now that you’ve got your box of essentials sorted you’re ready to pack up the rest of your kitchen! Here are some suggestions for packing specific kitchen items:

Appliances and Utensils — Wrap and place small appliances and utensils in sturdy cartons with heavier items on the bottom.

Canned Goods and Other Non-Frozen Foods — Consider the weight, volume of space they’ll occupy on the moving truck, and the relative cost of food items. It may not be worthwhile relocating them, so try and plan meals around using up these items, or donate to a local food bank before you move. *Glass jars can freeze and break and any opened container can leak. The remaining food items can be packed upright in appropriately sized cartons. Do not attempt to move perishables. Wrap glass containers and boxed foods individually and pack in small cartons.

Microwave Ovens — Remove all loose articles inside your oven, such as cookware, glass shelves and carousels, wrap and pack them separately.

Dishware – See the How to Pack Basic Household Items page for specific instructions on how to wrap and pack your dishware, glasses and cups

Cleaning supplies – Should not be packed with foods. *Liquid cleaners can leak (due to temperature fluctuations) and damage other items so you may be better off using them up before moving. Aerosol or any pressurized containers cannot be transported on the moving truck so don’t pack these items.

Pots and Pans – remove lids and nest pots and pans with packing paper between each pot to prevent scratching. Wrap lids separately and tuck beside or on top of nested pots in an appropriately sized carton.

*If you must pack any liquids they should be placed into plastic bins in case of leakage.

With these kitchen packing tips from Jay’s Moving Saskatchewan you’ll have that room packed and ready in (almost) no time. Of course, you don’t have to do the packing, we can do it for you – just ask!