The short version
Pack the kitchen in three passes: the things you never use two weeks out, most of it a week out, and a one-box kit of daily things the night before. Plates travel on edge, never flat. Glasses travel upright with paper inside and between them. Heavy things go in small containers, light things in big ones. Do not pack food that will spoil, anything flammable, or the knives loose.
What you need
- Containers. A typical kitchen takes 8 to 12 medium boxes or about 10 lidded bins. Add more for a full pantry or a lot of small appliances.
- Packing paper. Plain newsprint, and more of it than you think: breakables use it fast. Printed newspaper works but leaves ink on dishes.
- Dish towels, oven mitts and cloth napkins. Free padding you have to move anyway.
- Tape and a marker if you are using cardboard. Tape the bottom seam twice.
- Zip bags for hardware, lids and anything with small parts.
Pass one, two weeks out: what you will not miss
Start with the cabinets you have not opened this month: serving platters, the good china, vases, cake pans, the fondue set, the second set of mixing bowls, cookbooks. Pack small appliances you can live without (the stand mixer, the waffle iron, the slow cooker) with their cords and attachments in a zip bag taped to the appliance. If you still have the original box, use it.
This is also the time to stop buying groceries in bulk and start eating down the freezer and the pantry. Every can you eat is a can you do not carry.
Pass two, one week out: most of the kitchen
Plates and bowls
Wrap each plate in a sheet of paper, then bundle four wrapped plates together in another sheet. Stand the bundles on edge in the container, like records in a crate, on a layer of crumpled paper. Plates laid flat carry the weight of everything above them and crack; plates on edge do not. Bowls nest in threes with paper between each, wrapped as a bundle, and can sit on their sides.
Glasses and mugs
Stuff a little crumpled paper inside each glass, roll it in a sheet from corner to corner, and tuck the ends in. Stand glasses upright in a single layer, with a layer of crumpled paper below and above, and heavier mugs on the bottom layer. Stemware gets extra paper around the stem and always goes on top. Nothing heavy goes in a container of glass.
Pots, pans and bakeware
Nest them largest to smallest with a sheet of paper or a dish towel between each so the non-stick surfaces do not scratch. Lids go alongside or in a separate container, wrapped if they are glass.
Knives
Never loose. Lay knives on a dish towel, alternate the direction of the blades, roll the towel up and tape or rubber-band it. Or slide each blade into a folded piece of cardboard and tape it shut. Write KNIVES on the bundle and put it where the person unpacking will see the warning first.
Pantry
Tape the lids of anything that can open: spices, oil, vinegar, flour. Stand bottles upright in a container lined with a trash bag. Glass jars get a wrap of paper. Throw out what is expired while you are in there.
Pass three, the night before: the last-day kit
Keep one container open until the end with what you need for the last dinner and the first breakfast: one plate, bowl, mug and set of cutlery per person, one pot, one pan, a knife, a cutting board, the kettle or coffee maker, dish soap, a sponge, paper towels and a trash bag. It goes in your own car, not the truck, and it is the first thing you open at the new place.
What not to pack
- Perishable food. Eat it, give it to a neighbor, or move it in a cooler in your own car on the day.
- Anything flammable or pressurized. Cooking spray, lighter fluid, propane cylinders and cleaning chemicals should not ride in a closed truck in Texas heat, and most movers will not take them.
- The refrigerator, full. Empty it, defrost the freezer a day ahead, wipe it dry and prop the doors open so it does not grow mold in transit.
- Things you do not want. The kitchen is where duplicates hide. Three spatulas is enough.
Weight and labels
Keep every container under about 40 to 50 pounds: if you cannot lift it comfortably, the person at the other end cannot either. Dishes are denser than they look, so a container of plates is full when it is two-thirds full; top it off with dish towels, not more plates. Label the side, not the top, with the room and a few words on what is inside, and write FRAGILE on anything with glass. "Kitchen: everyday plates" is a label you will thank yourself for.
If you are packing a Houston kitchen
Two local notes. Chocolate, candles and anything that melts should travel in your air-conditioned car, not in a truck that sat in the sun; the normal July high at Bush Intercontinental is 94.5°F and a closed truck is hotter. And if you are using boxes from a grocery or liquor store, look in the flaps and corrugated edges first: university extension services list cardboard boxes as a common way cockroaches travel between homes.
That last part is one reason some people rent lidded plastic bins instead. A kitchen fits in about ten of ours, the lids snap on so nothing needs taping, and sanitized hard plastic is easier to trust with the things you eat off. Renting moving boxes in Houston starts at $119 for 25, delivered and picked up. For the rest of the house, see the two-week packing timeline.
Questions people ask
How many boxes do I need for a kitchen?
Usually 8 to 12 medium boxes, or about 10 lidded moving bins. A full pantry, a lot of small appliances or a big collection of glassware adds a few more.
Should plates be packed flat or on their sides?
On their sides, standing on edge like records. Wrapped in bundles of four with crumpled paper underneath. Plates stacked flat carry the weight of everything above them and are far more likely to crack.
What is the best way to pack glasses?
Crumpled paper inside each glass, rolled in a sheet of paper, standing upright in a single layer with padding below and above. Stemware on top, and nothing heavy in the same container.
How do I pack kitchen knives safely?
Roll them in a dish towel with the blades alternating direction and tape the roll shut, or sleeve each blade in folded cardboard. Label the bundle so nobody reaches into it blind.
When should I pack the kitchen?
In three passes: rarely used things two weeks before the move, most of the kitchen about a week before, and a one-box kit of daily essentials the night before.
Can I use dish towels instead of packing paper?
Yes, for padding between pots and around sturdy items. For plates and glasses, paper wraps tighter and cushions better, so use towels as the layer underneath and on top.