How to Pack a Kitchen Without Breaking Anything

Ask any mover which room causes the most grief and the answer is the kitchen — it is dense, heavy, and full of breakables. The good news: with the right supplies and a method, you can pack a whole kitchen in an afternoon. The golden rules are simple: heavy items go in small boxes, nothing rattles, and every box gets labelled with its contents and the word FRAGILE where it counts.

Start with a purge, then gather your supplies

First, throw out the cracked mugs, the single-use gadgets, and anything expired. You will move a shocking amount of kitchen you never use. Then assemble what you need: small boxes for heavy items, medium boxes for lighter ones, plenty of packing paper, bubble wrap for the truly delicate, quality tape, and markers. Our packing supplies guide covers box sizes and how many you will need.

Plates: pack them like records

Stacking plates flat is how they crack. Instead, wrap each plate in packing paper and pack them vertically in a small box, like records on a shelf, with crumpled paper padding the top, bottom, and sides. Dish-pack boxes with dividers are the pro move for a full set. Bowls nest with paper between each one — never stack them bare.

Glasses and stemware: each one wrapped, every time

Stuff the inside of each glass with crumpled paper, then wrap the outside and tuck the ends in. Stemware needs extra paper around the stem — that is where it snaps. Pack them upright, in divided boxes if you have them, and fill every gap with paper. If you can shake the box and hear nothing move, you did it right.

Pots, pans, and small appliances

Nest pots and pans with a sheet of paper between each to protect non-stick surfaces; handles facing alternating directions saves space. Keep small appliances in their original boxes if you still have them; otherwise wrap in paper, add padding around the edges, and keep cords wrapped and taped to the unit. Coffee makers should be emptied, dried, and packed with the carafe wrapped separately.

Knives and sharp tools: pack for the person carrying the box

This is a safety step, not a packing trick. Slide knives into their sheaths or cardboard sleeves (a folded strip of cardboard taped over the blade works), and label the box SHARP. Nobody should discover your chef's knife by accident.

What to pack last

Keep a 'first night' kitchen kit aside: one set of dishes and mugs per person, the kettle or coffee maker, basic utensils, dish soap, a sponge, paper towels, and snacks. Everything else can wait until you are unpacked. And if the whole thing sounds like too much? We pack kitchens every day — our packing service can take the room off your hands entirely.

The fridge, the freezer, and pantry food

Food needs its own mini-plan. In the final week, cook from the freezer instead of shopping — every bag of frozen peas you use is one you don't have to move in a cooler. Perishables that do travel go in a cooler in your car, never the truck. Dry goods can be boxed, but check seals: an open bag of flour in a bouncing truck is a legendary mess. And the fridge itself should be emptied, cleaned, and defrosted at least 24 hours before moving day, with the doors propped open so it arrives smelling like a fridge, not a cave.

Frequently asked questions