The kitchen is one of the most challenging rooms of the house to pack up when the time comes to move--and one of the most important rooms to get unpacked. Until the kitchen boxes have been unpacked, you can't cook in your new kitchen--but you've already spent a lot of money on the moving process, and the last thing you want is to have to order takeout for days or weeks while you get everything sorted. Hiring a shipping company that provides moving services can make your life a lot easier--but as you're preparing your items for shipment, you might realize that you need a guide to help you find a starting place.
Start by sorting out all those items you never use. Moving is a great time to purge those kitchen gadgets that you never actually use. Did you have dreams of making waffles every Sunday morning, but end up making them once and never using the waffle iron again? Get rid of it. Did you become enchanted by a cookie pan that molds your cookies into little bunny shapes, but never actually use it? You might benefit more from having one less item that you have to unpack when you get to your new home.
This also applies to duplicate items. It's amazing how fast kitchen items can multiply--but do you really need three bundt pans? How about those sixteen casserole dishes...none of which actually have lids anymore? This is the time to get rid of all those things you don't really use and don't have any intention of using in the future.
Speaking of lids, packing up and getting ready for a move is the perfect opportunity to match up all of your bowls, casserole dishes, and storage containers to their lids. If the item doesn't have a lid (or the lid doesn't have an item--how does that end up happening, anyway?) it needs to go! Send it on its way and know that you've made your life much easier when you reach your new kitchen.
Prioritize. What are the things that you're going to need immediately? If you like to have smoothies every morning, the blender is likely one of those items. If you don't, then it can go in the bottom of the box that you won't unpack until sometime about a month after you move in. The same goes for your toaster, your food processor, and your cake pans: decide whether or not they're really things that you're going to need as soon as you arrive, then pack them accordingly.
On the other hand, soon after your arrival, you're going to want access to your dishes, your casserole dishes (casseroles are easy to toss together, throw in the oven, and leave to bake), and your silverware. Those things need to go in boxes together, so that they're easy to unpack when you get to your new home.
Be logical. As you pack up the non-essential items, pack them according to the places where they'll be stored. For example, all of your pots and pans should be packaged together. Your baking sheets and cake pans might go in the same box. Have an impressive spice rack? All of your spices should be packed in the same place. You already have a kitchen that's organized in your preferred way, so make your life easy: pack your boxes up according to the way things already go together. When the time comes to unpack, you'll be glad you did!
Feeling overwhelmed? That's where a good packing and shipping company can help you. If you're moving out of the Houston area, contact us! We can help get your items where they need to be.
We pick up & deliver worldwide, as well as in our backyard.