The first in a series of blog posts covering specific rooms in the house. First up is the kitchen, a place teeming with unique, heavy and fragile items.
From appliances and white goods to crockery and food jars, the kitchen is an area that requires special attention when moving home. Unlike a bunch of clothes, you can’t just pile items into a box and seal it up. If you do, you’d better hope the new house has surfaces so clean you could eat off them…
Small kitchen appliances are rarely shaped in convenient, box-friendly cubes. They jut out at awkward angles, and their leads are often attached to the unit. They are best packed together in one or two large boxes, with plenty of newspaper/padding to fill the gaps between each item.
The exception to this rule is the kettle. We love the kettle, and it deserves special treatment. The first rule of moving house is don’t pack the kettle. Use it to fuel yourselves with tea, and gather round it at regular intervals so you can take stock of the day’s events. Only at the very end should you put the kettle away, and even then you should do so in an obvious place; you’ll need it again the moment you enter the new home.
Remember our article about using junk mail to help you move? Here’s where it comes in handy. Separate your places, bowls and mugs with flyers and leaflets. Once they’re neatly stacked in a box, fill in the blank spaces with crunched up newspaper to ensure nothing goes bump in the journey.
Rule two of moving house: keep a couple of mugs spare. The aforementioned kettle is no use without them, nor indeed without teabags, milk and coffee.
As you might have guessed, most large items can be moved on their own. They’re big and cumbersome, so please make sure you have strong and capable help to avoid injury.
People often empty the fridge and consider the job done, forgetting the shelves and trays inside. Make sure these are either packed separately or secured with tape. For your peace of mind, you could also tape the doors shut to ensure everything is self contained. Finally, make sure the power cables are either stowed away separately or scrunched up neatly so they don’t pose a hazard.
Jars, pickles and cans can be stowed away as normal. Fresh food and perishables should be consumed as much as possible in the days leading up to your move, saving you hassle finding a place for them in the van. The same goes for freezer foods, which you should try and deplete as best you can before defrosting and unplugging the appliance. If moving is contained to one day, you could invest in some cool bags and pack them with ice to keep things fresh. Larger quantities of food can be transported with specialist refrigerated vans or vehicles. Otherwise, munch away!
It goes without saying, but rule three of moving house is reward yourselves with plenty of snacks. Whichever foods you pack, make sure you leaves yourselves some treats for those tiring trips up and down the stairs.
So there’s your guide to preparing and packing the kitchen. It’s a trickier room than most, and due to the food/kettle factor we’d recommend leaving it until last to ensure you’re well fed throughout the other areas of the house. We hope you enjoyed the read, and wish you the best of luck with the process. Don’t forget the kettle!
