Packing up a kitchen can be a difficult and tiresome job. Here are some packing tips that you may find useful to help make your life easier. Please feel free to call or email us if you have any questions at all.
Packing Dishware
If you are packing up dishware by yourself, follow this checklist to make sure they are wrapped and packed safely and securely!
- Select a medium-sized carton (or mover provided dishpack) and line the bottom of the carton with crumpled packing paper.
- With packing paper stacked neatly in place on a worktable, center one plate on the paper.
- Grasp a corner on several sheets of packing paper and pull the paper over the plate until sheets completely cover the plate.
- Stack a second plate on and, moving clockwise, grasp a second corner and pull sheets over the second plate.
- Stack a third plate. Grasp remaining two corners, folding two sheets of each corner (one at a time) over the plate.
- Turn your wrapped stack of plates upside down onto your packing paper.
- Re-wrap the entire bundle: start with one corner of packing paper and pull two sheets over the bundle, cover bundle with next corner, then the third corner; and finally, the fourth.
- Seal the bundle with packing tape.
- Place the bundle of dish-ware in a medium-size box so that the plates are standing on edge.
- Use this process on all saucers, bread and butter dishes, and other dishware. When packing smaller dishes, you may choose to stack in greater quantity.
Packing Cups
Cups can be difficult to pack so we have put together these instructions to help you protect these breakable items while they move from one place to another.
- With packing paper in place on the worktable, position one cup six to eight inches from one of the corners.
- Now pull the near corner of the paper up and over the cup.
- Nest a second cup directly on top, with handle to left (second cup should “nest” itself in packing paper folded over the bottom cups).
- Pull the two side corners up and over, one at a time, and tuck corners inside the top cup.
- Hold the bottom and top cup in position and roll cups to the remaining corner. Fragile mixing bowls may be rolled in the same manner.
General Tips for Packing Glassware
- Delicate cups, like china, should be wrapped one at a time.
- Antique glass or china should be stuffed with crumpled tissue and wrapped one at a time.
- As strange as it may sound, placing cups in socks helps keep them secure and adds a layer of protection!
Packing Glasses and Stemware
- Stuff glasses and stemware with crumpled tissue or packing paper before wrapping.
- Lay on the corner of packing paper and roll it one or two full rotations (depending on size); pull sides of packing paper up and over glass/stemware and continue rolling to the far corner. Corrugated paper rolls or cellular boxes may be used for added protection.
- Place glasses and stemware toward the top of your box. Heavier items (dish-ware, pitchers,etc.) should be placed toward the bottom of the box.
- Delicate glassware and stemware should be placed in an upright position, not on its side.
No matter what you’re packing, you should use crumpled packing paper in between each layer to assure a snug fit wherever there’s a gap. All boxes with “fragile” items should be marked accordingly. Check out our Packing Tips Resource Center and let us know if you have any questions!
