Moving home can seem like a daunting task but doing your packing room-by-room can reduce stress, help to ensure your belongings reach their destination in perfect condition, and prevent you from finding yourself still unpacking when you are planning your next move.
One of the most difficult rooms in your home to pack is the kitchen, but follow this simple guide to making the most of your space and preventing damage.
Fill pots and pans with other kitchen items to use all available space and then put on the lids upside down. Stack these in a box, separated by packing paper.
Wrap knives out of its block and glasses separately using wrapping paper. Wrap glass stems to the same size as the rest of the body to prevent breakages. Use fragile labels to alert your movers to the contents. Knives in a block should be wrapped while still in their slots to give added protection.
Do not stack plates. Instead place them on their edge as packing vertically will increase their strength and weight-bearing capacity. Individually wrapped dishes, however, can be stacked flat in piles of between three and four. Place bubble wrap in between each bowl and use scrunched up wrapping paper in the top one, before wrapping the whole pile.
Put small kitchen appliances in original packaging if you still have it or use bubble wrap or towels to pad cardboard boxes. Individually wrap each appliance in bubble wrap and then you can pack more than one item in the same box.
Make sure you clean your oven thoroughly before it is moved to prevent grease getting on other items, and make sure fridges, freezers, washing machines and tumble driers are completely dried out and clean. Ensure that hoses are drained to prevent water damaging other items.
Remove any accessories or small drawers and compartments from large appliances and pack these separately. Secure doors and larger drawers with non-damaging tape and wrap them in furniture blankets, which should then be tied on securely to prevent them slipping in transit. You can use the inside of your washing machine or tumble dryer to transport linens or towels. You may also want to follow your manufacturer’s instructions to secure the drum.
Make sure all gas appliances are disconnected and reinstalled by a professional as mistakes can be extremely dangerous.
Do not neglect the packaging around bottles and jars as spillages can cause huge amounts of damage to a wide range of items. Place wine bottles in special carriers and ensure that any other fragile items are packaged well in padded containers.
If you have a table and chairs in your kitchen, wrap the arms and legs on the chairs to prevent scratching. If they do not have arms, stack two chairs together with padding or a folded blanket in-between and then tie together. If you can, take off your table legs, tie them together, and wrap. Make sure you put all of the screws and bolts together in a sealed bag and stick underneath the table top. Cover the top with furniture blankets.