Moving your family and all their possessions across the country can be a difficult, time-consuming task and the worst part involves packing up those rooms of the home that are used every day by the entire family. In most homes, the room that gets the most use is usually the kitchen, where families gather to prepare food, eat and just hang out.

Because this room will need to be in use right up to moving day, it requires a different packing strategy than the other rooms that can be organized and packed well ahead of the moving date. If you are preparing for a long-distance move, the following tips will help ensure that packing up your kitchen on moving day is as easy and stress-free as possible.

Use it Up, Instead of Packing it Up

In the last few weeks prior to the date of the actual move, begin making a focused effort to use up all those canned, boxed and staple foods in your pantry, as well as excess refrigerated foods, including condiments and the frozen foods in your freezer.

By planning weekly meals to use up these foods, you will not need to move them and will, instead, be able to purchase fresh supplies when you settle into your new home. If you find that you are unable to use up some of the food before the move, offer it to extended family, friends or donate it to a local food bank or church pantry.

If you have extra cooking utensils, dishes, small appliances or table linens that you no longer use, consider gifting them to someone you know or donating them to a shelter or community group in the area, as well. This will save you time, space and money during the actual move.  

Planning Ahead Makes Ice Twice as Nice

On moving day you will probably want to keep an ice chest packed with snacks to cut down on meal stops during the drive to the new home. By planning ahead during the last few weeks before you move, you can have plenty of ice ready to use. Simply wash the jugs from juice, milk or soda as you empty them, refill with clean water and place them in the freezer. Doing this will also help keep your freezer full and operating more efficiently than it would if it were partially empty.

Utilize Kitchen Items When Packing

Kitchens are full of necessary items that are bulky, heavy and hard to pack. Using some of these items as packing aids will not only make the packing process easier, it can also prevent wasted space in the moving truck. Here are some ideas to use during your move:

• place flat cookie sheets, pizza and sheet cake pans in the bottom and along the sides of packing boxes to make the boxes stronger and eliminate wasted space
• fill large, lidded containers, such as plastic salad bowls, soup pots and pasta pots with small items and then tape the lid securely shut to save space and keep small items secure
• use table linens, potholders and aprons to wrap breakables (if desired, use a strip of masking tape or some rubber bands to keep the fabric from slipping away and leaving the item unprotected)
• use any extra coolers and insulated lunch boxes as protective, sturdy packing containers for breakable dishes, glasses, vases and bowls (remember to pad the items inside, tape the lid securely shut and label the container to show that it holds fragile items)
• use plastic containers with snap on lids to pack flatware, knives, serving spoons, etc. (Remember to tape the lid shut to prevent sharp items from spilling out and causing injury)
• use kitchen garbage cans and cleaning buckets to pack cleaning items, dish soaps, brushes and sponges

If you need to move quickly or have little time to devote to the actual packing process, consider discussing your move with reputable local packing services. They are professionally trained to pack household items in the safest, most efficient manner possible, saving you both money and time.