During a move, the kitchen always takes up more boxes than you expect. With all the plates, dinnerware, appliances, and pots and pans, the boxes devoted to your cooking materials will easily fill up a huge proportion of your moving truck. You may have collected these things over time and don't want to start replacing pots and pans after your relocation. So, to keep everything together, here are five moving tips for packing pots and pans.

Cleaning is Important

Before you move, make sure everything is clean. It's possible for a small amount of grease to accumulate on pots and pans and go overlooked. This grease will leak into the package, cling to the newspaper you used for packaging, and in some cases, when there is a lot of grease, it can cause a fire hazard inside a hot moving truck.

If you have some greasy pots or pans that aren't supposed to be washed (like cast iron), you'll want to pack them separately. Also, avoid packing these items with newspaper because the ink and newsprint can absorb into the paper.

Spread Some Of The Weight

It's easy to stuff light items into a box only to discover when it's complete that the box is actually very heavy. Instead, you'll want to distribute some of the weight. Dish towels should be packed with your lids, and use sponges and lightly balled-up newspaper should be used as a shield around the glass. This will not only prevent objects from breaking during the drive but the towels and newspaper will also make the boxes lighter. 

Pack smaller items inside big pots

If you're packing a big pot into a box, there's plenty of space inside. Don't let this opportunity pass you by. Instead, fill the open spaces with spices or other pantry items. Although it's important not to overpack (otherwise some boxes would be much too heavy), the open pots allow you to fit a large variety of products into the same box. It also serves as a natural shield, preventing items from bouncing.

Mark Your Boxes

If left in the heat and boxed for an extended period of time, some of the things in your box can go bad. Some flours and seasonings have a short shelf life (be careful with the flour you pack, because you might find there are mealworms in the flour the next time you open it up). Remember to mark the boxes as not only for the kitchen but also as "fragile" if the package contains something breakable.

Group Them Together

When packing pots and pans, group them together in threes. Put a large pan on top of a slightly smaller pan, then a third, smaller pan on top of that. This will help you save space in the kitchen by reducing the number of boxes you need to pack.

If you need assistance with packing pots and pans, Contact the Moving and Packing In CT