How to Pack the Pantry for Moving
Knowing how to pack the pantry for moving is important because it can feel like you’re going to be packing up everything, including the proverbial sink, when preparing to tackle the kitchen on your next household move. The kitchen can feel like a never ending compound of odds and ends. It’s one of those rooms where you have to “draw the line” on what comes along with you on the relocation to your new home.
Below we offer a few helpful tips on how to best prepare your pantry for your next household move:
1. Expiration Dates
You’ll be surprised by the number of food items you have tucked away into the dark corners of your kitchen cabinets and shelves that have traveled well passed their expiration dates. Before packing up any food items, check the labels for expiration dates and dispose of anything overdue.
2. Food Drives
You’ll also come across canned and dried goods that have been sitting idle for quite some time. Be honest with yourselves – do you really need that case of canned of Alphagetti now that the kids have gone off to college? If you don’t intend on consuming the food item any time soon, donate it the local food bank. Better yet, donate all non-perishables regardless. You’ll be supporting a worthy cause and lightening your load in the process.
3. Perish the Thought
Chances are that frozen and refrigerated goods won’t make the relocation without spoiling to some extent. Find out if neighbors, friends, or family could use some of your unused fish, meats, or produce for their next BBQ. If you absolutely cannot part with certain perishables (unfinished birthday cakes, fresh caught ahi, etc…) then invest in a portable refrigeration system to protect the perishables in transit.
4. Accessories & Appliances
Inspect for and dispose of any cracked plates and cups which are a haven for bacteria and carcinogens. Also, moving is a great opportunity to get rid of that unwanted food processor you received as a wedding gift. Decide which small appliances you can do without and donate them to a local charity or better yet, re-gift them right back to the same people that didn’t follow the wedding gift registry in the first place.
5. Glassware & Fine China
Make sure you have plenty of professional grade wrapping on hand to protect your breakables. If you don’t have anything on hand, a full service moving company will have packing supplies made specifically for this purpose. It’s worth the small expense to protect your valuable kitchenware.
6. Multitasking Tupperware
Packing Tupperware can take up space so put its own inherent packing design to good use. Kitchen Tupperware is great mini-storage bin, perfect for packing up paperwork, jewelry, batteries, accessories, or even socks (clean socks). Leave no box, bin or container empty when packing. You can save a ton of space on the moving truck by maximizing every available container.
7. Arm Yourself
No matter how clean you’ve kept your kitchen, there is always a meat ball or grape that managed to elude your grasp when cooking, thus rolling under the dark shadows of kitchen appliances. It then sits there for months between spring cleans and collects a family of unmentionable microscopic critters. Arm yourself with plenty of cleaning aids and pest killers when giving your kitchen the final clean up before moving away for good.
Conclusion
We hope you put these tips to packing up your kitchen to good use. Should you decide to get rid of all that excess food by holding a big BBQ before your next move, be sure to invite your favorite local moving company. We’ll bring the potato salad!
