Of all the rooms in your home, the kitchen might be the most daunting one to pack up. When it’s time to move, follow these four important steps to make packing your kitchen easy and stress-free!

1. Get organized. Before you start packing mugs and bowls into boxes, take inventory of each cupboard and drawer in your kitchen. Use this opportunity to purge or donate any items you do not intend to take with you. Next, gather all the packing materials you will need, including packing paper or bubble wrap, strong tape, boxes in various sizes, and a marker.

2. Set aside your essentials. You can’t leave everything to the last minute, so you’ll want to pack up the vast majority of your kitchen ahead of time and leave out only a few essential items to be used in the final days and weeks leading up to your move. Keep out one dish, bowl, mug, glass and set of cutlery per person, along with any small appliances used daily (i.e. a coffee maker). You may also need to hold back one multi-purpose pot or pan. On moving day, carefully pack all these items into one box and label it ‘essentials’.

3. Pack it in. Place similar items together, and organize your kitchen contents by size and fragility. For example, all flat plates should be packed together with a few sheets of packing paper in between each one. The same goes for bowls. Remember, most of these items are heavy and breakable, so be sure to use strong boxes or bins with snap-tight lids, and fill in any empty space with extra paper or bubble wrap.

Tips for boxing breakables:

• Double-tape the bottom of any cardboard boxes to support heavy items. Place a dish towel or some scrunched up packing paper at the bottom of each box to provide extra support for heavy dishes.
• Clearly label each box or bin, identifying not only the room it belongs to (kitchen), but also the contents of the box (pots and pans, mixing bowls, cutlery, etc.). You’ll be glad you did when you’re looking for your favourite coffee mug.
• Use special glass dividers that can be inserted into packing boxes to transport your stemware safely.
• Fill the empty space inside the boxes with dish towels and other linens in order to keep items from shifting and potentially getting damaged. They have to be packed anyway!
• Wrap your entire cutlery tray in packing paper or a table cloth and place it flat inside a box.
• Always wrap knives separately in paper or bubble wrap first and then in a  dish towel. Place them on their side inside the box – never pointing up. And, be sure to clearly label this box.

4. Reduce food waste.  Before you move, take stock of the contents of your fridge, freezer and pantry. In an effort to minimize waste, try to think of easy recipes you can make to use up as many of these items as possible. On the moving day, put the remaining items in a cooler with cold packs. These items should be packed last before you leave, and unpacked first when you get to your new place.