Storing Vacation Souvenirs

The kitchen is the heart of most homes, with family members using it for meal preparation, eating, and just enjoying the comfortable, informal atmosphere as they spend time together. Since having a working kitchen is so important to your family's comfort, finding ways to quickly and easily unpack and settle into the new kitchen should be at the top of the list when preparing to pack and move from one home to another. Here are some proactive ideas to help!

Sort and discard before beginning to pack

Sort before you pack, eliminating any excess items, including dishes, small appliances, and those gadgets you never actually use. These items can be donated to homeless shelters and charitable organizations in your community, many of which will provide a tax receipt for doing so.

Pack by the assigned spaces

To make your new kitchen feel as welcoming and comfortable as your old one, be sure to pack all the items from each drawer, shelf, and cupboard together so that it only takes seconds to put them back into the same type of space in the new home. This will ensure that your new kitchen feels familiar and family members can easily what they need with minimal searching and frustration.

Pack a special box for the first meal

Making a trip to the grocery store may not be possible within the first few hours after arriving at your new home, but chances are your family will be hungry. To deal with this in a proactive fashion, pack the basic staples, ingredients, and cooking equipment you will need to prepare your first meal in your new home. Canned meats, such as tuna or chicken, a box of pasta and a package of shelf-stable pre-made sauce or gravy can quickly become a comforting meal in the new home without worries about ingredients spoiling or spilling while in transit.  Be sure to mark the box clearly so that it will be easy to find upon arrival in the new home.

Utilize every space when packing

Instead of relying solely on packing boxes which will need to be recycled or disposed of at the new home, utilize space inside your kitchen appliances, large food storage containers and even your soup pot to hold the many small items found in most kitchens. For instance:

• pack unopened boxes or bags of staple foods and ingredients into your clean, dry refrigerator and then tape the appliance securely closed with packing tape for a convenient way to safely transport pantry items
• place cutlery, knives and sharp utensils into a tall, lidded soup pot and use packing tape to keep it securely closed during transit
• Use cloth dish towels, napkins and table linens to cushion plates and bowls inside a sturdy, lidded plastic bin or storage container during the trip from the old home to the new one

For even more tips to help you more easily pack up your old kitchen and get settled into your new one, ask a moving company like Walsh Moving & Storage.