Guides
The kitchen packing checklist
The kitchen is the hardest room to pack and the first one you need. Do it in this order.
The kitchen has more breakable things, more heavy things and more things you will need tomorrow morning than any other room. Pack it in this order and it goes smoothly. Print this page and it comes out as a plain checklist.
Two weeks out
- Stop buying groceries you cannot finish. Plan meals around the fridge and freezer.
- Sort the pantry: keep what you will eat this week, give away or bin the rest.
- Gather small boxes for dishes and glasses, and paper or towels to wrap them.
- Photograph the inside of your cabinets so you remember where things lived.
- Order the kit, sized to the number of days the kitchen will be packed, and round up.
One week out
- Pack the things you never use: the fondue set, the extra baking trays, the good china.
- Pack cookbooks, small appliances you will not need this week, and the spice rack.
- Eat down the freezer. Anything frozen on moving day gets thrown out.
- Use up open bottles and jars. Half-full liquids do not travel well.
Three days out
- Pack most plates, bowls and glasses: on their edge, wrapped, in small boxes, labelled FRAGILE and KITCHEN.
- Pack pots and pans except one. Nest them with a towel between each.
- Pack utensils except one set. Rubber-band the rest by type.
- Set aside the one box the week needs: a pot or pan, a kettle, a knife, a board, a spoon, soap, a sponge, paper towels, and the kit.
- Tape and label every box on two sides, with the room and one line about what is inside.
The day before
- Defrost the freezer, empty the fridge, wipe both dry.
- Pack the last of the pantry into one box, heavy things at the bottom.
- Clean the oven and the stovetop if the lease asks for it.
- Put cleaning supplies in their own bag that travels with you, not in the truck.
- Cook the big meal on the last night the stove is free, and save half for tomorrow's lunch.
Moving day
- Breakfast from the kit. Coffee first.
- Load the kitchen boxes last so they come off first.
- Carry the one box the week needs in the car, with the kit and the kettle.
- Prop the fridge and freezer doors open before it is moved.
- Walk every cabinet and drawer one more time before the door closes.
The first day in the new kitchen
- Kettle out, hot plate out, kit out. That is enough for dinner.
- Unpack the pantry box and the one pan before anything else.
- Wipe shelves before things go on them; it is the only time they will be empty.
- Plates and glasses next, then everything else as you need it.
- Run the first dishwasher load. That is when the move is over.
The kits, for reference. The 3 day kit holds three 8 inch plates, three 6 inch plates, two bowls, a square platter and six wrapped utensil sets with napkins. The 5 day kit holds five 8 inch plates, three 6 inch plates, three bowls, two platters and ten utensil sets. Everything is palm leaf, sturdy enough for a real meal, and the utensils are fresh for every meal. See the kits
Questions
What should I pack last?
The kitchen, and within the kitchen, the one box the week needs: something to cook in, something to boil water in, a knife, a board, soap, paper towels and the kit. Label it and keep it with you.
How do I pack plates so they do not break?
On their edge, not flat, with a sheet of paper or a shirt between each one, in a small box. Small boxes for heavy things, big boxes for light things.
Can I print this?
Yes. Use your browser's print command and the page prints as a plain checklist without the menus.
What about the fridge?
Empty it, defrost the freezer the day before, wipe it dry and leave the doors propped open. A wet fridge in a closed truck smells like a wet fridge for a long time.
Last updated September 2026.