Kitchen appliances, at least good ones, are always expensive and tricky to care for. We use them so often they have layers of dirt and grease we don’t even know about. So, when the time comes to move, packing them up can be a nightmare. To help prevent accidents, we’ve prepared a list of things to have in mind when packing your kitchen appliances!
Thoroughly prep every appliance
Now, when packing your kitchen appliances, prep work is almost more important than the packing itself, particularly if you do not want to cause common kitchen appliance problems through your efforts! Here are the steps you need to follow to properly prepare your appliances for a move.
Take apart
The first step of packing your kitchen appliances is to take them apart if possible. If your fridge has removable shelves, for example, you need to pull them out. Your dishwasher is guaranteed to have lots of parts to remove. A coffee maker, juicer, or even a mixer also have plenty of removable parts.
Clean
Once you have taken apart your appliances, it is time to clean them! Any leftover grease, dirt, layers of dust, etc., could cause serious problems if not removed. Jostling and moving them around could cause the dirt to slip into parts that need to remain absolutely clean.
Dry
Unless you want mold to start developing in your boxes, rusting of appliances, or simply water getting into the electrical components and causing all sorts of troubles, you will need to dry off everything thoroughly. Remember, water could easily make any appliance worthless!
Double wrap sharp parts or blades
You need to pay special attention to any sharp part of an appliance. Besides the potential danger of breakage or damage, there is the integrity of packaging to worry about. If a blade or the sharp edges of something damage a box, it might weaken to the point of tearing apart, which would leave your appliance vulnerable or even broken.
Carefully cushion glass parts
Glass is, obviously enough, fragile. A move is not exactly a gentle process. A single bad bump could break the glass parts of your appliances, so make sure they are appropriately cushioned to avoid such an event.
Secure moving bits
We are referring to any loose or moving parts of your appliances, such as prominent dials, cords, or even doors. They can get torn off, bent, or twisted out of shape during a move. So, make sure they are secured and covered in padding, such as packing paper, for example.
Keep all the parts and instruction manuals of a single appliance in one box
We have finally reached advice for packing itself! When packing your kitchen appliances, you need to make sure to keep all the parts and manuals of a device together. Otherwise, it is distressingly easy to lose them during the chaos of a relocation! And any single missing part would probably prevent your appliance from working properly. Not to mention the fact that it is not easy to replace them! You would probably have to buy an entirely new appliance instead of a single part. You might be able to get your hands on a used part, but why take that risk at all? It is much easier to pack everything together.
Try to find the original packaging
The original packaging is, of course, the absolute best choice when you need to move your appliances. If you have it, you will not need to wreck your brains over how to pack your kitchen before moving, and you could have the entire room ready in no time. The original packing is good for several reasons:
- It is the right size for your appliance
- The original packaging probably came with padding, most often Styrofoam
- It comes with compartments for all the little bits and pieces of an appliance
Use boxes of just the right size for small appliances
One of the advantages of the original packing we mentioned is that it has precisely the correct dimensions for an appliance. And this is important! If you are using a too-big box, then your appliance will jostle and rattle around in it. This leads to an increased chance of damage. It also allows the box to easily get warped, which can lead to it falling on you. You could mitigate the problem through excessive padding, but that’s not a perfect solution. If you have any experience with preparing your appliances for storage, many of the same padding rules apply here.
Wrap large appliances in moving blankets
Realistically speaking, unless you have the original packaging, you will not find boxes large enough for a fridge or a dishwasher. At least not easily. So, unless you want to be on the constant lookout for signs you need to replace your refrigerator because of all the bumps it took during the move, you need to put moving blankets to use. They will shield your large appliances from most impacts. Just remember, you still need to secure any moving or sharp bits!
Never overload your boxes
Our final advice for packing your kitchen appliances is to always dedicate a box to a single appliance. And nothing else! You might be tempted to make use of leftover space to pack in something else. A few knick-knacks can’t hurt, right? Wrong! Appliances are often heavy and bulky enough on their own. If you overload your boxes with additional items, they might tear and disgorge their content on the closest hard surface. It is better all-around to never take such a risk.
Final reminder
We have reached the conclusion of our guide on things to have in mind when packing your kitchen appliances! Just remember – this is not likely to be a quick job. You will probably need several days to pack up everything properly, with cleaning and giving your appliances time to dry off. And the complexity of packing itself! So, start on time, and do not rush the process.
