How to Pack Cutlery For Moving (Spoons, Forks & Knives)


How To Pack Cutlery For Moving

One of the most stressful things you can go through is moving from one place to another. There are so many little details that need completing to make sure the move goes as smoothly as possible.

If this is your first or even your fifth time moving, you should always be consistent with how you pack your items, especially things like your valuable silverware. It is important to know how to pack your items efficiently and safely.

Proper packing techniques will allow your items to make it through the move without getting damaged, and it will also make the unpacking process easy.

Below I will detail how to pack your cutlery in a way that will help your move go as smoothly as possible.

Table of Contents

What Is The Difference Between Cutlery And Utensils?

You are ready to move and are looking for the best way to pack your kitchen essentials, but now you are unsure if this is the right article for you because you don’t know the difference between cutlery and cooking utensils.

Cutlery is the word that describes kitchen items such as spoons, forks, and knives – what many of us also refer to as silverware.

Utensils are items that can be held in your hand. Kitchen utensils help you prepare and serve food. Examples of kitchen utensils are wooden spoons, spatulas, and ladles.

This article describes packing cutlery, but you can also pack your kitchen utensils in a similar manner as described below.

What Do You Need To Pack Cutlery?

When you are ready to begin packing your cutlery, you may just want to throw it in a box and be done with it. While this would be easy, it isn’t actually efficient or safe!

To pack your cutlery items in the best way for travel you will need the following items:

  • Acid-Free Packing Paper
  • Packing Tape or Rubber Bands
  • Bubble Wrap
  • Small Moving Box
  • Permanent Market or Label Maker

Each of these items will help make sure that your cutlery items are packed safely and not free to bounce around while on the move.

Why You Should Always Pack Knives First

Pack Knives First

Have you ever reached into a box with a bunch of freely scattered cutlery, mixed in were a few knives, and as you tried to find a fork, you cut your hand from the blade of a sharp knife?

I think this has happened to us all, or at least someone we know while moving.

Packing knives safely not only protects your other items from being damaged, but in many cases, it helps protect you as well. Always handle knives and sharp objects carefully and cautiously.

When you are packing cutlery, always pack your knives first to get them out of the way. This helps eliminate the chances of cutting yourself on a blade that has been tossed with other items.

How to Pack Cutlery

So we know what we need to pack our cutlery, and we know which items to start with first. Now we need to know how to pack them! How you pack your cutlery is a straightforward process that should be easy to remember for every move you make.

When you pack, it is best to stay as organized as possible. Remember, once you are moved into your new place, you still have the job of unpacking your items!

No one wants to search through 100 boxes trying to find a fork to eat their dinner, especially after a long day of moving.

Before you begin packing, make sure that all of your cutlery is clean. Don’t pack cutlery that is dirty or wet. Properly wash, rinse, and dry all cutlery before packing.

When you start packing silverware, pair like items with like items. Gather all forks and pack them together, all sharp knives get packed together, all butter knives get packed together, all spoons get packed together.

First, take your unique item, and stack them together facing the same direction. Some items will stack perfectly, and others may not stack together as seamlessly. Either way, you will want to stack them together as close as you can get them.

Stacking the cutlery helps take up less space and also requires a smaller box. Once the items are stacked, wrap them in acid-free packing paper.

Pro Tip: I strong advise against using newspaper, because newspaper may tarnish your silverware so always keep that in mind.

But wrap them so that they are secure inside the paper house that you have created for them.

Next, you will want to tape the packing paper closed. Use enough tape to be sure that the paper will not come undone, and release the cutlery, spilling it everywhere. You can also use rubber bands or even plastic wrap if you don’t have tape available.

Once the items are secure in the paper, you can label the stacked items. Either using a permanent marker or a label maker, add the name of what item is inside.

Once all of your cutlery is separated, packed in packing paper, and labeled, you can add each item into a small box. Use packing tape to tape the box closed and label it as well.

Labeling lets you know that the box contains your kitchen cutlery and nothing else. It will make it easier to find when you are unpacking.

What If I Have A Cutlery Tray?

Silverware Tray
If you have a silverware tray you can utilize it to keep your pieces organized even while you move.

If you have a cutlery tray, you can still use the above method to pack your items. You can wrap the tray separately and add it to the box that you place all your cutlery in and label it to make it easy to find.

But, if you wish to pack your cutlery inside the tray, that is also an option.

To pack your cutlery inside of its tray you can leave the cutlery inside each compartment and wrap the tray in the paper. Using packing tape, secure the packing paper on all sides and label it as cutlery before adding the whole thing to a box. Label the box as well to help find it easier once you are ready to unpack.

If you are concerned that your items may move around too much in the tray, use rubber bands to secure the items within the tray. Use one rubber band for each section and bundle them together before returning them to their section of the tray.

Also add packing paper, packing peanuts, or bubble wrap to the box if there is empty spaces to prevent the tray from moving too much.

Final Thoughts

Packing your kitchen cutlery should be done in an organized manner to help prevent damaged items and injured hands. While tossing each item in a giant box may initially be the easier choice, following proper packing techniques is better overall.

We are glad we could help you find an easy and effective way of packing your kitchen cutlery. The entire moving process can be overwhelming, but proper planning and proper packing can make things go smooth and stress-free!

Ryan

I've been a college coach for going on 20 years now and that career has led Jen and I on quite the journey. We've lived in 7 different states and have moved a dozen different times. We've learned A LOT over the course of all those moves and we want to pass on our knowledge to help others going through the moving process.

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