Step 1
Take note of the various sizes of your every day plates and bowls. Purchase plain (not zip lock) plastic storage bags in which you will place individual plates, bowls and mugs. Before the movers arrive, or before you wrap your dishes in packing paper, place each plate, bowl and mug in a plastic bag. Do not seal the bag. Otherwise, each dish will be in a balloon which will take up more space in the packing box. When unpacking, the item is clean and can go straight into the cabinet. The plastic bags can be saved to be used for something else.

Step 2
Place sorted cutlery into zip lock bags. Squeeze out excess air and zip close. The items are ready to be wrapped for packing. I recommend placing spoons, forks, and knives in separate bags so you don’t have to sort them when putting them back in the silverware organizer. Also, place items from the same drawer in a bag or two and label the bag (drawer 1, drawer 2, etc.). This simplifies organizing your items in your new kitchen. When unpacking, you know the items are clean and can be placed right into the drawer.

Step 3
Wrap pots, pans and other over-sized items in paper towels and place in clean, plastic storage bins. If you are packing breakable (glass) pots and pans, be sure to wrap with enough paper towels that you cannot feel the shape of the items. You can also use pot holders and kitchen towels for extra padding. This also saves space since you are not packing them in their own box. Mark the bin “DO NOT RE-PACK” and seal with packing tape. Since the paper towels and plastic storage bin are clean, you can rest easy that the pots and pans are ready to go straight into the cabinet when you unpack. The paper towels are clean and can be used for cleaning. In fact, use them to clean the cabinets, counter tops and drawers in the new kitchen!