A properly packed box can make the difference between arriving at a new place with your dishware intact or arriving with a box full of shards and pieces. Anyone can properly pack a box, though it’s an art form usually reserved for professional movers. This article is intended to turn you into a professional box packer, specifically citing kitchen utensil examples (glasses, plates, and silverware). To properly pack a box with kitchen supplies, you will need a box, packing paper, plastic bags, and tape; and if at all possible, packing peanuts, packaging slips, and cardboard dividers.

We’ll start with wrapping and protecting glasses. First line the bottom of your box with balled up packing paper to provide some soft padding. Once you’ve done that, we’ll begin wrapping the glasses. Using at least two sheets of large packing paper, place the glass on the corner of the papers and roll the paper around it. Fold in the corners and tuck them in and around the glass as you wrap it up. Once you’ve wrapped the entire glass, place it in the box standing upright. Be sure the glass is upright; as having it in its natural position helps protect it during the transition. Proceed with the rest of your glasses in a similar fashion, placing them all upright in the box. Once the glasses have been placed in the box, fill the space around them with more balled up paper, unless you have packing peanuts available. The goal is to fill all the extra space, preventing any movement during relocation.

For pots and pans, the process is similar. Center the pot on your packing paper, and then wrap towards the center, filling the middle of the pot/pan with the excess paper. Wrap the lid in a similar fashion, and then place it on the pot/pan. Once the pot is upright, and set in the box, you should fill the excess space with packing paper. Large items like pots and pans should always be stored on the bottom of your box, with smaller items like glasses, plates, bowls, and silverware placed on top.

Plates and bowls are often extremely delicate, and behind cups, most likely to break during transition. Packaging slips and cardboard dividers are the perfect tools for protecting plates/bowls. If you have these items, open your dividers and place them in the box (on top of the pre-positioned paper padding). Sort your packaging slips by size, and then place your plates/bowls in them accordingly. Once the plates/bowls are in the corresponding slips, place them into the dividers in the box on their edge, similar to books on a shelf. To protect them from damage, it’s crucial for plates and bowls to be on their side as opposed to stacked flat, leaving a strong yet minimal amount of the plate/bowl as support. If you do not have dividers or slips, wrap your plates/bowls with at least two sheets of packaging paper, similar to glasses and pans. Stack them on their side, as you would with dividers, but be sure to fill the extra space with packaging paper.

Silverware is much easier than other kitchen utensils. Often silverware only requires plastic bags. Collect and organize your silverware by shape and size, wrap each pile in rubber bands, and then place the piles into large zip-lock bags. If you have silverware that needs to be individually wrapped, use packaging paper to wrap each piece, and then place them into large zip-lock bags. The bags help separate the silverware from everything else, making it easy to get to if you happen to be in desperate need of a fork.

The true secret to proper packing is filling the space in the box. You must make sure that your items cannot shift and move during their transition. Don’t skimp on materials, because if you cut costs somewhere, you’re likely to have to make up that money later when you unpack and everything’s broken. If you want to save yourself the hassle, hire a full-service professional moving company, who is trained to properly wrap, pack, and move any and all items.