How to Pack a Kitchen for Moving: Room-by-Room Guide

Start With a Kitchen Declutter

The kitchen is usually the most time-consuming room to pack. Before you reach for the bubble wrap, open every drawer and cabinet and sort items into keep, donate, and toss piles. Expired spices, chipped mugs, and that fondue set you never used? Let them go. Montrealers can drop usable kitchenware at Renaissance or local thrift shops along rue Notre-Dame.

Decluttering first means fewer boxes, less weight, and a lower moving bill — especially important if you're hiring movers by the hour in Montreal.

Packing Dishes, Pots, and Pantry Items

Wrap each plate and bowl individually in packing paper, then stack them vertically in a sturdy box — they're stronger on edge. Nest pots and pans together with paper between them. Seal open pantry items in zip-lock bags and group them in a single box labelled "pantry."

For glassware, use cell dividers or wrap each piece in paper and fill empty space with crumpled paper. Heavy items like cast iron should go in small boxes to keep weight manageable for Montreal's infamous walk-up apartments.

Label and Load Kitchen Boxes Last

Mark every box with its contents and "FRAGILE" where needed. Pack a separate "first-night" box with a kettle, coffee, plates, utensils, and a dish towel so you can eat without unpacking everything. Ask your movers to load kitchen boxes last so they come off the truck first at your new place.