Packing is never easy. But the kitchen is probably the hardest room to pack because it’s full of little things. They need careful packing and lots of packing materials. And let’s not forget all of the appliances that you have. Packing all of it can take up a lot of time especially when you’re packing your kitchen for an international move. Because an international move means that it’ll take more time to transport your belongings. And since you’re moving to Japan it means that they probably won’t be transported by truck. So it’s no wonder that you’re dreading packing your kitchen for an international move. But stay tuned and find out what you can do to make everything a piece of cake.

International freight forwarding

If you’re stressing about how to transport your belongings to Japan, don’t. Because I have a perfect solution for you! If you hire an international freight forwarding company, it will make your life easier. For they will work out the logistics of transportation like preparations of shipping, export documents, insurance and so on. Furthermore, they have experience and knowledge to move your belongings safely.

So I highly recommend that you use their services. Because they know the best how to deliver your kitchen to you in Japan. They will find the best way, the best route and the best type of transportation for the job. So talk to them. Tell them your concerns. Ask them to tell you their plan. It’ll make you feel more relaxed and confident in them if you know exactly what will happen and when.

Save money when packing your kitchen for an international move

A tip for saving money is that you should compare the prices of international freight forwarding and brand new appliances. It’s not uncommon that moving your kitchen internationally can cost you more than if you just bought those items once you settled in Japan. And I don’t have to tell you that moving fewer things will reduce air-sea freight forwarding expenses. Plus, getting brand new appliances and dishes is always exciting!

As for the old appliances and dishes, you can always donate them. Surely, you can think of someone you know that wants to or needs to buy some kitchen appliances. But if that’s not the case, there are various charity organizations or food banks that could use those appliances. However, if they are in good condition you can also try to sell them. Organize a garage sale or sell them on eBay. By selling them you’ll earn some extra money you can use later on to buy yourself a new kitchen! So compare the prices and decide what’s a better option for you.

Packing your kitchen appliances for an international move

I hope you still have your appliances’ original boxes! Because packing your appliances in their original boxes is the best option. But if you threw them long ago it doesn’t matter. For you can just as well find new boxes. What you have to do is measure your appliances so that you know what size of boxes you have to look for. You can always buy new boxes. Or you can maybe go to furniture stores and supermarkets to ask if they have some boxes they can give to you.

Now that you’ve found suitable boxes for your appliances, it’s time to pack them. But before you start to pack your kitchen appliances you should remove all the smaller and fragile parts that can be removed. The next step is wrapping the appliances and the parts you separated in bubble wrap. And then securing the bubble wrap with tape. Only when you’ve covered every inch of the appliance can you put it to a box and secure the box. Those small parts you’ve removed should be put on top of the appliance in the box. And consider securing those parts to the appliance with tape so that they don’t wander in the box during the transportation.

Plan before packing your kitchen

Now, before you start packing the rest of your kitchen for an international move take time to plan ahead. You will need some items until the very last day. So don’t pack everything right away. Set aside things like spoons, knives, forks, plates, glasses, bowls, dish soap, sponge, dish towels. Every family member will need those things. That is unless you plan on eating out every day until you move. So to pack a kitchen like a pro you have to think ahead and put aside what you know you can’t do without until the move.

Packing supplies that you need

When you’re packing your kitchen for an international move you’re going to need a lot of packing supplies. And not only boxes, but also packing supplies like bubble wrap, packing paper, tape, packing beans, cardboard separators. Furthermore, because of the number of things and their irregular shape, you’re going to need a lot of packing supplies. And to be perfectly honest, that costs.

So what you can do to save some money is to use alternative packing supplies for packing and shipping fragile items. For example, clothes are good isolators. Socks are great for putting glasses and cups inside of them. Or using them instead of the moving beans. Furthermore, by using clothes as packing supplies, you’ll have fewer clothes to pack! Another alternative packing supply that is perfect for, for example, your glassware is a newspaper. You can use it instead of a packing paper.

Packing your kitchen for an international move

The time for packing your kitchen for an international move has finally come. Here’s the most efficient way to pack yours:

• plates: you can stack one plate on top of the other. But just make sure that you put newspaper or moving paper between the plates so that they don’t scratch. Once you’ve made a pile you should wrap it with newspaper or moving paper.
• pots, pans, bowls: you can use bigger pots, pans and bowls as a box to the smaller ones. So put smaller ones inside the bigger ones. And don’t forget to put newspapers or moving paper between them.
• glasses, mugs, cups: put newspaper, packing paper or socks inside of glassware to prevent scratches. Then wrap it with newspaper or bubble wrap. Finally, secure newspaper or bubble wrap with tape.
• spoons, forks, knives: don’t just throw your spoons, forks and knives in a box. It’ll take forever to sort them out when unpacking. So sort them out when packing and use a rubber band to secure a pile of each type separately.

More hacks for packing your kitchen for an international move

If something has some parts that are thinner or that stick out you should pay more attention when wrapping them. It’s easier to break them or scratch them. So just wrap them in an extra layer. Once you’ve done all that it’s time to fill the boxes. But before you start doing that you should secure the bottom and the sides of the boxes with clothes or bubble wrap. When you fill the boxes make sure that they are not half-empty or too filled. You should use clothes, socks or packing beans to fill out all the empty spaces in the boxes. Finally, label the boxes properly and write “fragile” where needed. And with that, you’ve finished packing your kitchen for an international move!