Ensure a safe move and pack your knives carefully and safely
If you’re preparing to move, you’ve probably looked around your current kitchen and wondered, “Where do I even start?”
Many people prefer to hire a moving company to help with a big move, but if you pack by yourself, the kitchen is one of the most difficult and labor-intensive areas to pack. There are many things you must pack carefully—like small appliances, silverware, mugs, and glasses— but knives are a whole other story.
Packing knives safely will prevent them from causing any injury or damage during transit, plus it’ll ensure you’ll be able to use your tools to make a homemade meal in your new home. Here are a few tips on packing knives for your move.
1. Collect the Correct Packing Materials and Supplies
Before you start the packing process, ensure you have the following materials and supplies that will make packing your sharp knives safer and more effective.
Packing paper
Bubble wrap
Kitchen towels
Packing tape
Permanent marker or label maker
Moving boxes, specifically small boxes and shoeboxes
2. Group Your Knives by Type and Size
There are several ways to pack your kitchen knives. If you have many individual knives, start by sorting them and grouping similar knives according to their type and size.
Pack your butter knives together.
Group all steak and bread knives, plus those used to chop vegetables.
Set aside any chef’s knives, carving knives, or any large knives.
If you have any other knives that don’t fall into any other category, such as antique knives, keep them separate.
3. Roll and Wrap Each Knife Individually
Start by placing two to three clean sheets of packing paper on the counter, and spread out each group of knives, leaving a gap of two to three inches between each knife.
Take the packing paper and roll it over the first knife, wrap it completely, and repeat the process with each knife in the row. Ensure that all the knives are wrapped individually within the packing paper and that knives aren’t touching each other.
Butter knives: Pack them in bundles of four.
Chef’s knives: Place larger and sharper knives in an extra layer or two of packing paper. Wrap them in a clean cloth or towel for additional protection.
Butcher knives: After wrapping extra-large knives in packing papers, lay them on their sides and put the blades inside a folded piece of cardboard. Tape the carton tightly, then tape that end shut, folding the flaps over for more protection.
When you finish wrapping all of the knives, you should have something that resembles a roll of knives in the packing paper, with each knife individually wrapped up.
4. Don’t Forget the Bubble Wrap and Packing Tape
Wrap the knife rolls and bundles with an additional layer of bubble wrap for an extra level of protection and secure with packing tape. This method will help prevent any heavy objects from damaging your knives during the move and prevent the knives from sliding out or moving around too much.
5. Keep Your Knives in the Cutlery Block
If you store your knives in their own block, you’ve hit the jackpot of knife packing. You can secure the knives in the cutlery block to save you the hassle of wrapping them individually.
Secure the knives: Apply tape around each knife to secure them inside the block.
Wrap the block: Place the knife block in the middle of a sheet of packing paper, and then roll sheets over from all four edges like you’re wrapping a present.
Add extra protection: Wrap the knife block in one or two layers of bubble wrap for more security.
6. Use a Moving Box to Transport Knives
Using smaller boxes to pack your knives is a great way to decrease the chance of injury incidents and eliminate the possibility of damaging other kitchen items.
Before packing the block or rolls of knives, line the moving box with crumpled packing paper or a layer of bubble wrap to provide extra cushioning. Then, carefully place the wrapped and secured knives or the wrapped knives block in the bottom of the box. You can pack similar kitchen items such as silverware and cutlery in the same box.
Remember to fill the excess space with tissue or tea towels to prevent the knives from sliding around in the box. Don't forget to label the boxes so you and the movers know that the box contains sharp objects.
