How to pack up the kitchen for remodel

By Charles
In Home & Decor
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In normal situations, kitchens need to be renovated every 10 – 15 years. During this time, you’ll need to repaint the walls, replace the cabinet doors, repair the countertop, fix the cabinets, and perhaps modernize the kitchen with a few more upgrades. But, before you dive into the act, you need to first hire a contractor like suttonsinc.com and most importantly, have a plan on how to clear the kitchen. This is where you need to learn how to pack up the kitchen for remodel. 

Remember, during a kitchen remodel, your contractor will have to demolish the old cabinets to set up new ones, redo the countertops, repaint the walls and replace the damaged flooring among other tasks. 

So, How Do You Pack Your Essentials For a Kitchen Remodeling?

Since this job cannot be accomplished with your kitchen accessories packed inside the cabinets, you have to start by removing them to avoid any damage. So, here, we’ll discuss at least six steps you can consider when emptying your kitchen. 

  • Set Aside Your Supplies

So, the first step is to plan. Now, you might decide to relocate entirely to another place or you might decide to switch the kitchen to another room as the remodeling job proceeds. So, if you’ll be staying at your home during the process, then you’ll need to set aside those essentials you’ll be using. 

Here, you’ll require the basic items such as the coffee maker, toaster, microwave, and a few utensils such as cups, mugs, and plates. These utensils can be placed inside a big box or a transparent plastic bag for easy access. 

  • Empty the Kitchen Cabinets and Countertops 

Before emptying the cabinets, you need to first have a plan. You need to ask yourself how long the remodeling project is expected to last. If it’s just for a few weeks, then you can store the kitchen essentials in another room. But if the project will last long, let’s say a year, then you’ll have to pack all your essentials inside boxes and move them to a temporary kitchen. 

Now, kitchen appliances are usually heavy and very delicate. So, when packing them, you need to use storage materials such as medium-sized heavy-duty boxes, leftover news-wrap papers, bubble wraps, and zip-lock storage bags among others. 

  • Pack Your Items By Category

So, to avoid any mix-up, it’s advisable that you pack your kitchen items by category. To start, remove all your items from the cabinets and lay them on the countertops. From there, pick similar items and pack them together.

So, you can decide to pack plates and bowls together inside a box, pots, pans, and lids in another box, and spoons, knives, and plastic/wooden cooking sticks in another separate small box. As for the knives, you have to wrap them well to prevent any accidents. 

In the case of fragile drinking and wine glasses, these ones need to be wrapped using bubble wrap to prevent any breakage.

Next, there are unopened wine, liquor, cooking oil, and vinegar bottles, which also need to be packed. These ones can be packed in a separate box alongside canned foods, sources, spices, and baking supplies. 

Now, while packing your essentials, it’s always good to take this opportunity to declutter your kitchen. It’s obvious your kitchen has items you no longer use. It can be food, kitchen tools, or old dinnerware. Such items can be packed in a separate box and taken to your local donation center. 

  • Remove Pictures and Other Wall Decorations 

While removing your dinnerware and other essentials from the kitchen, you should also remove any wall decorations. These include curtains, paintings, artwork, calendars, maps, magnets, and any children’s artwork. This will save them from accumulating dust or being accidentally damaged during the kitchen remodeling process. 

  • Move the Boxes to a Separate Storage Area

With everything packed, it’s now time to move the boxes to a separate storage area. As we mentioned earlier, it’s good to keep those tools and appliances you’ll be using frequently handy. Tools like juicers, coffee makers, toasters, and dinnerware such as mugs, spoons, knives, and bowls should be kept close as you’ll be using them frequently. 

Otherwise, everything else should be stored away until the project is complete. And, before I forget, don’t forget to mark the boxes to make it easier to locate your staff. 

  • Cover Your Electrical Tools

Lastly, you need to cover your electrical appliances during a kitchen remodel. Some things such as the fridge, electric cooker, and range hoods are quite hard to move around. So, to protect them against dust and damage, you need to cover them using a durable protective film. 

What to Do During Kitchen Remodel?

Now that you’ve learned how to pack up kitchen for remodel, the next thing is to ask yourself how you’re going to survive throughout the remodeling period. 

  • Setup a Temporary Kitchen

In case you’ll be staying at your home throughout the renovation period, then you can think of setting up a temporary kitchen outside. Here, you can set up a dining space and another small space to fit a portable propane grill. 

Always keep your basic tools and appliances handy and don’t forget to connect your fridge as that’s where you’ll be storing your leftover foods to eat later. A microwave is essential at this time as it will allow you to warm leftover foods in case you need to eat. 

  • Take a Short Vacation

In case you don’t have any work commitments, then you can decide to take a mini-vacation to give yourself a break. At least this way, you’ll give your contractor some space, freedom, and privacy to accomplish the job. 

Conclusion 

So, there you have it. As you can see, packing up your kitchen for a remodel is not an easy job. Thankfully, the entire process is not as hard provided you have a systematic plan. That plan is exactly what we’ve discussed in this short guide. Finally, once everything is sorted out, the last and final step is to invite your contractor to confirm whether the kitchen is sufficiently emptied.