When you’re preparing to pack for a household move, the kitchen often feels like the most complicated room in the house. After all, it’s filled with fragile, heavy, and oddly shaped objects, many of which are costly to replace.

And along with the glassware and china, there’s another tricky category to consider: small appliances. Blenders, toasters, stand mixers, air fryers, and other devices often require special care and certain materials when packing. Read on to learn how to pack — and protect — small appliances for your move.

Packing Supplies for Small Appliances

You don’t necessarily need any “out of the ordinary” packing materials to safely move small appliances. However, you will need to use certain materials.

• Sturdy cardboard boxes in a range of small to medium sizes
• Packing paper or newspaper to wrap appliances and fill empty spaces in the boxes. Pro tip: You can also use dish towels to fill gaps.
• Twist ties to secure electrical cords.
• Foam or bubble wrap to cover electrical prongs.
• Packing tape and a marker to secure and label packed boxes.

Clean and Dissemble

Start the packing process by cleaning your appliances. Simply wipe them down with a cloth or wipe, or make your own kitchen cleaning solution to remove all grease, crumbs, and other debris. Let appliances dry thoroughly after cleaning.

If your appliance has any removable or loose parts, take them off. For instance, a blender may have a canister and lid, a toaster oven may have multiple racks, a microwave may have a glass tray, or a food processor may have several blades.

You will need to prepare these separately for packing. For now, clean the parts and keep them with the appliance.

Wrap and Protect

Now comes the fun part — wrapping and protecting your appliances, parts, and attachments. Start by bundling electrical cords neatly and securing them with a twist tie. Cover electrical prongs with bubble wrap or foam. Tape the bundled cable to the side of the appliance.

Does your appliance have doors that you can’t remove, such as a toaster oven or microwave? If so, tape them shut.

Wrap each appliance in packing paper or newspaper. Use at least two to three layers to protect the appliance’s finish. If the device has parts or accessories, wrap those as well. Label the parts once covered, and keep all the pieces together.

Box Your Appliances

Pack each appliance in a box that matches its size closely. (If you kept any of the boxes your devices came in, be sure to use those!) In most cases, a small to a medium-sized box is best.

If an appliance has loose parts, accessories, or attachments, choose a box to accommodate all the parts. It’s best to keep everything together if possible to avoid losing any essential pieces.

Before placing an appliance in a box, add a couple of layers of crumpled paper. Gently set the device and any parts on top, filling empty spaces with paper or towels.

Finally, tape the boxes closed. Label them with the appliance name, the room they’ll go in, and “fragile” so movers know to take extra care.

Smooth Moving

Packing a kitchen for a move can feel overwhelming. But, using these easy steps can help you pack your small appliances like a pro!

Contact us for help with your move. We can help get you there with less work. If you need help with the packing, we can handle that too!