How Do I Pack Kitchen Utensils? (Forks, Spoons, and Knives, Oh My!)

Silver & Stainless Steel – Packing Kitchen Utensils Quickly & Safely

Let’s start off this month’s packing tip with a no-brainer.

Our first priority when packing anything is ensuring the safety of the items.

Great. Now let’s add a different measure of practicality.

We would like – and our customers expect us – to finish the job in a timely manner. ‘Hurry up and pack everything so nothing breaks.’

Hurry up and take care of everything. As often as possible this is what we aim to do. And that is what we’ll do today in answering the common moving question: How Do I Pack Kitchen Utensils?

How Do I Pack Stainless Steel Kitchen Utensils?

The silverware (most) people use every day is of course not silver but stainless steel. The stuff is not indestructible, but you’d have to get pretty rough with it to cause it any damage. Still, we want to take care of our customer’s forks, knives and spoons just like we take care of everything else. Yet we want to do so quickly. Here’s how.

Assuming the silverware is in a tray in a drawer, there’s not a whole lot to it.

To lend a bit of protection AND keep all those utensils from ending up all over the place inside the carton, put a few folded sheets of packing paper over everything. Better yet, save your paper and a little space and use a few hand towels from the next drawer over. 

When you’ve got enough paper and /or towels in place to keep those utensils from spilling out when the carton gets turned on its side (certainly a possibility) wrap the whole deal up in a few sheets of newsprint. 

While taping it up may not be entirely necessary – your carton will be packed well enough to keep it all intact – the person who unpacks that carton may not realize there are twenty-four pieces of stainless steel-ware in there. And after making the trip in one safe bundle those forks, knives and spoons can easily end up all over your customer’s new floor. Which may not be a big deal but why not prevent the potential hassle? With the bundle taped, the person unpacking – the customer or his friend or another mover – should get the hint that a little care needs to be taken. 

TIP #1: Avoid packing wet utensils.

A little moisture likely won’t hurt the stainless steel but over time trapped moisture does encourage yucky things to grow. 

TIP #2: Wrap Utensils In Bundles

To keep those utensils under extra control wrap them in bundles and pack them in the tray like that. 

How Do I Pack Kitchen Utensils if They’re Real Silver?

Yes, by this we mean the silver silverware, the utensils that only see the light of day on Thanksgiving and Christmas and when the relatives with the nice car come over. The silverware that stays in the velvet-lined box in the dining room.

Since this silver is already packed safely in its own little chest it may suffice simply to pack it as is in a carton, surrounded by plenty of packing paper. But as with our tray of stainless steel, a little extra padding on top may help those individual knives and forks and tablespoons and teaspoons and serving spoons and cake cutters and ladles and whatever else remain in place during the trip from old home to new. And as with their steely counterparts, these silver utensils might be that much safer if wrapped in bundles – or even individually, especially for those larger pieces.

Final Silverware Packing Tip

When your customer arrives at their new home they may want to eat. Make it clear to them – both with a marker and your mouth – where those utensils are. Keep in mind that a wrapped silverware tray can be pretty heavy, and you may or may not want to put it in a with the customer’s plates and glasses – another reason to let them know where those utensils are sitting, all wrapped up safe and dry.