Kitchen items are notorious for being some of the most difficult household items to pack for a move. Oddly shaped and fragile, they’re extremely vulnerable to damage and require special packing care.
Yet, some kitchen items present less of a packing challenge than others – flatware, for example, is much easier to protect than stemware, metal items do not need as much cushioning as glass items, etc.
Bowls fall somewhere in the middle of the ranking – they’re simply shaped (except for stemmed bowls that are less common), but usually quite fragile. It is, therefore, not overly difficult to pack bowls for moving, but you still need to be careful to prevent them from breaking during the rigorous relocation process.
Read on to find out how to pack bowls for moving so they arrive at your new home safe and intact:
Sort out your bowls
The kitchen packing process will be faster and easier – and your entire move will be cheaper and simpler – if you sort out your bowls before you start packing them for moving:
- Assess each and every bowl you have in your home (how often you use it, what condition it is in, how expensive it is, whether it has any special value or not, etc.) and decide if it’s worth moving to your new place. Keep in mind that the more bowls you decide to relocate, the more time and effort the packing process will take, the more packing materials you’re going to need, and the higher your moving costs will be. Besides, more bowls will take up more space in your new home. It is, therefore, advisable to only take along bowls in good condition that you like and intend to use in your new place and leave behind damaged bowls, bowls you hardly ever use, and bowls you don’t really like;
- Get rid of the bowls you won’t be moving to your new home – throw away damaged bowls for recycling and give away ones in good condition to friends or charities;
- Organize the bowls you will be taking to your new place by their type (mixing bowls, salad bowls, soup bowls, dip bowls, etc.) and material (plastic bowls, china bowls, glass bowls, etc.). It will be much easier and much safer to pack like bowls together when you start preparing your dishes for moving.
Related: How to decide what to take when moving; How to get rid of unneeded items when moving
Get appropriate packing materials
In order to ensure the safety of your bowls during the move, you’re going to need appropriate packing materials:
- Strong medium-sized moving boxes – Dish barrels (heavy-duty packing boxes especially designed for transporting plates and other fragile kitchen items) are the best choice but any other small to medium-sized boxes made of durable cardboard will also do. Just avoid using old boxes (they may be compromised from previous uses and may not provide good enough protection to your delicate bowls) and large moving boxes (they may become very heavy when packed full of bowls (which will increase the risk of accidents and damages during the move) – and it will be more difficult to prevent your bowls from shifting during transit when they’re packed in a large box);
- Packing paper – All your fragile bowls will need to be wrapped separately in soft white packing paper, so make sure you have plenty of it. You can use any kind of paper (including old newsprint) to fill the empty spaces in the packing boxes;
- Bubble wrap – If you have stemmed bowls, crystal bowls, or any other highly valuable bowls, you will need bubble wrap to provide them with a second layer of protection. Pieces of bubble wrap can also be used as cushioning inside the moving boxes;
- Packing tape – You will need packing tape to reinforce the moving boxes and seal them shut;
- Markers – Prepare some permanent markers so you can easily label the boxes after you’ve packed them.
Prepare the packing boxes
The last thing you need to do before you can start the actual bowl packing process is to make sure the packing containers will be safe for your breakable kitchen items and will provide them with the best protection possible:
- Reinforce the boxes – Bowls, especially larger ones, are quite heavy, so you need to be sure that their packing containers will withstand their weight. You’re, therefore, advised to reinforce the bottoms of the moving boxes and double tape their edges, so the cartons don’t fall apart under the pressure of their contents when lifted and carried around;
- Create a cushioning layer on the bottom of each packing box – Line the bottoms of the cartons with packing paper, old newspapers, bubble wrap, packing peanuts, old towels, or any other soft padding materials you have at hand to provide cushioning for your breakable kitchen items. Crumpled newspaper is your best bet – the wadded paper will absorb any shocks and vibrations during the move and you won’t need to pay extra for professional cushioning materials.
Now that everything is ready, the only thing left to do is to find out how to properly pack bowls for moving.
How to pack bowls for moving
The best way to pack bowls for moving is to wrap them individually in packing paper, arrange them on their sides in strong, well-padded moving boxes, fill the empty space in the boxes with cushioning materials, and seal the packing containers shut with quality packing tape.
Every kind of bowl, however, has its own specifics, so you may want to use different packing methods for different types of bowls:
How to pack glass bowls for moving
Packing glass bowls for moving is quite a challenge as the glass items are extremely fragile and need utmost protection in order to survive the move in one piece:
- Place a stack of packing paper on a flat surface;
- Put a glass bowl at the center of the paper, take a couple of sheets from one of the corners, pull them over the bowl, and tuck them into it;
- Take the same couple of sheets from another corner and wrap them over the bowl;
- Pull yet another corner over the bowl and tuck the paper into the glass item;
- Flip the bowl over and fold all excess paper over it;
- Secure the wrapping with tape.
Wrap all your glass bowls the same way. When ready, place the wrapped breakables in a padded box standing upright, one in front of the other (when packing smaller bowls, there may be enough space for two or three rows of stacked bowls, standing on their sides next to one another in a single box).
Do not make a second layer of bowls in the box and do not pack anything on top of the glass items – just fill all the remaining space in the packing container with crumpled paper, pieces of bubble wrap, or packing peanuts, so the fragile items don’t shift during the move and come in contact with one another. Place several sheets of packing paper on top, close the box, and seal it tightly.
Label the carton with its contents and destination room and be sure to mark it as FRAGILE and to indicate which side is up.
Bonus tip: How to pack crystal bowls for moving
Pack crystal bowls the same way as you pack glass bowls, but put the sealed moving box in another, larger box. Fill the space between the two boxes with cushioning materials, seal the outer box, and label it. The double boxing method will ensure the safety of your fragile valuables during the move. (See also: Double boxing – safe packing at its safest).
How to pack china bowls for moving
China bowls and ceramic bowls are also quite fragile, so they too need to be safely wrapped for moving. It’s best to wrap each china bowl individually, as detailed above. When packing cheaper bowls, however, you can wrap three or four bowls together, nestled inside one another:
- Place a stack of packing paper on a flat surface;
- Place a bowl at the center of the paper, then take a couple of sheets from one corner and pull them over the bowl;
- Take another bowl and place it into the first one (the folded paper corner will be between the two bowls);
- Take the same couple of paper sheets from another corner and pull it over the second bowl;
- Repeat the process with a third bowl, and then, once again, with a fourth bowl, if you wish so;
- Tuck the remaining paper into the uppermost bowl and secure the bundle with tape;
- Needless to say, when nesting bowls of different sizes, you should stack them from largest to smallest. (See also: The nesting packing method)
Place the nested bowls in a padded moving box (either on their sides or with their openings facing down) and keep adding more stacks of bowls in the carton until it is full (do not make a second layer of bowls – if there is space in the box, use it to pack some lightweight kitchen items (oven mitts, packs of spices, etc.)). Fill the box with cushioning materials so the bowls don’t move around during transit, seal the carton, label it with its contents, and mark it as FRAGILE.
Keep in mind that wrapping several bowls together in a stack is riskier than wrapping them individually – so you should never use this method for more valuable bowls.
Bonus tips:
- Stoneware bowls and earthenware bowls are also very vulnerable to damage and should be individually wrapped in packing paper. Besides, they’re quite heavy, so they need to be packed in heavy-duty moving boxes;
- Metal bowls can be safely nestle-wrapped, as explained above. They’re not breakable, but they can be easily scratched, so they should not be left unwrapped.
How to pack plastic bowls for moving
Plastic bowls don’t scratch, so you can stack them directly inside the moving boxes without wrapping them in packing paper. Fill the boxes with crumpled paper, seal them securely, and label them with their contents.
How to pack large bowls for moving
Naturally, large glass bowls and large china bowls (as well as all other kinds of large fragile bowls) need to be individually wrapped in packing paper, as detailed above. Since larger bowls are heavier, however, you’re advised to use more packing paper – and to double up on boxes.
Larger bowls that are not fragile (such as plastic mixing bowls, for example) should be nested together and placed upside down in the moving boxes (on their rims).
How to pack stemmed bowls for moving
If you happen to have bowls with stems, you need to take special care to protect them during the move – wrap the stems in several layers of bubble wrap and tape the wrapping to make sure it won’t unfold during the relocation. Then, wrap the entire bowls in packing paper, as explained above.
Place the wrapped bowls inside a moving box, over the cushioning layer of crumpled paper – arrange the bowls next to one another on their rims (facing down). Fill the box with padding materials (make sure the bowls are cushioned on all sides), lay several sheets of packing paper on top, and seal the box shut. Write FRAGILE, HANDLE WITH CARE, and THIS SIDE UP on several sides of the carton with big letters.
Bonus tip: If you have bowls with lids, wrap the lids separately and pack them in the same box as their corresponding bowls.
See also: How to pack glasses for moving; How to pack plates for moving
Knowing how to pack plates and bowls the right way will help you ensure the safety of your kitchen items during your next move. If you’re not up to the task, though, or if you just don’t want to risk it, don’t hesitate to hire professional packers – the experts will take good care of your dishes and will guarantee your smooth, successful, and stress-free moving experience.
