10 Things to Get Rid of as You Pack Up Your Kitchen for a Move

Written by

Ayn-Monique Klahre
Ayn-Monique Klahre
Ayn-Monique is a lifestyle editor and writer who's worked for Good Housekeeping, Woman's Day, FamilyFun and more. She loves lattes, jogging and hanging out at the playground with her husband and daughters.
updated May 3, 2019
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Moving is the worst! Or, more accurately, packing is the worst. Getting set up in a new home is fun, and a chance for a fresh start. But packing is a slog, and if you’re not at least a little strategic about it, you can make more work for yourself. One essential part of your packing process should be decluttering. Do not put something in a box if you don’t want it to live in your new kitchen!

Whether you’re paying for movers or planning to haul that box up to your fifth-floor walkup yourself, it’s just not worth it! So prepare yourself to make some decisions.

Here are 10 things to get rid of as you pack up your kitchen for a move.

1. Broken drinking glasses

A compromised (read: chipped) glass will probably not survive a move. And in your new space, don’t you want to be the sort of person who only drinks out of pristine drinking glasses?

(Image credit: Federico Paul)

2. Super-old spices

When spices get old (like 10 years old!), they lose their flavor and are more likely to become a breeding ground for pests, too! Toss ’em.

3. Commemorative shot glasses

Aw, remember how much fun you had at the Delta Nu “Spring Fling” party? Yeah, the photos and hazy memories will suffice.

4. Commemorative plastic glasses

Same item category, different events. Just let go of those cups from the family reunion 10 years ago.

5. Gross old kitchen towels

Okay, maybe you can use these for wrapping up glassware. But after a certain point, kitchen towels get irreparably soiled and lose their absorbency. Bye-bye.

(Image credit: Joe Lingeman)

6. Cookbooks you’ve never cracked

Or the ones that are so stained you literally can’t read them. They’re either clutter or a pest magnet.

7. Anything that’s still in its box

Juicer, waffle maker, whatever health gadget you meant to get into—if it’s still in its box and you can’t remember when you got it (or why), you can let it go.

(Image credit: Joe Lingeman)

8. Baby stuff

If your kids are beyond the toddler stage and you have no plans for another, you can go ahead and donate all those colorful plates, forks, and cups.

9. Sponges and scrub brushes

It’s probably time, anyway—and do you really want to bring that crusty old scrub brush into your new home?

10. Doubles

This is when you’re most likely to discover that you have two cherry pitters or pizza cutters or whatever. Keep the one you like best.

What did you find in your last move that didn’t make it into the new kitchen?

This post originally ran on Kitchn. See it there: 10 Things to Get Rid of as You Pack Up Your Kitchen for a Move