Keep Your Kitchen Knives Sharp When You Move. Here's How

A sharp chef's knife is an invaluable kitchen tool, and depending on the brand you buy, an expensive one, too. When you make your move to a new apartment or home you want to keep those chef's knives in tip top shape as you pack them away, or run the risk of dulling them. 

Loose knives packed in a box with other utensils can bang against one another, leading to chipped and dull knives. Not only are dull knives less functional -- they also pose more danger to you by requiring more force to chop and cut ingredients, which can increase the risk of slippage, as the University of Rochester Medical Center explains. To properly pack and transport your kitchen knives, you'll need to go beyond simply dumping them all in a box and calling it a day. 

Here's how you should be wrapping and packing your kitchen knives to keep them free of nicks and sharp as ever.

For more moving tips, here are the best moving companies of 2023. 

Gather tools for packing your kitchen knives

First, collect the supplies you need to pack your knives safely: 

• Newspaper or packing paper 
• Tape 
• Marker or pen for labeling 

Next, group your knives by type before packing

Don't throw your steak knives, butcher's knives and chef's knives all together in one wrap. Group your knives by size and type prior to wrapping them to keep them in prime condition. 

After grouping your knives, let's get wrapping 

Here's how to wrap your kitchen knives so they won't be damaged during a move.

Place two to three sheets of newspaper or packing paper on a flat surface. Place one knife on an angle near the corner of the sheet. There should be enough room between the corner of the sheet and your knife for proper wrapping. 

Begin by rolling the sheet from the corner and wrapping the first knife fully. Once the first knife is covered, place the second knife next to it, with the blade in the opposite direction from the first. Repeat until the sheet is completely rolled up and secured with tape. Write "KNIVES" on the wrapped paper so that anyone unpacking them knows to be careful.

For additional cushioning, you can cover the whole package with bubble wrap. 

After your knives have been wrapped, place them into a moving box. 

Alternately, you can wrap your entire knife block

If you keep your knives in a wooden storage block and don't want to take the time to wrap each knife in paper, there's an easier packing method -- just wrap the whole knife block with shrink wrap and you're done.

While this method won't protect your knives as well as wrapping them individually would -- one big knock against knife blocks is that the wooden slats can dull knife blades -- it's a quick and easy way to get your knives packed without risk of serious damage. And once you remove the shrink wrap, your knives are all unpacked and ready to go.

For more moving tips, here's how to lift heavy boxes and furniture and how to find free moving boxes.