There is a sort of cozy and homey feeling when you’re preparing a meal in your kitchen. Especially if you’re so familiar with the layout, that you can cook with your eyes closed and one hand tied behind your back. Understandably, you’d want our NYC movers and packers to bring it to your new home safely, along with your other possessions. Of course, before it can be packed, the kitchen needs to be disassembled. And although it is not too difficult a task, dismantling a kitchen still requires some planning and preparation.
Safety first
The first and most important thing is safety. There will be clutter and boxes lying all around waiting for our Warren movers to load them on the moving truck once you’re done packing. Clear everything out of the way. You will need room to maneuver and function unobstructed. Don’t risk tripping over the boxes while you’re trying to move a refrigerator.
Secondly, be sure to wear protective gear – goggles and heavy gloves. Especially when you start handling heavy wooden and metal objects. And also while you’re working with a hammer, pry bar, or utility knife.
Lastly, if you’re unsure of how to dismantle a kitchen or some of the appliances, do not hesitate to hire professionals. It is certainly better to spend a few extra dollars than risk an injury or damage to your property.
Empty the kitchen elements
Before you start dismantling a kitchen, make sure that gas, water, and power mains are turned off.
After that, you should make it easier on yourself by emptying all of the kitchen elements. Cupboards, drawers, and, of course, the fridge. Store everything safely and well out of the way. Continue by removing smaller appliances, such as microwave and blender, and proceed with removing the fridge, stove, and other large appliances.
Of course, you should never do the heavy lifting alone. Remember – safety first!
Continue by dismantling kitchen cabinets
Drawers are easiest to remove, so you should start with them. For the next part, break out your screwdriver set or, even better, electric screwdriver, and start working on the cupboard doors. Remove the hinges, starting with the lowest one, and work your way to the top. Have a few ziplock bags handy to store all the small pieces.
Proceed by removing other unattached parts from the interior of the cabinets. Kitchen elements can sometimes be bolted together. If this is the case, be sure to unscrew them, so you can move them easier and avoid unintentional damage.
Now it’s time to remove worktops. For this, you will need some of the less sophisticated tools, such as a pry bar and a hammer. Again, do a thorough check to see if the worktop is bolted. If it is, you will need to undo the screws, before utilizing the pry bar to separate it.
Lastly, employ the same principles as mentioned above to remove wall-mounted elements.
Use packing tape to fix ziplock bags to the insides of the disassembled cabinets. This is the best way not to lose them, and it will make assembly faster and easier.
Finally, we need to emphasize this once more: Always have someone helping you during the entire process! Some kitchen elements (worktops, for example) can be much heavier than they look. And time flies by faster if someone is there to talk to while you’re working.