Do This With Your Spices Before Moving

Moving can be a major P.I.T.A., also know as a pain in the, um, butt. According to the blog movebBuddha, in 2019, almost 31 million people in the United States moved to a new home — or roughly 9.8% of the American population. That's a lot of boxes, bubble wrap, and packing tape! And ,per Harrington Movers, one of the toughest rooms to pack up (after the garage) is the kitchen. 

Let's face it, the kitchen has a lot of random whatsits and doodads tucked away in drawers and cabinets. Not to mention, packing up all your pots and favorite sheet pans, all your china and glassware, and of course your pantry staples, can take more time and care than you can imagine. 

But do you know what part of your kitchen can really eat into your packing time? Your spice drawer. That's right! Eater shares that when you are getting ready to move, and it comes time to pack up all those jars of herbs and spices, it takes some TLC if you want to be able to use them in your next home. However, the food site also shares that if you are moving, you want to follow a specific spice rule when packing up all spices from your spice rack.

Moving.com says the spice cabinet should be the first thing you pack up in your kitchen. However, before you get to packin', Eater shares that many of us are tied to the ubiquitous rule that spices should last a full year before their freshness and taste start to degrade, and thus, they are disposed. The site explains that this rule is important for a couple of reasons when you are packing up your kitchen. The first reason is that if you follow the one-year rule when it comes to the potency of a spice, you are not going to feel too badly if you have to toss something when you pack up for a move if it has gone beyond that year marker. This ultimately helps you determine what needs to be packed, and hopefully lightens your load. 

Eater goes on to reveal their tip for packing up those spices you plan to keep. The site explains, "[E]mpty kitchen canisters, plastic food storage containers, or zip-top freezer bags" are your friends when it comes time to safely package up your bottles, jars, and boxes of spices to move. You can use these to pack your spices and further protect them by wrapping them up with a dish towel so the bottles do not bang together and break. The biggest goal is to ensure they are safely packed so they do not spill or make a mess during your moving process.