How to pack for a move

Good packing is mostly about two things: giving fragile items enough protection, and making sure boxes are easy to carry and easy to find once you’ve unpacked. Here’s how we’d approach it, room by room.

Start with the rooms you use least

Storage rooms, closets, and anything already boxed away are the easiest place to start — you won’t need those items again before moving day, so there’s no rush and no risk of packing something you still need. Save the kitchen and bathroom for last, since you’ll use them right up until the day itself.

Label boxes by room, not just contents

A box labelled “kitchen — glasses” is more useful on moving day than one labelled just “fragile”. Labelling by room means boxes land in the right place as soon as they come off the truck, instead of everything piling up in the living room to be sorted later.

What to wrap yourself

Books, clothes, kitchen items and most everyday belongings pack well into standard boxes with a bit of paper or cloth for cushioning. Keep boxes to a manageable weight — smaller boxes for heavy items like books, larger ones for lighter things like linens.

What’s worth leaving to your crew

Furniture, mirrors, artwork, electronics and anything oddly shaped are usually easier — and safer — to leave to a moving crew’s wrapping and padding. That’s exactly what our packing & wrapping service covers: stretch wrap and moving blankets for furniture, careful boxing for anything fragile.

Fragile items

Glassware, dishes and anything breakable need individual wrapping and a snug fit in the box so nothing shifts in transit. If you’re not confident packing something valuable or fragile, it’s worth asking your crew to handle just that part.

A simple packing order

1. Storage, closets, decor you’re not using day-to-day.
2. Books, off-season clothes, spare linens.
3. Everyday kitchen and bathroom items — pack these closer to moving day.
4. Anything fragile, valuable or oddly shaped — consider leaving this to your crew.
5. Essentials box: what you’ll need the first night in your new place.

Want help with some or all of your packing? Get a free quote and tell us what you’d like a hand with.