Sort before you pack
Every item you pack is an item you also have to carry, load, unload, and unpack. Before the first box, run each room through the four piles: Save what is coming with you, Share what someone else can use, Sell what is worth listing, and Sweep what is broken or past use. Our garage guide walks through the method.
Gather your supplies
- Small, medium, and large boxes
- Packing paper and bubble wrap for fragile items
- Strong packing tape and a tape dispenser
- Markers and labels or colored tape
- Trash bags for soft items, and a few totes for things you'll use right away
Put heavy things in small boxes and light things in large boxes. A box you can lift comfortably is a box that won't split open.
Choose the order
Start with the places you use least: the garage, the attic, storage closets, guest rooms, and wall decor. Leave the kitchen, bathrooms, and your own bedroom for last, because you need them until the end. Finish one room completely before starting the next. Half-packed rooms are how boxes get lost.
Pack the room, step by step
- Clear the surfaces first. Anything on a shelf, dresser, or counter goes into a box before drawers and cabinets.
- Wrap fragile items one at a time. Stand plates on their edges, pad the bottom and top of each box, and fill gaps so nothing shifts.
- Keep like with like. Books with books, tools with tools. Mixed boxes are slow to unpack.
- Fill each box, but don't overfill it. The lid should close flat without bulging.
- Tape the bottom twice and the top once. Seams are where boxes fail.
- Label as you go. Don't leave it for the end.
Label boxes so unpacking is easy
Write the destination room, a short list of what's inside, and a mark for anything you'll want first. Put the label on the side of the box, not just the top, so it stays readable when boxes are stacked. If you like color, assign one tape color to each room.
Pack an essentials box
Fill one box or tote with what you'll need on the first night: toiletries, medications, phone chargers, a change of clothes, basic tools, paper towels, trash bags, and bedding for the first night. Keep important documents, valuables, and anything you can't replace with you rather than on the truck. Pack the essentials box last and load it last, so it comes off first.
Do a final walk-through
Before you leave, open every closet, cabinet, and drawer. Check the garage, the attic, and the back of shelves. It takes ten minutes and saves a return trip.
Ask your mover about restricted items
Movers often decline paint, fuel, propane, cleaning chemicals, and similar items. Ask what yours won't load, so you can handle those separately instead of finding out on moving day.
Want help packing?
Move Packing is one of our two core services. We box up a room, a floor, or the whole house, and label everything by room so it lands where it belongs. Two organizers can finish a big pack in fewer hours. We don't move furniture or drive a truck, so we pair well with your mover.
Rates are $55/hr for one organizer or $95/hr for two, booked in 2-, 4-, or 6-hour blocks. Packing supplies are extra, at our cost plus 15% and itemized on your invoice. Send a few photos for a free estimate, or see our services and pricing.