Packing is the unsexy part of moving but it’s where most damage happens, not on move day. Sloppy packing breaks dishes whether amateurs or pros are doing the lifting. This page is the room-by- room playbook crews use.
Supplies you actually need
Buy or scavenge:
- Small boxes (1.5 cu ft): 15-25 for a 1-BR; 25-40 for a 2-BR; 40-60 for a 3-BR. Books, dishes, dense small items.
- Medium boxes (3 cu ft): 20-30 for a 1-BR; 30-50 for a 2-BR; 50-80 for a 3-BR. Most things.
- Large boxes (4.5 cu ft): 10-20 for a 1-BR; 20-30 for a 2-BR; 30-50 for a 3-BR. Linens, pillows, lightweight bulky items.
- Wardrobe boxes (3-4 cu ft, with hanging bar): 2-5 boxes, depending on closet size. Hanging clothes go straight from closet to box, no folding.
- Packing paper (not newspaper — ink transfers): 25-50 lb bundle for a 2-BR.
- Bubble wrap: 1-2 rolls for fragile pieces.
- Packing tape: 4-8 rolls of 2”-wide. Don’t cheap out on tape; cheap tape pops under weight.
- Permanent markers: 4-6. One per packer.
- Stretch wrap (the big plastic-wrap rolls): 1 roll. For furniture, dressers with drawers, anything with multiple parts.
- Mattress bags: 1-2 (one queen, one king if you have both). $5-10 each at any U-Haul location.
Don’t skip the labeling supplies. The crew loads better when boxes are labeled, and you unpack faster.
The labeling system
Every box gets:
- Destination room, written large on two sides and the top. Not “bedroom” — be specific: “BEDROOM-1” or “PRIMARY BEDROOM” or “OFFICE.”
- One-line content summary so you can find things later: “books,” “kitchen — small appliances,” “winter clothes.”
- Fragile? Yes/no. Big “FRAGILE” on two sides.
Number the boxes (1 of 30, 2 of 30, etc.) only if you have multiple destinations or a long-distance move where you’re paranoid about a missing box. Otherwise skip the numbering — it doesn’t help the crew load and it slows you down.
Room-by-room
Kitchen
The kitchen takes longer than any other room. Plan for a full day of kitchen-only packing.
- Dishes: vertical, like records, with packing paper between each. Stack small dishes inside larger ones. Small boxes only — big boxes of dishes get heavy and the bottom collapses.
- Glasses: each one wrapped in two sheets of paper, stuffed with paper inside. Small box, packed in rows.
- Cookware: pots inside pots, lids in separate box (they rattle). Cast iron in small boxes only; medium boxes get too heavy.
- Small appliances: original box if you have it, otherwise pad with paper and put one per medium box.
- Knives: wrap blades in paper or cardboard, then bundle. NOT loose in a drawer that’s getting boxed.
- Pantry: only non-perishables; use up the rest. Liquid bottles taped shut at the cap; sealable bags second containment.
Living room
- TV: original box if possible. If not, wrap screen with bubble wrap, then a pad, then load standing up (never flat).
- Lamps: shade off, base wrapped in paper, shade in a separate large box (it doesn’t get heavier; the bulk is volume).
- Books: small boxes only. A small box of books weighs 30-40 lb; a medium box of books weighs 60-80 lb and the bottom blows out.
- Art and frames: glass-side together with cardboard between, stretch-wrapped. Loaded vertically against a mattress wall.
- Electronics: photograph the back of your TV and AV receiver before you unplug them. Bag cables by device, labeled.
Bedrooms
- Hanging clothes: wardrobe boxes. Lift the hangers from your closet rod directly to the wardrobe box rod. Don’t fold them.
- Folded clothes / drawers: leave them IN the dresser drawers, stretch-wrap the whole dresser, and the crew can move it loaded. (Not for super-heavy dressers; ask the crew on the day.)
- Bed: disassemble the night before. Bag the hardware, tape it to the headboard. Mattress bag the mattress.
- Shoes: their own boxes or shoeboxes inside a medium box.
- Jewelry / valuables: ride in your car, not the truck.
Bathroom
- Toiletries: keep a “first-night” essentials bag for what you need the night of the move. The rest in a medium box, with cleaning supplies bagged separately for spill containment.
- Towels and linens: pack them in large boxes. They double as packing material for the fragile items.
Home office
- Desktop computer: original box if you have it, otherwise
use the tower’s existing packing peanuts box or wrap in bubble
- a pad in a medium box. Stand it upright in the truck.
- Files / paper: bankers’ boxes are made for this. Don’t overfill — the handles tear.
- Monitors: stand vertical, padded, secured. Two monitors in the same large box is fine with foam between.
Garage / shed
- Yard tools: long-handled tools bundled together with stretch wrap. Heads padded.
- Power tools: original cases if you have them, otherwise individual small boxes. Drain batteries (don’t drain to zero — 20-30% is fine).
- Lawn mower / weed-eater: empty gas tank completely. Most rental contracts prohibit fuel. See what not to pack.
- Workbench / shop tools: heavy small boxes. Most overfilled garage boxes are the ones that break.
When to pack what
Working backward from move day:
- 8 weeks out: art, off-season clothes, decorative items, books you’re not currently reading.
- 4 weeks out: home office (except daily-use items), guest room, formal dining, garage.
- 2 weeks out: living room except daily-use, kitchen except 6 days’ worth of dishes/cookware.
- 1 week out: most of the bedroom (keep one drawer + the bed).
- 2 days out: kitchen down to paper plates and one pot. Bathroom down to a single soap-and-towel kit.
- The morning of: the first-night box and your bed bedding, if you slept on the bed the night before.
What not to pack
Anything that doesn’t fit in your destination — packed boxes that sit in a storage unit for years cost money for nothing. The 8-weeks-out window is when you do the brutal triage: keep, sell, donate, trash. Things you haven’t used in 12 months are usually candidates for donate or trash.
The day-of test
Before the crew arrives, walk every room. Are there:
- Drawers with stuff still in them you didn’t plan to leave? Empty them or label them.
- Cabinets with food you didn’t pack? Box it now or trash it.
- Anything fragile not labeled? Label it.
- Anything specifically NOT going on the truck (riding in your car)? Move it out of the loading path.
You’re done packing when the answer to all those is no.