How to Pack for a Move, Room by Room

Packing takes longer than almost anyone plans for. Starting early with the rooms you use least, and keeping the essentials for last, turns it from a weekend of chaos into a routine of a few boxes a day.

Supplies

Get boxes in three sizes, packing tape and a tape gun, packing paper, bubble wrap for fragile items, markers and labels, and stretch wrap or moving blankets for furniture. The moving boxes calculator tells you how many boxes of each size and how many rolls of tape you need.

Packing order

1. Storage and seasonal items Attic, garage, basement, off-season clothes and decorations — things you will not miss.
2. Books, decor and spare rooms Books in small boxes; pictures and mirrors in mirror boxes or wrapped in blankets.
3. Most of the kitchen Keep one set of dishes and a pan; wrap glasses one by one and stand plates on edge.
4. Bedrooms and bathrooms Clothes in wardrobe or large boxes, toiletries sealed in bags.
5. First-night box Last of all: chargers, medicines, documents, toiletries, a change of clothes, bedding and basic tools.

Fill, seal and label

Put heavy things at the bottom and light ones on top, fill gaps with paper so nothing shifts, and choose a manageable packed weight for the actual handler and route; no single weight is safe for everyone. Tape the bottom and the top seams, and write the room and a short list of contents on two sides, not on the lid — lids are hidden when boxes are stacked.