The Ultimate Packing Guide for a Stress-Free Move

Packing badly is expensive in a way that is invisible until delivery day. Under-filled boxes collapse under the ones above them. Over-filled boxes split. Heavy items in large cartons cannot be lifted safely, so they get dragged. Most breakage in a move traces back to a packing decision rather than to the drive.

This guide covers what actually works, in the order you should do it.

Start with the right materials

Supermarket boxes are free and are the most common cause of crushed contents. They have been through a humid warehouse, they are inconsistent in strength, and they do not stack squarely. Use proper moving cartons, which are sized deliberately:

Alongside them: packing paper rather than newspaper, which transfers ink onto china; bubble wrap for fragile and electronic items; purpose-made tape rather than masking tape; and a thick marker.

The weight rule that prevents most problems: no carton over about 50 pounds, and the heavier the contents, the smaller the box. A large carton filled with books is both unliftable and structurally doomed.

Pack room by room, never by category

Working one room at a time keeps the labelling honest and the unpacking sane. Mixing rooms into a single box guarantees that box never gets fully unpacked.

Label every carton on two sides and the top — never only the top, because boxes get stacked. Each label needs the destination room, a one-line description of the contents, and the word FRAGILE where it applies. Numbering boxes and keeping a simple list lets you notice immediately if one is missing.

Kitchen

The slowest room. Allow a full day.

• Plates travel on their edges, not stacked flat — like records in a rack. Flat-stacked plates crack through the middle under load.
• Each plate, bowl and glass gets wrapped individually in paper.
• Stemware goes in cell dividers, upright, with paper inside the bowl of each glass.
• Fill every gap. Movement inside a carton is what breaks things; a box should not rattle when gently shaken.
• Knives are wrapped and taped blade-down in a clearly marked box.
• Drain and dry small appliances. Anything that has held water will develop mould in a sealed box.

Bedrooms and wardrobes

• Hanging clothes transfer directly into wardrobe cartons on their hangers.
• Folded clothing can stay in dresser drawers if the dresser is light enough to move loaded — ask the crew first, as this depends on the piece.
• Shoes go in their own boxes, not on top of clothing.
• Jewellery, documents and small valuables travel with you. Not on the truck.

Living areas and electronics

• Original boxes are ideal; where you do not have them, use double-walled cartons with generous bubble wrap.
• Photograph the back of every device before unplugging it. Reconnecting a television, router and sound system from memory is an evening you will not enjoy.
• Screens travel upright in a flat carton, never laid flat with weight on top.
• Coil cables, bag them, and tape the bag to the device it belongs to.
• Framed art and mirrors go in mirror cartons; tape a large X across glass to limit shattering if it cracks.

Books and documents

Small cartons only, laid flat or spine-down. Books are heavier than anyone expects. Keep passports, birth certificates, insurance papers, titles and medical records with you personally.

What movers are not permitted to transport

This catches almost everyone, usually on the morning of the move. Moving companies cannot carry hazardous materials, and the list is longer than people assume:

• Petrol, diesel, kerosene, lighter fluid, charcoal
• Propane tanks and camping fuel, including empty ones
• Paint, thinners, solvents, varnish
• Aerosols of any kind, including hairspray
• Pool chemicals, bleach, ammonia, fertilisers, weedkiller
• Fireworks, ammunition, matches, flares
• Fire extinguishers
• Nail polish and remover
• Car batteries

Also excluded in practice: perishable food, open containers, and anything frozen or refrigerated. Plan to use up, give away or properly dispose of these in the weeks before the move rather than on the day.

Houseplants are their own category. Many movers will not take them on long-distance moves, and California enforces agricultural inspection on plants entering the state. If plants matter to you, plan to carry them personally and check the destination state's rules.

The essentials box

Pack one carton — clearly marked, loaded last, unloaded first — containing what you need for the first 24 hours before anything else is unpacked:

Toilet paper, soap, towels, toothbrushes, medication, phone chargers, basic tools, a torch, scissors, bin bags, coffee and a kettle, bedding for each bed, a change of clothes per person, and anything a child or pet needs to settle.

Most people pack this box last and bury it. Pack it first and keep it in your own vehicle.

A workable schedule

When packing yourself is the wrong call

Self-packing saves money and is sensible for most household goods. It is a false economy for china, stemware, art, mirrors, marble, electronics without original boxes, and anything antique.

There is also a liability dimension worth knowing: when a mover packs an item, its packing is part of the service it is responsible for. When you pack a carton yourself and the contents break without external damage to the box, establishing responsibility is considerably harder.