A Room by Room Guide to Packing Efficiently for a Move

By Claire Nicholas

Aug 26, 2024

In Your Closet 

1. Especially if it’s been a while, try doing a serious closet clean out before start to pack clothes. After all, you might as well maximize the fresh start you’re getting in your new apartment. Donate clothes you didn’t wear all season, shoes that are broken or uncomfortable, and sweaters that are always a little too itchy to wear out the door.
2. Invest in compressing vacuum bags for your bulkier items. This will allow you to flatten multiple sweaters, hoodies, long dresses, and other bulky clothing into a very thin and stackable pallet perfect for your packing boxes. When it comes to moving linens and bedding, vacuum bags are your best bet for saving space. 
3. Pack matched socks inside your shoes to save space and help your shoes keep their shape. When you put them in boxes, pack them with the laces touching and the heels opposite one another. That way your packing layers can remain level.  

In The Kitchen 

1. Gap filling is key in packing kitchen items into moving boxes. You’ll likely have many one-off items like lemon squeezers, can openers, and whisks, so you might have to set perfect organization to the side. If you see a gap between your chopper and immersion blender, fill it with one of the smaller items like a microplane instead of leaving empty spaces.
2. When dealing with fragile items, you can still save space while packing your kitchen. Protect items like glassware with your soft kitchen items like towels, oven mitts, pot holders, tablecloths, napkins, and placemats or chargers. It’s a cheaper and more sustainable alternative to bubble wrap!
3. Separate heavy items. Instead of trying to box together heavy items like cast iron pots and pans, blenders, stoneware, and mortar and pestles, use them to anchor individual boxes containing lightweight or fragile items to disperse weight and help all boxes stay put in transit.  
4. Similar to your closet clean out, you’ll want to do a pantry sweet before you move. Get rid of any expired spices, canned foods, and dry goods before you pack them away. When it comes to perishable food in your fridge, be realistic about what you will cook with when you start unpacking in your new apartment. If you don’t see yourself using it before it goes bad, give it away or donate it to a food bank.

In the Bathroom 

1. Be strategic before moving day. Check the expiration dates on all your products, donate items you no longer use, and finally give away those expensive skincare items you ended up having bad reactions to. Chances are, you won’t miss them and moving gives you the perfect opportunity to declutter.
2. Give special care to fragile items like perfumes and other objects in glass bottles. Roll them up inside your towels, using them as cushioning to keep breakables safe and consolidate your packing. 
3. Get comfortable with consolidating boxes. If you already store your cleaning supplies, toiletries, or cosmetics in baskets, see if you can separate the items with a flat layer (a towel, a piece of cardboard, etc) as a divider to help consolidate. You can separate the items back into their respective bins and baskets when you move into your new place. If you’re worried about organization, try to keep similar items together and label boxes with lots of detail as you go about the packing process.

In the Living Room 

1. Given their bulkiness and large surface area, sometimes it’s best to disassemble your furniture before packing it. Especially if you don’t mind putting things back together, it can be worth it to take apart things like coffee tables, side tables, book shelves, and other applicable items.
2. Don’t overlook items that can double as storage receptacles. Ottomans, benches, and baskets, for example, make great places for any items that don’t have a clear place in your boxes. Remember, there are no rules in packing, and you can use that to your advantage; don’t be afraid to combine items from different rooms.
3. Be smart with soft items. Instead of packing your folded blankets and pillows in cardboard boxes, use them to pad and protect fragile items like TVs and electronics, picture frames, mirrors, and pottery.