What you’ll need
Most homes need more boxes than people expect. As a rough guide, a one-bedroom flat needs 20 to 30 boxes and a three-bedroom house needs 60 to 80.
- Double-wall boxes in small, medium and large sizes. Use small ones for books and anything heavy.
- Wardrobe boxes for hanging clothes.
- Packing paper for plates and glasses, and bubble wrap for anything with a delicate finish.
- Packing tape and a tape gun. It’s much faster, and you’ll seal boxes properly.
- Marker pens and a roll of coloured labels if you want to colour-code rooms.
The golden rules
- Heavy items in small boxes. A large box full of books is too heavy to carry safely and usually splits.
- Fill every box to the top. Half-empty boxes crush when they’re stacked. Fill gaps with towels, bedding or scrunched paper.
- Tape the bottom twice. Run tape along the centre seam and across both edges.
- Keep boxes under about 15 kg. If you struggle to lift it, split it.
- One room per box. Mixing rooms is what makes unpacking slow.
Room by room
Kitchen
Wrap plates individually and stand them on their edge, like records, rather than flat. Glasses go rim-down in a box with dividers. Put a layer of scrunched paper in the bottom of every box of breakables.
Bedrooms
Clothes can stay in chest drawers if they’re light. Hanging clothes go straight into wardrobe boxes. Strip beds the night before and keep one set of bedding with you.
Living room
Photograph the back of your TV before unplugging it so reconnecting is easy. Wrap screens in a blanket or the original box. Pictures and mirrors go on their edge, with cardboard between them.
Bathroom
Tape the lids of liquids closed and put them in a sealed bag inside the box. Keep medication with you.
Garage and garden
Drain fuel from lawnmowers and empty gas bottles. Clean garden furniture so it doesn’t bring mud into the van.
Labelling that actually helps
Write the room and a short contents list on the top and one side of each box, because the top is hidden once boxes are stacked. Mark fragile boxes clearly and write “this way up” where it matters. Number your boxes and keep a list, so you know at a glance if one is missing.
What not to pack
We can’t move flammable or dangerous items: paint thinners, petrol, gas bottles, fireworks, aerosols in bulk and chemicals. Keep valuables (jewellery, cash, passports, laptops, hard drives) and important documents with you rather than in the van.
Want us to pack for you?
Our packing service can do the whole home the day before, or just the kitchen and fragile items. We bring all the materials.