How to pack up your house to move home..

Moving house is considered one of the most stressful life experiences there is, but there are ways to soften that stress, and one of these is to carefully manage the packing up of your house in plenty of time for the actual removal day.

Here is our guide to where to start and how to maintain order and calm throughout. 

Declutter 

When packing up your home, the first thing to do is to be very clear on what you DO NOT want to take to your new home. This is especially key if you’re downsizing! There is nothing more frustrating than opening a box of stuff and thinking – why have I brought this?! So before you pack – declutter. We have written many times about the various decluttering methods that have been devised, and there is sure to be one out there that suits your way of doing things. Check out our decluttering for downsizing blog here, for example. A good declutter will also boost your mental wellbeing, as you sort the contents of every room, deciding what to keep, sell, donate or dump.

Make an inventory

Get yourself a brand new notebook and write a detailed inventory of your belongings as you declutter, room by room. Write a list of all the things you are keeping, in each room. This will help you feel more organised and will help you be sure of where everything is as you unpack – you may not be doing a straight room-for-room unpack, or you may be putting items into storage, for example.

Make a plan as to which rooms to pack first

Start with the least used rooms – guest room, dining room, etc, and then move to the most used rooms, finishing with your bedroom and kitchen.

Do not underestimate how long each room will take you!

Most people vastly underestimate how long it will take to pack up an entire house. It’s not simply a matter of throwing things in boxes – you need to wrap many of your items for safe transport, for example, from plates to paintings, ornaments to table lamps. This will more than double the amount of time you’re touching most of your items, plus the time needed to seat them safely in a box, pack other items into the same box, then seal and label the box.

Hire or buy plenty of boxes, tape and wrapping materials

We recommend you source a variety of box sizes, small to large. 

Get plenty of packing tape and the packing tape dispenser – it will speed up sealing the boxes considerably! 

Clearly label each box with its contents and the room it belongs to – use A4 sheets of white paper and write these labels out BIG!

Packing tips

1. Pack heavier items in smaller boxes to prevent breakage and make them easier to carry. 
2. Breakable items: wrap fragile items individually with bubble wrap, packing paper, or towels and sheets
3. Fill the gaps: Use packing paper, towels, scraps of bubble wrap, old blankets, sheets, pillow cases, dishcloths, etc, to fill gaps in boxes to prevent items from shifting about in transit.
4. Pack clothing in large boxes or suitcases, using packing paper to prevent wrinkles. Rolling rather than folding clothes causes fewer creases, and helps maximise the packing space.
5. If you have kept the original boxes for electronics, brilliant, but few of us have the storage space for that, so if not, wrap electronics in bubble wrap and pack them in sturdy boxes. 
6. Place toiletries and cleaning supplies in plastic bags to prevent leaks. If you can, use tie-handle or ziplock bags.
7. Where possible, disassemble furniture and wrap each piece. Place all the attachments, screws, etc, in a ziplock bag and label it immediately. You can either pack tape this to the furniture or, better, set aside one plastic lidded box where all these bags can be placed for safe transit.

Pack yourself a ‘First Night’ box.

Pack a box with essential items you’ll need upon arrival at your new home (e.g., toiletries, medications, phone chargers, night clothes, fresh clothes for the morning) and also a breakfast box – make sure you have a good breakfast before you start the task of unpacking it all again!

Important Documents

Keep important documents, like passports and birth certificates, in a safe and accessible place, clearly labelled, that you should carry with you, rather than put on the removal van.

Moving Day Essentials:

First aid kit: pack any regular medications in a first aid kit, along with antibacterial wipes and plasters, paracetamol and an eye rinse – it’s all ‘just in case’, but it’s better to be prepared!

Snacks and drinks: you will need to keep fully fuelled up, so pack protein-based snacks and plenty of drinks for the day. 

It’s a big day, but if you plan in advance and get organised, it needn’t be a day where you have to solve unexpected problems and feel those stress levels rise.

Eddie – Friday 1st August 2025. (Images from Ross at TXM Removals).