Make Space

Make Space

Here are 41 moving and packing tips to use while planning your next move.

Now you just have to figure out how you’re going to pack and move everything without breaking the bank, your fragile lamp, or your back. Good thing we put together this list of 41 easy moving and packing tips that will make your move dead simple.

How do we know these tips will make your move dead simple?

We asked expert movers, packers, and professional organizers to share their best tips.

So sit back, grab a snack, and dive in!

1. Get rid of everything.

moving and packing tip: declutter garage storage shelves
Flickr/Distelfliege

Okay, maybe not everything, but the more unused and unnecessary items you eliminate from your home, the less stuff you’ll have to pack up, haul across town, unload, and organize.

Certified professional organizer Ellen Delap recommends clearing any clutter from your home as soon as you know you’ll be moving.

Be ruthless with your stuff. That coat you think is cute but haven’t worn in four months? Donate it.

The very first coffee maker you ever bought that flavors your morning brew with little pieces of rust? Trash it.

Doing a massive preliminary purge will have the single biggest impact on the efficiency and ease of your entire packing process.

2. Sort things by category.

easy moving and packing tip: sort books by category
Flickr/Jukka Zitting

Take a cue from Marie Kondo and organize your belongings by category, not by room (note that the category part only applies to the organization process, not the unpacking — that’s a whole separate ordeal).

Instead of spending a day cleaning out your entire bedroom, spend an afternoon sorting through every article of clothing you own.

Scour every coat closet, dirty clothes hamper, and laundry room until you’ve got all your clothes in one place. Then sort.

Do the same thing for books, shoes, important papers, and the like.

Free Bonus: Download our step-by-step KonMari Cheat Sheet so you can easily organize everything in your home just like Marie Kondo.

3. Schedule a free donation pickup.

makespace offers free goodwill pickups for storage customers in nyc, chicago, and dc
MakeSpace offers free Goodwill pickups for customers in NYC, Chicago, and DC

Save yourself a trip to your local Goodwill and schedule a MakeSpace pickup. In addition to picking up and storing practically anything (including furniture), we’ll also pick up your donation and drop it off to Goodwill — at no extra charge.

Pro Tip: If you’d like to donate to a different charity, check out our guide on where to donate your old clothes, books, furniture, toys, and more.

All you have to do is put your giveaway items in boxes and leave them on your doorstep.

The good men and women of Donation Town will then pick up your stuff and deliver it to a local charity of your choice.

4. Set aside stuff to sell.

pair of red lily shoes with bows on a white cloth
Flickr/Amy Ross

You probably have a few items you no longer want, but would love to get a little money for. If that’s the case, set these items aside and determine where you can sell them.

If it’s furniture, Craigslist or AptDeco might be your best bet. If it’s brand name clothing, you could try Poshmark or a local consignment store.

For specialty items like a gently used Coach purse or your collection of 90’s Beanie Babies, get on eBay.

Once you have everything sorted, set a date on your calendar to visit the nearest Buffalo Exchange or craft descriptions of the items you plan to sell online.

5. Research professional moving companies.

a woman wearing a blue meathead movers long sleeve shirt is smiling and carrying a moving box
Flickr/Meathead Movers

Research is never fun. Yelp and Google will overwhelm you with the sheer volume of choices for household moving companies to hire, but don’t give in to the pressure and pick the first four-star rating you see.

A moving company can often make or break your entire moving experience, so it’s important to get it right. The more effort you put into finding a reputable company with excellent customer service ahead of time, the less hassle you’ll have on moving day.

Lift NYC recommends double-checking that the moving company you want to hire is licensed with the state you’re in.

“There are tens of thousands of people claiming to be a ‘moving company’ when in actuality it’s just some guy with a van trying to make some extra money,” says Mike Sulkowska of Lift NYC.

Make sure to read the company’s list of services, fine print, and refund or damage policies, too. For example, some companies don’t lift items that aren’t in boxes (so your stuffed-to-the-brim duffel bags won’t make the cut), while others ask for full payment several weeks early.

Find out the specifics so there are no unwelcome surprises come moving day.

Pro Tip: Use Unpakt to find trustworthy moving companies, compare prices, and book your move online in minutes.

6. Pick the right moving day.

a personal organizer, pink flowers in a glass vase with water, and a glass jar containing chalk are on top of a wooden desk
Kaboom Pics

Hire your movers at least a month out so you can plan accordingly. If you have a flexible schedule, play around with potential moving dates and try to find the cheapest time of month to make an appointment.

Moving companies are busiest on weekends, so if you can skip the Saturday chaos and schedule your move for a Tuesday, you might get a significant discount.

7. Map out the best way to get to your new home.

a woman wearing a white shirt with purple flowers is outside holding a map
Britt-knee

Whether you’re moving to NYC, across the country, across state lines, or just to a neighboring town, you’re going to need an efficient travel route so you don’t waste your move-in day sitting in gridlock traffic or pulling over three different times to type an address into your GPS.

Figure out the easiest, most efficient way to get where you’re going. Look up potential highway construction schedules ahead of time. And take traffic, detours, and necessary stops into account when you’re making your plan.

8. Create a master moving to-do list

a pen on the inside of a things to do notebook is waiting for you to write your moving checklist
Flickr/Nikki Buitendijk

When you move homes, you inevitably end up having 600 different things to do and remember. Don’t let all these tasks and important reminders, no matter how seemingly obvious, slip your mind.

Write them down somewhere. Put them in the Notes app on your phone, in the to-do list app Wunderlist that professional organizer Anna Bauer recommends, or go old-school with a giant yellow legal pad.

No detail is too insignificant. You just remembered the name of the little bookstore in town that will accept your used novels? Write it down.

Not sure which novels to donate? Here’s how to decide what books to keep or get rid of.

You stuck that extra screw from the broken drawer next to the sink? Take note.

You have to return your cable box to your provider at least one day before you leave? Jot it down.

9. Put moving tasks on your calendar.

write moving day on diy dry erase calendar
Darling Doodles

Take your organization a step further and spend an evening mapping out everything you have to do. Get an oversized calendar and mark the empty white boxes with important daily tasks to prepare for your move.

Tuesday: Call moving company.

Wednesday: Sort through toiletries.

Thursday: Buy new sheets.

An added bonus to using the calendar method is that breaking up your tasks by day makes them seem more manageable. Also, don’t forget to add “celebrate with wine” somewhere in there to give you something to look forward to.

10. Get moving boxes from your local liquor store.

stacks of liquor store moving boxes
Flickr/Dan4th Nicholas

Pay a visit to your local liquor store (that’s where you can buy the aforementioned wine) to see if they recycle their used boxes. If so, ask if you can grab a handful so you’re saving a little paper in your moving journey.

Just make sure the boxes are very gently worn and that you only use them to hold lightweight items like linens and towels. You don’t want to deal with ripped boxes and broken valuables on the big day.

11. Check to see if you have original boxes for your electronics.

a sony flat screen tv stand with wheels is storing a sound system, speaker, playstation console, playstation controller, cable box, books, and papers
Flickr/William Hook

You might think your flat screen TV could withstand a 30-minute drive across town in a cardboard box, but alas, it’s a fragile piece of technology. The best way to transport your electronics is in the original boxes they arrived in when you purchased them.

Check to see if you stashed these boxes somewhere — attic? Garage? If you don’t have them, make a list of what you’ll need to buy or borrow to properly cushion your stuff.

Quilted blankets, bubble wrap, and sturdy tape all work well to protect TVs and similarly delicate items.

Free Bonus: We asked the best moving companies to share their top packing tips. Learn all of them here.

12. Go to the hardware store.

the tool box hardware store sells plenty of packing, moving, and storage supplies
Flickr/Tim Green

How, you might ask, is one trip to the hardware store even possible?

Here’s how: lists.

Make one and make it really thorough and detailed. Sit down with your family, partner, or roommates and brainstorm every possible item you will need to help you get through the moving process.

Again, nothing is too insignificant. Packing tape, cardboard boxes, packing paper, extra screws, putty, a measuring tape, a new industrial-size broom, you name it. Buy it all in one big haul.

13. Grab extra packing and moving supplies.

packing and moving supplies and tools organized neatly
Flickr/Myself248

Don’t forget the “just in case” items when you’re making your master hardware store list. Stock up now on extra supplies like light bulbs (check your lamps to verify the type you need), extension cords, and power strips so you’ll be set to go when you start moving things in.

14. Schedule disconnect times.

moving day checklist with red pen and check marks
Flickr/Guy Kilroy

Call your cable, internet, electricity, and gas providers at least a week ahead of your move to figure out when you need to shut everything off. Make sure you leave enough time in your schedule to gather any necessary items — like cords, remotes, or cable boxes — you may need to return.

15. Call in favors early.

young woman texting on an android phone
Kaboom Pics

If you’re relying on friends and family to help with your move, be courteous and give them a month’s notice. Do the same with babysitters for your children.

Send out an email with the details of where to meet, what time, what to bring, and what to wear (read: no sundresses or uncomfortable shoes) so everyone is on the same page.

16. Pack ahead.

rolled clothes are on a bed and ready for packing
Flickr/Connie Ma

Packing little by little is far less stressful than trying to tackle it all in one day. As early as a couple months out, start packing the stuff you know you won’t be using.

This can be anything from off-season clothing to books you’ve already read to mementos, pictures (here’s how to store and preserve old photographs), and keepsakes.

17. Pack decorative items a few weeks out.

clean and organized living room with a sofa, coffee table, endtables, lamps, framed art, and a midcentury modern chair
Flickr/Jurgen Leckie

Pack up all your art and decorative items several weeks before you move. These pieces can be some of the trickiest to store because they’re fragile and often oddly shaped, so having a bit of extra time to figure out how to properly cushion them is crucial.

Sure, your walls and mantels will look a bit stark, but when you’re running around the house a week before the move feeling like you’re about to lose your mind, you’ll be so glad your grandma’s landscape painting is already nestled in its precious bubble wrap.

18. Change your address a week before you move.

dark gray mailbox with red flag up on a sunny day with pink flowers in the background
Flickr/Ron Reiring

This is one of those things everyone forgets to do until they’re two weeks into life in a new home and they realize their Amazon Prime shipment still hasn’t arrived. Change your address ahead of time so your bills, credit card statements, and packages can arrive on time and without hassle.

19. Label moving boxes like a boss.

creative packing tip: label moving boxes according to item names and room name
Feathering The Empty Nest

The key to finding your stuff easily is labeling all your packed boxes accurately and clearly. When you’re stacking boxes in a van or car you won’t be able to see their tops, so make sure you label the sides as well. But don’t stop there.

Label the boxes by category and by room (for example, BooksLibrary and BooksBedroom) to speed up the unloading process.

If you’re more of a visual learner, use color-coded electrical tape to label your boxes.

rolls of yellow, orange, red, pink, green, and blue color-coded moving tape with rooms printed on it are on top of a packed box
Miller Supply Inc.

20. Create a number system.

a cardboard moving box with "#12" and "kitchen" written on the side
Paige Smith

If you want to take your box labeling a step further, create a number system.

As you pack up a box, take note of every single item inside of it. Write the list in a Google doc, or use a handy organizing app like Sortly, and then give the box a number.

This genius strategy has two major benefits:

  1. You can go straight to box #16 with the plunger instead of digging through every “Bathroom” box just to find it.
  2. You’ll know the total number of boxes you’re transporting so you can check to see if one goes missing or is stolen.

21. Use small boxes for heavy items.

simple moving and packing tip: pack books in a small box
Flickr/Alper Çugun

It sounds obvious, but if you’ve ever known the struggle that is carrying a large cardboard box stuffed full of college textbooks across a parking lot, then you also know this advice cannot be overstated.

Fill your small boxes with heavier items and use large boxes for light things like decorative pillows, towels, and linens (here’s how to properly clean and store your bedding).

22. Use packing tape.

packing tape dispenser laying on folded moving and storage boxes
Flickr/dogs & music

Not to be confused with duct tape, packing tape is the heavy-duty, insanely sticky clear tape you see at the post office.

Always make sure your boxes have tops, but don’t do the interlocking fold method with the flaps of your box tops — just tape them closed. It’s much more secure this way.

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