Depending on the size of your wardrobe, packing all your clothes for a move can be challenging, especially when you don’t have enough time before your scheduled moving day. Whilst there’s always the option of hiring professional removalists to pack your belongings and get them ready for moving, not everyone has the resources to cover the additional costs. If you’re not moving too many items, there are plenty of ways you can get all the tasks done for your move.
Aside from getting your furniture and appliances ready for the moving day or before professional removalists arrive, choosing which clothes to pack and how to pack them is also challenging. Because of this, a lot of people avoid this task until the last minute and will end up packing everything, including pieces of clothing they no longer need. If you’re opting for a DIY move or a self-pack move, here are some tips that you can follow when packing your clothes for moving or storage.
Choose which clothes to pack
Deciding on which items to pack can be time-consuming, so it’s better that you start working on the task as soon as possible. A few weeks before your scheduled moving take out all pieces of clothing and choose items that you will be using when you reach your destination.
To make things easier, sort items into piles (keep, donate/sell, or dispose of). If you’re having a hard time choosing, only keep the items that you wore in the last few months, are in good condition, still fit, and have sentimental value. Other items can be placed on the remaining piles, depending on their condition and value.
Sort clothes
Once you’ve chosen which items you will be taking to your new home, you need to figure out how these items will be packed. You might want to sort clothes by pieces, making it easier to locate pants, shirts, dresses, etc. when you start organising the closet in your new home. Alternatively, consider sorting your clothes by frequency of use, season, or material. Sorting clothes by season is an effective method since it allows you to easily put the items at the back of the closet without having to unpack the box/container and organise them in your closet.
If you’re moving with your family, you may also sort clothes by person or apply the methods mentioned above to sort the items of each person. In such cases, the availability of packing materials is a huge factor in how these items will be sorted.
Fold items neatly
It might be tempting to just throw things into boxes or containers, but this will only make it more difficult to organise your belongings once you reach your new home. Messy clothing items might also consume more space on your suitcases, boxes, or containers. Hence, it is important to neatly fold everything and carefully stack them in your preferred containers.
Depending on the type of containers you will be using, you may employ various folding methods to maximise the space. If you’re not familiar with the different methods, here are some of the most common folds that you can try:
Military roll is one of the most popular ways to pack clothes for moving since it allows you to make the most out of your available space and prevents clothing items from getting wrinkled.
The flat fold method is best used when you need to pack bulky items such as jackets, jeans, and sweaters. Once the items are folded neatly, you can easily pack them into boxes or vacuum bags.
A newer method known as the KonMari where clothing items are folded into thirds and placed upright when packed into suitcases or duffel bags to conserve space.
Pack your clothes in sturdy boxes or containers.
This will help protect them from damage during the move. Use packing materials to protect your clothes. This includes packing paper, bubble wrap, and newspaper.
Pack your clothes in a way that makes sense. For example, pack all of your winter clothes together, and all of your summer clothes together.
Pack your essentials in a separate box or bag. This includes items like clothes for the first few days after your move, as well as any important documents.
Seal and label boxes/containers
Seal the boxes or containers properly to keep your items safe, especially when they are moved from one location to another. To make it easier to unpack and organise your clothing items upon reaching your destination, label each box or container properly, indicating its contents and which room it goes into. This way, you won’t have to open or unpack all boxes to locate the items you will be using immediately after moving in.
Listed below are additional packing tips that you might find helpful when it’s finally time to pack your clothes
- Use compression bags to save space. This is a great way to pack bulky items like winter coats and blankets.
- Roll your clothes instead of folding them. This will help them take up less space and reduce the chances of them wrinkling.
- Pack your clothes in the order you’ll need them. This will save you time when you’re unpacking.
- Take pictures of your clothes before you pack them. This will help you keep track of what you have and what you need to replace.
