Room-by-Room Packing Guide: How to Pack a House for Moving

Step 1: Start with the guest room and storage spaces

Begin in the rooms you barely use. Guest bedrooms, attics, storage closets, and seasonal storage areas are the obvious starting points because nothing in them affects your daily life.

• Tackle out-of-season clothing first. Pack winter coats and other off-season clothing into clearly labeled boxes or suitcases. Use vacuum-sealed bags for bulky items like comforters and ski jackets to save space.
• Box up holiday decorations. Wrap fragile ornaments individually in packing paper. Use compartmented boxes if you have them so the ornaments don’t bang against each other in transit.
• Pack rarely-used items. Anything you haven’t reached for in the last month can go now, including spare bedding and old photo albums you’ve been holding onto.

Step 2: Tackle the garage and basement

Garages tend to turn into a graveyard for half-finished projects and old sports equipment. Before you box anything up, pull everything out into the driveway and be ruthless about what stays. If you haven’t touched that pressure washer since 2021, don’t pay someone to move it.

• Wrap sharp tools securely. Bundle saw blades and other sharp tools in heavy paper or padding. Write “sharp” on the outside of the box so movers know to handle with care.
• Dismantle whatever you can. Break down storage shelves and workbenches into their component parts.
• Drain all fuel. Lawn mowers, weed eaters, leaf blowers, and any gas-powered equipment have to be empty before they go on a moving truck. Remove batteries from cordless power tools too. Be sure to check your mover’s non-allowables and plan around them.
• Group hardware in labeled ziplock bags. Loose nails and screws go into labeled bags so you can find them later. Tape any furniture-specific hardware directly to the furniture it belongs to.

Step 3: Pack offices and bookshelves

• Back up your computer first. Before you unplug anything, copy important files to an external drive or cloud storage. Hard drives get damaged in transit sometimes, and you don’t want a single point of failure.
• Photograph the cable setup. Take a clear picture of all the cords behind your computer before you start disconnecting. Label each cable with a piece of masking tape noting which device it belongs to.
• Organize documents in labeled folders. Sort important paperwork into manila folders or document boxes, grouped by category like tax records, medical records, insurance, and vehicle papers. Keep anything irreplaceable with you on moving day rather than on the truck.
• Pack books flat or spine-down. Standing books on their spines for the whole move can warp the binding. Lay them flat in the box or stand them upright with the spines against the box wall.
• Wrap small office items together. Staplers and tape dispensers can go in a small box labeled “office supplies” with packing paper filling the empty space.
• Disassemble large desks. Most office desks come apart for transport. Keep all screws and brackets in a labeled bag taped to the underside of the desktop.

Step 4: Pack the living and dining rooms

• Start with decor and wall art. Wrap picture frames and other small décor items individually in packing paper. Stand picture frames on their edges in the box like records in a crate, with paper between each one. Don’t pack them flat.
• Handle electronics carefully. Use original boxes for TVs and gaming consoles if you have them. If not, use plenty of bubble wrap and pack each item snug with no shifting room. Photograph the cable setup before disconnecting anything.
• Wrap lamps and shades separately. Remove bulbs and detach shades before wrapping the lamp base. Pack lamp shades in their own box (one shade per box if it’s large) with paper filling the empty space around them. Label fragile.
• Cushion the couch cushions. Wrap loose cushions in plastic furniture wrap or large covers to keep them clean. They can ride loose in the truck once they’re protected.
• Disassemble big furniture. Most modular and ready-to-assemble furniture comes apart for the move. Keep hardware in labeled ziplock bags taped directly to the matching piece.

Step 5: Pack bedrooms and closets

• Use wardrobe boxes for hanging clothes. Wardrobe boxes are tall with a metal bar at the top, so clothes go in on their hangers and stay wrinkle-free.
• Try the trash bag wardrobe trick for everything else. For casual clothes, pull a kitchen-size trash bag up over 20 to 30 hanging garments, cinch it at the hanger hooks, and lay the bundle flat in a box.
• Vacuum-seal heavy bedding. Comforters and pillows take up massive space in regular boxes. Vacuum-sealed bags shrink them to a fraction of the volume.
• Leave clothes in dresser drawers, then wrap the drawers. Pull the drawers out of the dresser frame and wrap each drawer in plastic stretch wrap so the contents stay put.
• Pack shoes in their own box. Wrap each shoe individually in packing paper to keep them from scuffing each other. Fill any empty space with crumpled paper or rolled-up socks.
• Protect the mattress. Use a mattress bag or heavy plastic wrap to keep the mattress clean and dry in the truck.
• Bag the bed frame hardware. Tape a labeled ziplock bag with screws and brackets directly to the disassembled frame so nothing goes missing during transit.

For more tips on getting your bedroom ready for a move, check out our bedroom packing guide.

Step 6: Pack the bathrooms

Bathrooms are mostly liquids and small items, which makes them tricky.

• Clear out expired products first. Go through and toss anything past its date, including old makeup and expired medications you’ve been holding onto. Don’t pay to move things you’ll just throw out at the new house.
• Tape lids on all liquid containers. Shampoo, mouthwash, lotion, and any bottle with a flip-top should get taped shut. Then put each one in a ziplock bag in case a lid pops off in transit.
• Protect mirrors and glass containers. Wrap each piece in bubble wrap and pack in sturdy boxes labeled “fragile.” Glass jars from your countertop deserve the same treatment.
• Separate cleaning supplies into their own box. Keep cleaning chemicals together and label the box clearly. Important: do not pack bleach and ammonia in the same box. They can mix into toxic fumes if a bottle leaks in transit.
• Bag your toilet brush and plunger. Wrap them in plastic bags before they go in any box so they don’t contaminate other items. Honestly, this is also a good excuse to just buy new ones for the new house.

For a deeper walkthrough, see our no-nonsense guide to packing your bathroom.

Step 7: Save the kitchen for last

The kitchen is the hardest room to pack, which is why it goes near the end. It’s full of fragile items and awkwardly shaped objects you use right up until moving day.

• Start with the things you don’t use weekly. Holiday platters and specialty appliances you only pull out for parties can be packed first. Same with cookbooks you haven’t opened in years.
• Use dish pack boxes for fragile items. Dish pack cartons are extra-sturdy with double walls, designed for china and stemware. Use them for any fragile piece under 18 inches. Wrap each dish individually in clean packing paper.
• Stack plates vertically, not flat. Plates stacked flat crack under pressure. Stand them up on their edges like records in a crate, with paper between each one.
• Wrap glasses individually. Each glass gets its own wrap of packing paper. Crumple paper inside the glass too if it’s especially fragile. Nest them gently in the box with padding between.
• Bundle silverware before packing. Group silverware by type (forks together, knives together) and wrap each bundle in paper. You can place the wrapped bundles back into the silverware tray, then wrap the whole tray and tape it shut. The wrapped tray goes flat in the bottom of a kitchen box.
• Double-wrap knives and label the bundle. Sharp knives without sleeves need extra protection. Wrap each one in paper or a kitchen towel, then bundle them with the blades alternating direction so they don’t cut through. Tape generously and label “SHARP.”
• Prep small appliances individually. Wrap each small appliance individually in towels or packing paper before boxing. Microwaves and toasters often need their own boxes.
• Donate or use up pantry items. Anything heavy or perishable should go before the move. Donate sealed non-perishables you don’t want to haul to the new place.

Need more help with the kitchen specifically? We have a full kitchen packing guide just for that.

Step 8: Assemble your open-first box on moving day

This is the box you’ll open first at the new house. Pack it on the morning of your move with everything you’ll need for the next 24 hours:

• Toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, deodorant)
• A change of clothes and pajamas
• Phone chargers and laptop chargers
• Medications and any first-aid items
• Important documents like closing papers and IDs
• Snacks and bottled water
• A roll of toilet paper and hand soap
• A sheet set and pillowcases for the first night

Keep this box in your personal vehicle rather than the moving truck. The truck might not get unloaded until the next day for long-distance moves, and you don’t want to hunt for your toothbrush after a 12-hour drive.