How to pack clothes for moving

What is the quickest way to pack hanging clothes?

A wardrobe box with a hanging rail. You lift a handful of hangers off the rail, hang them on the bar in the box, close the lid, and at the other end lift them straight back into the wardrobe. Nothing gets folded, nothing needs ironing, and it is the only way to move a wardrobe that is quicker than unpacking it.

Fill wardrobe boxes so the clothes are snug, not crushed. A loosely filled box lets everything slide to one end when it is tipped onto a trolley. Shoes or a folded jumper or two can go in the base under the hems.

What about the cheap alternative: bin bags over the hangers?

It works for a short move in your own car. Poke the hanger hooks through the bottom of a rubbish bag, pull the bag down over the clothes and tie the open end. The downside is that bags crush in a truck, tear on corners, and look exactly like rubbish to everyone helping, which is how clothes end up at the tip. If a removalist is loading the truck, use boxes.

How should you pack folded clothes?

Light folded clothes, like T-shirts, summer dresses and bedding, are cheapest in large boxes. Heavy ones go in medium boxes: a large box full of jeans and jumpers is heavier than people expect and awkward to carry down stairs. Roll T-shirts and gym gear to fit more in, put heavy items like denim at the bottom, and use spare gaps for socks and scarves. Label each box with the person and the season, not just the room.

• Pack off-season clothes first, several weeks before the move
• Donate or sell what has not been worn in a year before it gets packed
• Vacuum-seal bags suit bulky winter gear and duvets, but squash wool and down
• Keep a few days of clothes in a bag that travels with you, not on the truck

Can you leave clothes in the drawers?

Often, if the drawers are light and the furniture is solid. Many removalists are happy to move a chest of drawers with soft clothes still inside, but some prefer them empty, and heavy or flat-pack drawers should always be emptied. Ask the crew when you book. If you do leave them full, take out anything that can break or leak.

How many boxes do you need for clothes?

As a rough guide, a normal single wardrobe is usually one wardrobe box and a shared double is usually two. One or two boxes cover what is folded in a typical set of drawers, so a shared main bedroom often needs two wardrobe boxes and four to six others. Our box calculator adds clothes into the total for the whole house.