You may never reconsider all those random shopping sprees until you assess how many clothes you own in all totality. When preparing for a move, your closets full of clothing may seem more like a mountain as you figure out where to begin packing. In the content below, we take out all the guesswork by providing a complete, step-by-step breakdown on how to effectively pack clothes for a move.
Declutter Your Closets
Whether it’s a pile of old high school and college t-shirts, old bridesmaid gowns never worn twice, or a collection of mis-matched socks, surely unused items are just taking up space in your closet. Did you know that you wear about 20% of your entire wardrobe 80% of the time? On average, over 50% of your clothes are hardly ever worn. Think of all the unused clothing taking space in your closet!
Decision Time
Luckily, you can both declutter your clothing inventory and pack for a move in one simple step. To help decide what can leave your wardrobe, spend some time trying on each article of clothing. Assess if the item fits well, is free of any unintentional tears or holes, and is something you wore recently. For the items you cannot decide to keep or remove from your closet, place them in a bag out of sight for a few days. Then, try to remember what was missing from your closet. If you cannot remember, then you know it’s okay to leave it out of your wardrobe.
Donate or Sell What You Don’t Need
Imagine having two or three fewer boxes to pack and later unpack in your new home as a result of decluttering your closets. Once you’ve finished going through everything, make two piles: trash and re-home. Throw away what you know someone cannot use and re-home the rest by selling or donating. Instead of washing, rolling, and packing clothes you no longer want or need, consider someone else who could benefit from your excess! It’s your decision how to get rid of your “re-home” pile, but perhaps some extra cash could help cover a portion of the moving costs.
Pack Your Bags Categorically
After decluttering your closet, assess your wardrobe in totality and organize by category. Doing so helps you determine the number of boxes needed to sufficiently pack and store everything. When packing with boxes or bins, use a permanent marker or label to effectively distinguish where each container goes. Coordinating everything maintains organization – especially when packing for a storage unit. Additionally, when labeling, specify the contents inside. For example:
- Formal Wear: Blazers, suits, and gowns
- Seasonal Clothing and Accessories: Heavy coats, rain jackets, umbrellas, sweaters, insulated gloves, earmuffs, scarves, and hats
- Shoes: Gym shoes, sandals, flip-flops, sneakers, flats, heels, boots, rainboots, and slippers
- Undergarments and Intimates
- Baby Clothes: Onesies, bibs, tops, bottoms, shoes, sleep suits, swaddles, and blankets
- Regular Clothing: Blouses, t-shirts, jackets, vests, pajamas, jeans, slacks, leggings, casual dresses, and skirts
Looking for Moving Hacks?
Life is simpler when you find alternative and quicker ways to complete something. Luckily, packing your clothes doesn’t have to be strenuous or time consuming! Below, we compiled our top five moving hacks proven to help you during the packing and unpacking process.
Dedicate One Box or Backpack for Moving Week
People grow annoyed after sifting through freshly packed clothing in search of something to wear throughout the moving process only to re-pack it later. To save time and frustration, set aside one week’s worth of clothing during your move to prevent searching through neatly packed clothes and undoing all your hard work.
Wrap Your Clothes Like the Gifts They Are
If the idea of folding and rolling each piece of clothing makes you already feel tired, this hack is for you. For those who don’t want to purchase wardrobe boxes, you can similarly protect your wardrobe with items already in your home! Not only does wrapping your clothes save time, but it prevents an onslaught of wrinkles that improper folding causes as you no longer need to remove tops and bottoms from hangers. To apply this hack, tie together 5-15 hangers and cover them completely with garbage bags or bedsheets to keep dust and dirt out. This hack works best for shirts and formal wear not currently in separate garment bags.
Shrink Your Wardrobe with Vacuum Seals
Thicker articles of clothing can quickly take up space when packing. However, to save space in the moving truck, consider using vacuum seal bags to remove any extra air bulkier items tend to have. You will be shocked to see how flat the bag can become!
Get the Most Out of Your Dresser Drawers
Since dresser drawers need to be removed from the dresser base and moved, consider using them for their intended purpose: storing your clothing. To effectively pack clothing in dresser drawers, tightly roll your clothing to get the most out of the drawer space. Then, seal the drawer opening to prevent anything from falling out during its transit.
Wheels Up
Though a single shirt or sweater seems light as a feather, stuffing a large box with clothing quickly grows harder to lift. Therefore, packing your clothes in a suitcase with wheels prevents any injuries incurred from lifting a heavy box.
When in Doubt, Let Alliance Moving & Storage Move You Out!
Sometimes, balancing work, family, and other responsibilities is overwhelming. If packing not only your wardrobe but also the rest of your home feels untimely and you are unsure how you will have everything packed in time, we are happy to help! At Alliance Moving and Storage, we are devoted to helping you through every part of the moving process. From offering packing and disassembly services to transport and storage, our professionals are ready to help. Are you ready to pass the packing on to us at Alliance? Contact our team today to receive a free quote for our services!
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