15 tips, tricks and hacks for packing clothes when moving
By Michelle Clardie•Last updated Aug 19, 2022
Last updated Aug 19, 2022
Table of Contents
- 1. You don’t have to take everything with you.
- 2. Make sure clothes are clean and dry before packing.
- 3. Start by packing clothes you won’t wear for a while.
- 4. Try “ranger rolling” to save space.
- 5. Leave folded clothes in your dresser and drawers.
- 6. Use a wardrobe box for hanging clothes.
- 7. Vacuum-seal bulky clothing items.
- 8. Pack shoes, hats and other accessories separately.
- 9. Clearly label everything (and protect the label).
- 10. Use clothing as free packing material.
- 11. Take extra care with luxury items and delicates.
- 12. Pack an overnight bag for each household member.
- 13. Keep a bag or basket available for dirty laundry.
- 14. Repurpose your sentimental pieces before your move.
- 15. Pay attention to the weight of your moving boxes and bags.
- Hire a packing service on Thumbtack.
- FAQs
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Let’s face it: no one really enjoys folding and packing clothes for a move. Unfortunately, there’s no way around it. However, there are some strategies you can use to protect your clothing and save as much space as possible in your boxes and suitcases.
With the good money you’ve spent on clothing, you naturally want to protect it. If you’re moving to a new home, you may have many questions about how to take care of clothing during the process:
- How should I pack clothes to save space?
- How can I minimize wrinkles when I pack clothes for a move?
- Can I store my clothes in cardboard boxes?
- Are garment bags and wardrobe boxes necessary?
- Do I need to empty my dresser drawers?
And the list goes on. Luckily, we have answers and helpful tips you can use when packing your clothes for a move.
1. You don’t have to take everything with you.
Moving gives you the perfect opportunity to go through your belongings and decide what’s worth keeping, what should be donated and what should be tossed. Before you start packing your clothes, sort through them to decide which items won’t be making the move with you.
Here are some tips to help you decide whether to keep or toss your clothes:
- Donate or sell clothes you haven’t worn in the past year and are unlikely to wear again. You can donate those items as long as they are in good condition.
- Donate or sell clothes that don’t fit anymore. You might decide to keep your aspirational “skinny jeans,” but there’s no reason to hold onto an entire wardrobe of clothes that don’t fit.
- Donate or sell outdated styles. Sure, fashion trends often come back around, but do you want those items taking up storage space for the next 10 to 20 years until they’re back in style?
- Toss damaged clothing items. Most donation centers don’t have the manpower to repair damaged clothing. And if you haven’t taken the item to be mended by now, you probably won’t get around to it.
- Toss overly worn clothing items. There’s no need to hold onto clothing you’d be embarrassed to be seen in.
2. Make sure clothes are clean and dry before packing.
Clothing can get musty over time, especially in humid climates. So it’s generally a good idea to wash and dry clothing that hasn’t been worn in a while, like your out-of-season wardrobe, before packing it. This can prevent one musty piece from passing that smell along to the rest of the items packed with it.
Your clothes should also be completely dry before they’re packed. Any lingering moisture can cause trouble once clothing is sealed in a poorly ventilated box or bag. Too much moisture could even cause mold to grow, which would ruin your clothing.
Pro tip: To keep clothes extra fresh while they’re packed away, toss a fresh dryer sheet into each bag and box before sealing them closed.
3. Start by packing clothes you won’t wear for a while.
The best place to start is with clothes you won’t need for several weeks or months. The last thing you want to do is pack away clothing you’ll need in the weeks leading up to your move.
Take a look at your calendar to see what events you have coming up between now and your move date. Make sure you leave something appropriate available for each event. For example, if you have a wedding coming up in a few weeks, decide what you’ll wear and keep that outfit hanging in your closet for easy access.
Now, how should you pack clothing items that won’t be worn for a while? Here are a few options:
- Cardboard boxes. There’s nothing wrong with putting clothing in moving boxes. In fact, moving boxes may be one of the easiest ways to pack clothes since they’re easy to stack and load into a moving truck or moving van.
- Luggage. If you store seasonal clothing in luggage, you may be tempted to leave the items there. But you might be better off using your luggage to move extra heavy items like books.
- Trash bags. Garbage bags are a cost-effective option for moving clothes. But they come with a few drawbacks. The bags can tear, the weight of the clothes can cause the handles to break, the clothes inside can wrinkle more because there’s no structure to the bags, and the bags can be hard to stack neatly.
4. Try “ranger rolling” to save space.
Using the “ranger rolling” method to pack clothing instead of folding it is a popular travel hack, and YouTubers have shown how much space it can save in luggage. You can use this tip as you pack for your move too — you just need to know when it works best.
For example, this rolling method works best for casual items with relaxed fabric, like cotton. T-shirts, pants, sundresses, workout clothes and loungewear all roll well.
Rolling doesn’t work as well for fabrics that wrinkle easily. Dress shirts and slacks, for example, tend to hold onto rolling wrinkles. Even with an iron, it can be difficult to remove wrinkles from these items.
Bulky items also don’t roll well and can actually take up more space when rolled than when folded. So don’t try to roll your thick sweaters or sweats.
5. Leave folded clothes in your dresser and drawers.
Rather than moving all your clothing out of dresser drawers and repacking it in moving boxes or bags, you may want to leave it where it is. You’ll need to move the drawers anyway, and they can serve as handy containers for your clothing.
If you need to remove the drawers from the dresser because the dresser is too heavy to move with the drawers inside, wrap the drawers in plastic wrap to keep the clothing in place. As a bonus, the wrap will help protect the drawers from nicks and scratches during the move.
6. Use a wardrobe box for hanging clothes.
Wardrobe boxes let you keep items on clothes hangers, which saves a lot of time when packing and unpacking.
If you don’t have access to wardrobe boxes, you can use a hack to achieve a similar effect. Simply section your hanging garments into groups of about 10 items on your closet rod. Then fit a large trash bag around each section, using the bag strings to secure the hangers together.
Just know that these bags will be harder to move than a wardrobe box. With the box’s structure, you can easily stack boxes and know that the contents will stay secure. Bags can slide around, slip into crevices between moving boxes and be more difficult to keep tidy.
7. Vacuum-seal bulky clothing items.
Vacuum bags can help you save space when it comes to fluffy items like sweaters and coats, as well as other linens like towels and blankets.
Simply insert the hose of your vacuum into the vacuum bag and turn it on to remove the air before sealing the bag shut. Ta-da! You have a space-efficient vacuum-sealed bag.
By the way, you can use this same method with standard ziplock bags. But they might not seal as tightly as vacuum bags, and air could get back in and inflate the bag.
8. Pack shoes, hats and other accessories separately.
Shoes, hats and jewelry deserve special treatment. Use these packing tips when dealing with these clothing items and accessories.
To pack shoes, try the following:
- Insert packing material into the shoes to help them keep their structure. Packing paper or bubble wrap can be used for this purpose. But if you want to save space, you can use socks, dish towels or washcloths.
- Place shoes in shoeboxes, if possible. Saving shoeboxes is always a good idea. Not only can you store your shoes comfortably in their boxes, which stack neatly in the closet, but the boxes also make it easier to protect your shoes during the move.
- Place the shoe boxes in a medium or large moving box. If you don’t have shoe boxes available, you can wrap each pair in cling wrap, then pad them with towels or bedsheets in the moving box. The cling wrap will keep the shoes from making your linens dirty.
- Use a shoe organizer with pockets. If you don’t have that many shoes, consider getting a hanging organizer you can lay in your car’s backseat or trunk when moving. Bonus: these organizers can also hang over doors for easy storage when you move into your new home.
When packing hats, remember these rules:
- Knit hats and well-worn baseball caps can simply be packed with your other clothing items in boxes and bags.
- Use hat boxes for structured hats like cloche hats, fedoras, cowboy hats and straw sun hats for better protection. You can often purchase hat boxes from home goods stores.
Use these tips to pack jewelry:
- Wrap your rings, brooches, watches and hair accessories in packing paper to protect them. Secure the paper with tape so the wrapping doesn’t come off in transit.
- Lay your necklaces and bracelets flat on a sheet of packing paper and tape them to the paper to prevent the chains from tangling. Then carefully roll up the packing paper and secure it with a piece of tape.
- Place all wrapped jewelry in a plastic bag, then wrap the bag with bubble wrap for additional protection.
9. Clearly label everything (and protect the label).
Whether you’re moving yourself or hiring professional movers, every box and bag should be labeled to make sure things are delivered to the proper room in your new house and to help you find things easily after the move.
The label should include:
- A brief description of the contents, such as winter clothes.
- Who the items belong to, such as Olivia’s.
- Where the box should be delivered in the new home, such as the kids’ room closet.
Pro tip: Since you’re taking the time to carefully label all your boxes and bags, invest a few extra seconds in protecting your labels from the elements. A strip of clear packing tape over your completed label will keep the ink from running if it rains or snows on moving day.
10. Use clothing as free packing material.
Before you toss out your over-worn clothing, consider using it to pack your breakables. This can save you money on packing materials like bubble wrap.
You can use old socks to pack juice glasses, coffee cups and stemware. Use old T-shirts to protect framed photos. And use old bedding and towels to protect serving ware and keep the contents of your kitchen moving boxes firmly in place.
11. Take extra care with luxury items and delicates.
Your special clothing items may need more protection than your everyday wear. Use these packing tips when dealing with delicate clothes:
- Use garment bags for suits and cocktail dresses.
- Consider preservation boxes for wedding gowns, christening gowns and other potential heirlooms.
- Use packing paper between items with intricate beading or other embellishments. This can help prevent the beading from catching on other fabrics and snagging them.
12. Pack an overnight bag for each household member.
To make your first few days in your new home as stress-free as possible, make sure each household member has easy access to several outfits. This will prevent you from having to open an entire moving box to find something to wear in the days after the move.
Duffel bags are ideal for this purpose. Include toiletries as well so that everyone knows where their toothbrush, comb and other necessities are.
13. Keep a bag or basket available for dirty laundry.
The week of your move will be busy — probably too busy to do a load of laundry the night before moving day and then pack all of those clothes. So, plan to move some dirty laundry.
The easiest way to do this is to keep one laundry bag or laundry basket out during the week leading up to the move. Have the whole household put their dirty clothes in that one tote so you can easily place it in the moving truck or in your car.
14. Repurpose your sentimental pieces before your move.
We know we said overly worn items should be tossed. But we also know that clothing can hold sentimental value for many people. If you have items you can’t really wear but also don’t want to part with, consider repurposing them into something you can continue to use and pack.
Here are a few examples:
- Make a quilt from squares of your favorite T-shirts, sweatshirts or sweaters.
- Frame old sports jerseys to add interesting decor to your game room, TV room or basement.
- Have doll clothes made from your old dresses for the little girls in your life.
- Create tote bags using old clothes, blankets and rags.
15. Pay attention to the weight of your moving boxes and bags.
Clothing might seem lightweight — until you get a stack of clothes into a single box or bag. Then it’s surprisingly heavy.
Rather than loading your clothes into large or extra-large moving boxes, stick to manageable medium-sized boxes. The size will automatically limit how much weight you can add to the box. Your back will thank you.
Hire a packing service on Thumbtack.
Packing is a big job, and unpacking is too. When you pack on your own, you can easily spend six to eight weeks on the job, with your home in various states of disarray the entire time. But a professional packing service can complete the job for you.
Find and hire a packing service on Thumbtack. Let the pros handle the packing and unpacking so you can focus on starting this exciting new chapter of your life.
FAQs
When should you start packing clothes for moving?
You can start packing clothing about one month before your moving date. Just make sure you leave enough clothes available to get you through the final weeks leading up to moving day.
What should you not pack in boxes when moving?
All of your clothing can safely be packed into boxes when moving. You just need to be careful about how you pack your boxes.
Garment boxes are ideal for clothing that is usually hung on clothes hangers. Suits and fancy dresses should be packed in garment bags before being placed in a box. And if space is a concern, bulky items should be vacuum sealed in bags before being packed into a box.
How can I pack more clothes in less space?
Use the ranger rolling method for lightweight, casual clothing like T-shirts, pants, workout clothes and loungewear. But fold bulky items like sweaters, sweatshirts and sweatpants. Vacuum sealing bulky items in vacuum bags can also save a lot of space.
Does rolling clothes save space in drawers?
Rolling lightweight clothing is a great way to save space in drawers. But there are a few things that are better folded than rolled. Items that wrinkle easily, like dress shirts and slacks, and bulky items, like sweaters and sweats, should be folded instead.
Can you store clothes in cardboard boxes?
Cardboard boxes are a great way to move your clothing from your old place to your new place.
But be aware that cardboard boxes may attract insects and rodents if they’re dirty or contain spilled food or drinks. Also, they don’t offer any protection against moisture. A cardboard box of clothing stored in an inside closet will probably be okay, but you shouldn’t store clothing in a cardboard box in an attic, garage, basement or any other outdoor storage space.
When moving, you can use cardboard boxes for your clothes. You can also consider packing your clothes in plastic moving containers and weather-resistant moving boxes.
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