How to Pack Clothes When Moving: Wrinkle-Free Methods

Packing clothes often gets overlooked during the chaos of moving. With the focus on large furniture and fragile items, clothing is easily forgotten and hastily stuffed into bags. While this approach might work, it can lead to wasted space, time-consuming unpacking, and damaged clothes. To streamline your moving process and protect your wardrobe, follow these tips on how to pack clothes for moving.

How to Pack Clothes When Moving: Getting Ready

Cramming belongings into suitcases and boxes haphazardly can lead to chaos on moving day. The best way to pack clothes when moving is to get ready for it. While exploring budget-friendly moving companies and before you begin packing your clothes, consider these tips to simplify your packing process.

Get Packing Materials

To protect your clothes during the move, you’ll need various packing supplies to get the best way to pack clothes when moving. You can buy these items at a home improvement or office supply store. If you’re hiring movers, because they know how to pack clothes when moving, check if packing supplies are included in your quote before buying them yourself.

• Hangers: Invest in non-slip velvet hangers to keep your clothes in place.
• Hanging wardrobe boxes: These tall boxes with a built-in hanging rod are ideal for suits, dresses, and formal wear.
• Garment bags: Use for a small number of hanging items, especially valuable or delicate pieces.
• Cardboard boxes: Best for folded clothes like sweaters, t-shirts, and undergarments. Use new boxes if possible to avoid dirt and stains. If reusing boxes, ensure they’re clean and in good condition. Get at least one or two of each moving box size.
• Plastic storage containers: Clear containers help organise clothes by type, season, or drawer.
• Suitcases and duffle bags: Use these for transporting folded clothes.
• Vacuum seal bags: Great for saving space, especially with bulky items like winter jackets. They protect clothes from moisture and dirt.
• Trash bags: A budget-friendly option, but choose sturdy ones to prevent rips. Use one bag per drawer, shelf, or closet section.

Declutter Your Space

There are countless ways to fold, roll, and pack clothes, but the first step on how to pack clothes for moving is always the same: declutter.

Be ruthless. If you haven’t worn something in a year, it’s probably time to let it go. Moving is stressful enough without packing unnecessary items. While this might seem obvious, it’s easy to overlook during the chaos. Spending a little extra time decluttering now will save you time and effort later.

To start the best way to pack clothes when moving, go through your closets and get rid of clothes you haven’t worn in the past year. Practice eco-friendly moving. Outgrown items, outdated styles, or clothes you simply don’t love should be donated or discarded. For a quick way to earn extra moving money, consider hosting a garage sale before you move.

Use this chance to organise your remaining clothes and create a streamlined wardrobe for your new home.

Assess Belongings

Once your clothes are neatly organised, create a detailed list of everything you own. This inventory will help you keep track of your belongings during the moving process and identify any missing or damaged items once you arrive at your new home. To create the list, examine each piece of clothing and accessory, recording its type, brand, colour, and other relevant information. You can use a spreadsheet, phone app, or notebook for this.

Give Your Unwanted Items a New Life

Decide what to do with unwanted clothes. Sell them online on platforms like Poshmark or thredUP to earn extra cash. Or, donate gently used items to charities like Goodwill or the Salvation Army to help others and the environment.

Separate Clothes by Type

Clothes aren’t all the same. You can organise them by material, season, type, or who they belong to. Sorting by season is best to avoid post-move clutter. Grouping clothes by type (pants, shirts, etc.) makes unpacking easier. Remember to keep each person’s items separate. Individually sort each closet and clearly label boxes or bags for stress-free unpacking.

Selecting the Ideal Packing Approach

Once you’ve decluttered and sorted your clothes, it’s time to figure out how to pack clothes when moving. There are several options based on the type of clothes and your preference. Cardboard boxes are great for folded items, while wardrobe boxes are ideal for clothes on hangers. Suitcases and duffel bags offer flexibility for both folded clothes and shoes. For bulky items like jackets, vacuum bags can significantly reduce their size.

If you won’t need bulky winter clothes during your move, save space by using compression bags. These bags, available on Amazon and other stores, are great for compacting clothes, pillows, comforters, and other large, soft items.

Clean Clothes Before Packing

Once you’ve parted with unwanted clothes, it’s time to focus on what’s staying. If any of these items are dirty, wash them before packing. It’s tempting to save laundry for later, but dealing with soiled clothes after a long move is less than ideal. Starting fresh with clean clothes makes unpacking much more enjoyable.

Mixing dirty and clean items will only create extra laundry once you move. This prevents mould, mildew, and saves you laundry time in your new home.

Stack Boxes Heavy to Light

Don’t overload boxes with clothes. Use smaller boxes to avoid heavy, unwieldy packages. Pack heavier items like jeans and sweaters at the bottom of the box for a sturdy base, and then layer lighter items like T-shirts and underwear on top.

Choose the Right Hangers

To prevent slipping and wrinkles, use non-slip hangers for delicate items like dresses. For heavy coats, sturdy wooden hangers offer the best support.

How to Pack Non-Hanging Clothes

Packing clothes for moving that are non-hanging involves several methods.

• Folding: The classic method, folding clothes into squares or rectangles, is best for delicate items like dress shirts and sweaters.
• Rolling: Tightly rolling clothes, similar to how you might pack clothes for a trip, saves space and prevents wrinkles. This works well for casual wear like T-shirts and jeans.
• Compression: Using vacuum-sealed or compression bags significantly reduces the size of bulky items like winter coats.
• Suitcases and duffle bags: While convenient, these can be heavy and less protective than boxes.
• Dresser drawers: Moving the entire dresser can save time, but be cautious of spills or damage.
• Protective wrapping: Delicate items should be wrapped in tissue or packing paper for extra care.

Choose the method that best suits the type of clothing and the amount of space you have.

How to Fold Clothes for Packing

Packing clothes that can’t be hung up is the most time-consuming part of moving. Instead of filling boxes, consider leaving clothes folded in your dresser drawers and taping them shut. This saves on packing materials.

The way you fold your clothes can significantly impact how much space they take up. Properly folded clothes save room and make unpacking easier. Two common folding methods are the flat fold, best for bulky items like jeans, and the military roll, ideal for smaller, delicate pieces.

Techniques on How to Fold Clothes for Packing

Most of your wardrobe likely consists of items that can be folded. To maximise your packing space, try these folding techniques:

• Flat folding: This traditional method is great for bulky items like jeans and sweaters. Fold clothes into rectangles for easy stacking.
• Rolling: Perfect for saving space in suitcases or duffle bags. Roll up thin items like t-shirts and dresses for a compact fit.
• Combination: Combine flat folding and rolling for a hybrid approach.
• KonMari method: This Japanese folding technique creates neat, vertical stacks for easy visibility.

Experiment with these methods to find what works best for you and your belongings. These techniques can also be the best way to fold clothes for travel.

How to Pack Hanging Clothes

By far, the easiest, wrinkle-free way to transport clothes. Most people will have at least one rack of hanging clothing in their closet, from dresses and blouses to collared shirts and dress pants. Fortunately, there are various ways to pack clothes when moving easily and quickly.

The best way to pack clothes for moving, especially for hanging clothes, depends on factors like how far you’re moving and how many clothes you have.

• Wardrobe boxes are sturdy cardboard boxes with a hanging bar. They’re great for protecting clothes but can be bulky.
• Garment bags are lightweight and easy to use, but may not be suitable for delicate items.
• Rolling racks let you move clothes easily but offer less protection.
• Portable closets combine features of rolling racks and wardrobe boxes, but can be bulky.

How to Pack Shoes

While it’s easy to toss shoes into a duffel bag, proper packing protects their shape and condition. Stuff shoes with paper, socks, or washcloths to maintain their form. Wrap them in packing paper to prevent damage. A small or medium box is usually sufficient.

To protect your shoes, hats, and jewellery, use their original boxes whenever possible. These provide the best protection. If you don’t have the original boxes, use special shoe boxes, hat boxes, or jewellery boxes.

You can also pack shoes and accessories in wardrobe boxes to save space, but be sure to wrap them carefully.

Label all boxes and bags with their contents and the room they belong in to make unpacking easier.

Moving Delicate Possessions

To protect delicate items during your move, take extra precautions on how to pack clothes when moving.

• Use garment bags for suits, dresses, and coats.
• Wrap jewellery individually in tissue paper and pack in small boxes.
• Use acid-free tissue paper for hats and scarves.
• Pack delicate clothing together and label the box as “delicate” or “fragile.”
• Wrap shoes and purses with bubble wrap or soft fabric.

By following these tips, you can help ensure your valuable belongings arrive safely at your new home.

How to Pack Clothes When Moving: Additional Clothing Protection Hacks

Getting your clothes organised and packed is a big part of making your move as stress-free as possible.

• Don’t forget these all-important moving basics when packing your clothes to get best way to pack clothes when moving:
• Always place heavy items at the bottom of the boxes and lighter items on top.
• Clean the clothes before moving to prevent smells and make the unpacking process more manageable.
• Don’t overstuff the boxes as it can damage them and make them prone to tears.
• Carry valuable clothing items with you, such as those with sentimental or monetary value with you in your car.
• Keep clothing on hangers when possible.
• Keep folded clothes in dresser drawers.
• Remember to line suitcases and cardboard boxes with packing paper to protect the clothes.
• Use plastic storage containers to pack clothing items you won’t be using soon.
• Don’t forget to pack a moving bag with the essentials you’ll need right before and a few days after your move.

We Recommend

Properly packing clothes for a move requires careful planning whether you’re moving locally or long-distance. Fold or roll non-hanging clothes to save space and prevent wrinkles. See above how to roll clothes for packing.

Remember to pack essentials separately for your first few days in your new place.

If you’re on in a pinch and in need of help moving, Removalists Melbourne CBD is here to save your day. Just contact us, get a quote, and experience relocations services like you haven’t before.