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

Packing is where most house moves go wrong. Not because it's hard, but because it's underestimated. Even a modest three-bedroom home in Cambridge typically holds 50–80 medium boxes worth of contents, and a family home can easily double that. Start too late, use the wrong materials, or pack without a system and you'll be searching for the kettle at midnight in your new house.

This is the exact process our packing crews follow across Cambridge, Ely, Newmarket and Huntingdon — refined over thousands of homes and adapted for do-it-yourself movers.

Materials — buy once, buy properly

Cheap supermarket boxes will collapse under books and split when stacked. Invest in professional-grade materials from the start.

• Double-walled small boxes (for books, tinned food, tools, records)
• Double-walled medium boxes (for kitchenware, toys, general contents)
• Large boxes only for light bulky items (bedding, cushions, lampshades)
• Wardrobe cartons with hanging rails (essential — hire from your removals company)
• Dish-pack cartons with dividers for glassware and china
• Picture boxes for framed art and mirrors
• Bubble wrap, packing paper (not newspaper — the ink transfers), fragile tape

The packing order — start 4 weeks out

Pack from least-used rooms outwards. The kitchen, main bathroom and primary bedroom are the last rooms you pack and the first you unpack.

• Week 4: loft, garage, garden shed, spare rooms
• Week 3: dining room, formal living room, books, hobby items
• Week 2: secondary bathrooms, decorative items, off-season clothing
• Week 1: everyday clothing, remaining kitchen items, children's rooms
• Moving day: essentials box, bedding, phone chargers, medication

The kitchen — the hardest room

Wrap every plate individually in packing paper, stand them on edge in dish-pack cartons (never flat — they crack), and fill any gaps with scrunched paper. Glasses go rim-down. Nest bowls of similar size in threes. Empty and pack pantry items separately — a broken bottle of olive oil in a box of china is a very expensive mistake.

Small appliances (kettle, toaster, coffee machine) travel best in their original boxes if you kept them. If not, wrap in bubble wrap and pack upright.

The bedroom — clothes and wardrobes

Hire wardrobe cartons. Clothes stay on hangers, travel wrinkle-free and unpack in seconds. Fold-and-pack takes hours to reverse; wardrobe cartons are worth their weight in saved time. Vacuum bags are excellent for bedding, off-season coats and pillows.

The bathroom — the forgotten room

Bag all liquids in ziplock bags before boxing — bathroom leaks in transit are one of the most common damage claims. Bin anything expired. Pack towels around fragile items in other boxes for double-duty protection.

Children's rooms — pack with them, not around them

Involve children in packing their own rooms. Label a 'first-night box' for each child with pyjamas, a favourite toy, toothbrush and their bedding — this makes the first night in the new house infinitely less stressful for everyone.

Labelling — the single biggest time-saver

Every box needs three labels: destination room, brief contents, and priority level (1 = unpack first, 3 = can wait). Colour-coded tape by room is even faster — our crews can then place every box in the correct room in the new house without asking a single question.

The essentials box — pack this last, unpack this first

• Kettle, mugs, tea, coffee, sugar, spoon
• Phone chargers for everyone
• Toilet paper and hand soap
• Medication and toiletries for 48 hours
• Basic tools (screwdriver, scissors, torch, tape)
• Bedding for the first night
• Snacks and bottled water
• Important documents in a folder

When to call the professionals

If you're working full-time, moving with young children, or handling a completion deadline, our packing service can pack a full three-bedroom house in a single day. We supply all materials, label to your system, and can even unpack at the other end. Ask us for a fixed-price packing quote alongside your removals survey — it's often more affordable than customers expect.