How to Pack Your Wardrobe for a Move

If you are as proud and protective about your expensive clothes collection as I am, you will be well aware of the nightmare that is packing your precious wardrobe for a move. Whether your wardrobe is composed of a small selection of carefully curated pieces, or a massive collection that is contained over several closets, it is a huge hassle to pack and move your clothes when you are shifting from one house to another. 

It is an even bigger concern when moving long distances where your precious cargo will have to remain squished and cramped in tiny spaces for extended durations. From delicate pieces to gowns, shoes, hats, and other accessories, all clothing items require separate packing techniques and strategies to ensure minimal damage during a move. 

The easiest and most efficient way to pack your wardrobe properly is to hire professionals to handle the task. However, if the moving prices you are quoted don’t suit your budget, or you are unable to find people who specialize in packing clothes properly, read on for some great tips on how to pack and move your clothing. 

Before You Pack, Lighten the Load!

Before you begin the process of packing your clothes, take time to assess your closet and take a good look at your clothing, hats, bags, shoes, and other accessories. Use this as an opportunity to get rid of any dead weight, clothes that no longer fit, are out of style, or are just not something you love anymore. It is a good idea to remove all your clothing from the closet and sort through all of it. Often we find items relegated to the back of the cupboard that we no longer use or need. Once you have sifted through and removed the stuff you no longer wish to keep, you can either donate or sell those items online. 

Clean Everything, Do the Laundry!

Before you start packing your clothes, make sure you have washed them or have had them dry-cleaned. Never pack dirty clothes with clean clothes for obvious reasons. Similarly, try to iron clothes before you pack them as well, as this will kill any mildew spores and remove any moisture from the clothes. Air out or sun your shoes and handbags after a thorough cleaning before you pack them. Moisture will make your things stinky and can cause mildew and fungi to form. 

Sort your Clothes According to Category!

Once you have purged your wardrobe of excess clothing and cleaned the items, you are taking with you. You should sift through all your clothing and accessories and sort them into categories. Putting the same sort of items together is a great way to keep everything organized as much as you can in the duration of the move, and it allows for easier unpacking once you have reached. You can use one of the following four ways to sort your clothes.

folded clothes
Image by Alison Krejci from Pixabay

1. By Material: One option is to sort your clothes by material, for instance, cotton, denim, wool, silk, linen, cashmere, etc.

2. By Season:  Another option is to sort clothes according to the season. Pack winter outfits and other clothes and shoes together, and summer clothing separately. This is a good way to keep clothing organized and also makes it easier to unpack after you have reached your destination. 

3. By Pieces: You can also pack your clothes according to the kind of piece it is. This would mean that all your shirts would go together, dresses together, pants together, skirts together, etc. This makes it easy for you to find clothes while you are unpacking and makes the unpacking process quite simpler. 

4. By Owner: If you are packing and moving as a family, you should categorize each person’s items separately from the others. Within the subset of each person, you can sort as per the categories given above. Sorting by person makes it monumentally easier to pack and unpack. 

Get the Right Supplies to Pack and Move Clothing!

The next step is to start thinking about how you want to pack and move these items. Start collecting the following essential closet packing and moving supplies. 

  • Cardboard Boxes
  • Wardrobe Boxes
  • Hat Boxes
  • Suitcases
  • Duffel Bags
  • Vacuum Compression Bags
  • Garment bags
  • Packing paper and Tape
  • Plastic Storage Bins
  • Shoe boxes 
  • Plastic baggies
  • Labels

Make sure you use the right container for your items, for instance, Ziploc baggies for jewelry, vacuum bags for bulky clothes, etc., so you don’t ruin your clothes. 

Happy Packing. 

Featured Photo by Anastasia Shuraeva from Pexels