Free guide · Updated July 2026 · 6 min read
Packing for a move, the way professionals do it
The short answer
Start packing four weeks before completion, one room at a time, heaviest items in the smallest boxes. Label every box with its destination room, contents, and a priority number. Pack an essentials box per person plus one for the house, and keep documents, keys and valuables in your own car, never the van.
The four-week timeline
| When | What | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 4 weeks out | Declutter ruthlessly; sell, donate, tip | Every box you don't pack is money and effort saved twice |
| 3 weeks out | Pack the never-used: loft, garage, books, out-of-season clothes | Zero disruption to daily life |
| 2 weeks out | Pack the rarely-used: spare rooms, ornaments, most kitchenware | Live simply for a fortnight; it's practice for the first week in the new place |
| 1 week out | Everything except daily essentials; confirm removals details | The last days are for logistics, not bubble wrap |
| Day before | Essentials boxes, fridge clear-out, phone chargers in a named bag | Tomorrow-you is not to be trusted with decisions |
The box system crews actually respect
- ✓Heavy things, small boxes: books in big boxes is the #1 amateur mistake and the #1 cause of dropped boxes
- ✓Label three things on every box: destination ROOM in the new house, rough contents, and a priority number (1 = open today, 3 = whenever)
- ✓Label the SIDES, not the top: you can't read the top of a stacked box
- ✓Plates on their edges like records, never flat; they survive almost anything vertical
- ✓Fill every box full: half-empty boxes crush, over-full boxes burst. Towels and bedding are free padding
- ✓Photograph the back of the TV and any complicated cables before unplugging
What the removals van won't take
Most firms refuse or exclude from insurance: gas bottles, petrol and the lawnmower with fuel in it, paint and solvents, open food, plants (many won't), and anything alive. Cash, jewellery, passports, house documents and keys travel with you in the car, always: not because crews are dishonest, but because a lost box should never be a catastrophe.
The essentials boxes (the difference between arrival and chaos)
One box per person, one for the house, packed last, loaded last, unloaded first.
- ✓Per person: a full change of clothes, medications, toiletries, phone charger, and something small that feels like home
- ✓The house box: kettle, mugs, tea and coffee, milk (cool bag), loo roll, bin bags, scissors, snacks, paracetamol, a lightbulb, and the takeaway menu decision already made
- ✓Kids' boxes: packed BY them where possible, with the non-negotiable toy in their own hands, not the van
Quick answers
How long does it take to pack a house?
As a rule of thumb, allow one full day of packing per room, spread across the four weeks before the move. A typical three-bed home is 40 to 60 boxes and most people underestimate by about a third, so order more boxes than feels sensible.
Should I pay for a packing service?
If budget allows, it's the best-value upgrade removals firms offer, typically £250 to £500 on a three-bed. Crews pack a whole house in hours, their packing is insured against breakage where yours often isn't, and it removes the most exhausting fortnight of the move.
Where do I get cheap moving boxes?
Supermarkets and retail parks give away strong boxes daily (ask at customer service), local Facebook groups are full of once-used moving kits, and if buying new, double-walled boxes are worth the extra pennies for anything heavy. Book boxes small, wardrobe boxes borrowed from the removals firm.
Put this guide to work
General information for England & Wales, not financial or legal advice. Costs are typical 2026 ranges and vary by region and circumstances.