How to Pack for a Move — Room-by-Room Guide
Packing is the part of moving almost everyone underestimates. It's not hard, exactly — it's just bigger than it looks, and the difference between a smooth move and a stressful one usually comes down to how well the boxes were packed and labeled.
After more than 60 years of packing Pacific Northwest homes, we've learned what works. This guide walks you through it room by room — what supplies to gather, how far ahead to start, how to pack each space efficiently, and the techniques our professional crews use to make sure nothing breaks. And if you'd rather not do it yourself, our team can handle all of it — but everything here works whether you pack with us or on your own.
Start Here: How Far Ahead to Pack
The single biggest packing mistake is starting too late. Packing always takes longer than expected, and rushing is when things break and boxes become chaos.
A realistic timeline for an average home:
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4–6 weeks out: Start with what you rarely use — out-of-season clothes, books, decor, the garage, storage closets, the guest room. Declutter as you go; every item you donate or toss is one you don't pay to move.
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2–3 weeks out: Pack non-essentials room by room — most of the kitchen, extra linens, anything you can live without for a couple of weeks.
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Final week: Pack everything except a clearly labeled "essentials" box per person.
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Moving day: Only the essentials boxes and the items you're personally transporting remain.
The lighter the final days, the calmer the move.
What You'll Need: Packing Supplies
Gather supplies before you start so you're not interrupting yourself mid-room. For an average two-to-three-bedroom home, plan for:
Small, medium, and large boxes (small for heavy items like books, large for light bulky items like bedding — never the reverse). Specialty boxes where they help: dish-pack/cell boxes for kitchenware, wardrobe boxes for hanging clothes, mirror/picture boxes for art. Packing paper (newsprint) and bubble wrap for fragile items. Packing tape and a dispenser. A marker for labeling. Stretch wrap for furniture and drawers. Furniture pads or blankets for large pieces.
A note on quantity: most people underestimate boxes. A rough rule is 10–15 boxes per room for an average home, more for kitchens and bookshelves. (We cover this in detail in our guide on how many boxes you'll need — linked below.)
Quality matters more than people think. Grocery-store boxes are free but inconsistent, often weak, and sometimes carry pests; proper moving boxes are uniform (so they stack and load safely) and rated for weight. We sell professional-grade boxes and supplies if you'd rather start with the right materials.
The Universal Rules (Apply to Every Room)
Before the room-by-room walkthrough, a handful of techniques apply everywhere:
Heavy items in small boxes, light items in large boxes. A large box full of books is unliftable and likely to break. Keep box weight under about 50 pounds.
Fill every box completely, but don't overpack. A box should be full enough that the top doesn't cave when stacked, but not bulging. Fill gaps with packing paper so nothing shifts.
Pack room by room, and don't mix rooms in one box. It makes unpacking dramatically easier and helps your movers put boxes in the right rooms.
Label every box on the top and at least one side with the room and a short description ("Kitchen — pots & pans"). Label fragile boxes clearly as FRAGILE and THIS SIDE UP. Boxes get stacked; side labels are visible when top labels aren't.
Keep an inventory. Number your boxes and jot the contents in a notebook or phone. If anything goes missing, you'll know.
Pack an essentials box for the first night — medications, chargers, toiletries, a change of clothes, basic tools, snacks. Label it clearly and keep it with you, not on the truck.
Never pack hazardous materials. Movers cannot transport explosives, flammables, aerosols, propane, paint, chemicals, or other dangerous goods, and federal rules forbid loading them onto a moving truck. Use these up, give them away, or dispose of them properly before moving day. (This isn't just a mover's preference — it's a federal safety rule.)
One more, and it matters: if you pack a box yourself, your mover's liability for what's inside is limited. Movers are generally not liable for damage to items in cartons you packed yourself (called "PBO" — packed by owner), because they can't verify how it was packed. If an item is valuable or fragile, that's a strong reason to let professionals pack it — or at least to pack it impeccably yourself.
Kitchen
The kitchen is the most time-consuming room — start it early and give it more time than you think. Wrap dishes, glasses, and stemware individually in packing paper and pack them vertically (plates on edge, like records) in dish-pack boxes, which have thicker walls. Cushion the bottom and top of each box with crumpled paper. Pack pots and pans nested with paper between them. Wrap knives securely and label them. Seal and bag anything that could leak. Small appliances go in their original boxes if you have them, or well-padded boxes if not.
The kitchen has enough specific technique that we've written a dedicated guide — see How to Pack a Kitchen for Moving and How to Pack Dishes & Fragile Items, linked below.
Living Room
Wrap electronics carefully — ideally in original boxes; if not, wrap in bubble wrap and pad well, and photograph the cable connections before unplugging so reassembly is easy. Remove and individually box TV stands' glass shelves and any glass tabletops (mirror/picture boxes are ideal). Wrap framed art and mirrors in bubble wrap and pack on edge, never flat. Books go in small boxes, packed flat or spine-down. Lampshades pack separately from lamp bases — never wrap a shade in paper that can scuff it; nest shades and box them lightly.
Bedrooms
Use wardrobe boxes for hanging clothes — they transfer straight from closet to box on the hanger, saving enormous time. Fold remaining clothing into suitcases and dresser drawers (you can often leave clothes in drawers if the dresser is light enough to move safely; ask your mover). Strip beds and bag bedding; label which set goes with which bed. Pack jewelry and small valuables separately and keep them with you, not on the truck. Disassemble bed frames, bag the hardware, and tape the bag to the frame.
Bathrooms
Seal and bag all liquids — toiletries, cleaning products — to prevent leaks, then box them upright. Pad medicine-cabinet glass and any breakables. Pack a clearly labeled "first morning" bathroom kit (toilet paper, soap, towels, toothbrush) in your essentials box so you're not digging through cartons your first night.
Home Office
Back up your computer before moving day. Pack electronics in original boxes when possible; otherwise wrap well and pad. Keep important documents — passports, financial records, medical records — with you personally rather than on the truck. Box books in small cartons (they're heavier than they look). Bundle and label cables.
Garage, Basement & Storage Areas
These are easy to leave for last and easy to underestimate. Pack tools in small sturdy boxes; wrap sharp edges. Drain fuel from lawnmowers, trimmers, and other gas equipment — fuel can't go on the truck (it's a hazardous material). Bundle long-handled tools together. Be realistic about what's worth moving: garages and basements are where decluttering pays off most, since you're often paying to move things you'll never unpack.
What to Pack Last (and Keep With You)
Some things shouldn't go on the truck at all:
Essentials boxes (one per person). Medications. Important documents and valuables — jewelry, financial records, passports. Electronics you'll need immediately (chargers, laptops). A basic tool kit for reassembly. Anything irreplaceable or sentimental that you'd never want at risk. Note that for interstate moves, movers can limit liability on items of "extraordinary value" (over $100/lb — jewelry, fine art, collectibles) unless you specifically declare them in writing, so those are best kept with you or formally declared.
When to Let the Pros Pack
Honest guidance: you can pack most of a home yourself and save money doing it. But some situations genuinely call for professional packing — and remember the liability point above: items you pack yourself carry limited mover liability, while items we pack are fully covered.
Consider professional packing for: fragile, high-value, or irreplaceable items (fine china, art, antiques, electronics); a tight timeline where you can't realistically pack in time; a large home; physical limitations that make packing difficult; or simply the peace of mind of having it done right. Many customers pack the easy rooms themselves and have us handle the kitchen, the art, and the fragile items — a sensible hybrid that controls cost while protecting what matters.
Whatever you choose, the goal is the same: everything arrives intact, and unpacking isn't a scavenger hunt.
Planning a move in the Puget Sound?
Whether you want full-service packing or just a free moving estimate, Allwest has handled it for Pacific Northwest families since 1962 — carefully, honestly, and with no deposit required.