Start packing six weeks before you move, and buy your packing boxes for moving in that first week so the boxes are in the house before you need them. Pack in the order you can live without things: loft, garage and books first, spare rooms and ornaments in the middle weeks, then the kitchen, bedding and an essentials box in the last few days.
This guide gives you a moving house packing checklist for each of the six weeks and for moving day. It also lists the supplies a house move uses, with a method for working out how much tape, bubble wrap, paper and stretch film to order, and it says where a cheaper option or something you already own will do the job.
In This Guide
- Quick picks for a house move
- What does a moving house packing checklist look like week by week?
- Which packing boxes for moving house and other supplies do you need?
- How do you work out how much of each packing supply to order?
- What should you pack six and five weeks before moving?
- What should you pack four and three weeks before moving?
- What should you pack in the last two weeks before moving day?
- How do you pack and label a moving box so nothing breaks?
- How do you buy moving packing supplies: quantities, cost per unit and delivery?
- Frequently Asked Questions
Quick picks for a house move
These three cover most of what a household move needs: a strong box, a wrap for breakables and a tape to seal with.
Best for heavy and fragile loads
Double Wall Cardboard Boxes
Double wall boxes have two layers of fluting, so they suit books, kitchenware and anything that gets stacked in a van.
- Sizes from 9 x 6 x 6" to 24 x 24 x 24"
- Sold per box, minimum 5 for most sizes
- Supplied flat packed
From £0.59 ex VAT (£0.71 inc VAT)
Choose sizeView product
Best for glasses, china and ornaments
Small Bubble Wrap
Small bubble wrap has 10mm bubbles that sit close against small and awkward shapes.
- 100m per roll
- 300mm or 500mm wide
- Sold one roll at a time
From £9.00 ex VAT (£10.80 inc VAT)
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Best for sealing every box
Brown Packing Tape
Brown polypropylene packing tape in packs of 6 rolls, and one pack is enough for most house moves.
- Standard roll is 48mm x 66m
- Acrylic adhesive on 42 micron film
- Proloc 72mm x 66m for big boxes
From £4.50 ex VAT (£5.40 inc VAT)
Choose sizeView productWhat does a moving house packing checklist look like week by week?
A week by week packing checklist starts six weeks before moving day with a clear-out and a supplies order, then moves through the house from the least used rooms to the most used. The table gives the plan for all six weeks and moving day, and the sections after it go through each week in detail.
| When | What to pack | Supplies you will use |
|---|---|---|
| Week 6 | Nothing yet. Clear out, measure up and order supplies. Start on the loft. | Refuse sacks for the clear-out, a first batch of boxes |
| Week 5 | Loft, garage, shed, books, files and anything already in storage | Small double wall boxes, brown tape |
| Week 4 | Spare rooms, ornaments, pictures, mirrors and out of season clothes | Small bubble wrap, medium boxes |
| Week 3 | Living room shelves, toys, linen, the kitchen items you rarely use | Kraft paper, bubble wrap, medium and large boxes |
| Week 2 | Most of the kitchen, most clothes, bathroom spares, small electricals | Kraft paper, double wall boxes, fragile tape or labels |
| Week 1 | Everything else, furniture wrapping, the essentials box | Large bubble wrap, clear pallet wrap, the last boxes |
| Moving day | Bedding, kettle, chargers, cleaning kit | One or two spare boxes and a roll of tape |
Short on time. With two weeks to go, do weeks six to three in the first weekend. Storage areas and books pack quickly because nothing in them needs wrapping.
Which packing boxes for moving house and other supplies do you need?
A house move needs boxes in two or three sizes, packing tape, a wrap for breakables, paper for filling gaps and stretch film for furniture. Most homes need nothing more. Anything else on the long supplies lists you see online is optional, and some of it you already own.
| Job | What to use | Sizes and price |
|---|---|---|
| Books, tins, tools, crockery | Double wall cardboard boxes in a small or medium size | 12 x 12 x 12" (305 x 305 x 305mm) to 18 x 18 x 18" (457 x 457 x 457mm), from £0.59 ex VAT (£0.71 inc VAT) per box |
| Bedding, cushions, lampshades, toys | Single wall cardboard boxes in the largest size | 24 x 18 x 18" (610 x 457 x 457mm), range from £0.35 ex VAT (£0.42 inc VAT) per box |
| Glasses, china, ornaments | Small bubble wrap, 10mm bubbles | 300mm x 100m or 500mm x 100m, from £9.00 ex VAT (£10.80 inc VAT) per roll |
| Furniture, mirrors, TVs | Large bubble wrap, 25mm bubbles | 300mm x 50m or 500mm x 50m, from £9.00 ex VAT (£10.80 inc VAT) per roll |
| Sealing boxes | Brown packing tape | 48mm x 66m in packs of 6 rolls, from £4.50 ex VAT (£5.40 inc VAT) per pack |
| Wrapping plates, filling gaps | Kraft paper rolls | 500mm x 200m in 90gsm, from £25.00 ex VAT (£30.00 inc VAT) per roll |
| Holding drawers shut, bundling, covering furniture | Clear pallet wrap | 400mm x 120m in 20 micron, from £4.00 ex VAT (£4.80 inc VAT) per roll |
People often ask us for wardrobe boxes, mattress bags and removal blankets, and we do not stock any of them. For clothes on hangers, a large refuse sack pulled up over a bunch of hangers and tied at the hooks does the same job as a wardrobe box for a short trip, and our guide to bin bags for clear-outs and house moves covers sack sizes. For a mattress, stretch film keeps dust and scuffs off in the van, though it is thinner than a proper mattress bag. For blankets, ask your removal firm, because most carry their own, or use old duvets and towels.
How do you work out how much of each packing supply to order?
Work out each supply from a measurement you can take in your own home: boxes from a test pack, tape from the box size, and wrap from the distance round the item. A rule of thumb per bedroom is an average of other people's homes, and these measurements give you a figure for yours.
Boxes. Homes differ too much for one box count per bedroom to fit them all. Our moving boxes guide to sizes, strength and how many you need has the counts and the reasoning behind them. To check that figure against your own home, pack one box from a typical shelf or cupboard, see how much of it one box cleared, and multiply up for that room. Order on the generous side. Unused flat boxes store behind a wardrobe, and running out the night before the van arrives is worse than having five spare.
Tape. Measure the tape by the box. On an 18 x 18 x 18" box, one strip along the centre seam with a short turn down each end is about 0.6m, so sealing top and bottom takes about 1.2m. Add a strip across each end seam, which packers call an H seal, and the figure rises to about 3m per box. A 48mm x 66m roll therefore seals about 55 boxes the first way or about 22 with a full H seal. A pack of 6 rolls holds 396m, which is about 130 boxes with an H seal on both faces. For nearly every house move, one pack is enough, and you do not need the 132m or 150m rolls that warehouses buy. Our post on moving tape and how much you need goes into the taping patterns.
Bubble wrap. Measure the distance round a typical item and double it for two turns. A glass or mug that takes half a metre of wrap means a 100m roll covers about 200 of them. Count your breakables roughly by shelf and you have your answer. For large flat items, work the same way with the wider roll: a mirror 60cm wide and 90cm tall needs two bands of 500mm wrap side by side, each going round about 1.3m, and two layers of that comes to a little over 5m. The room by room figures are in our guide to bubble wrap for moving house.
Paper. A 500mm wide roll gives you a square sheet for every half metre you pull off, and one sheet wraps one dinner plate. The 500mm x 200m standard roll is 400 of those sheets, which is more than most single moves use. If you have only a dozen plates, clean tea towels and pillowcases will wrap them for free. Buy the roll if you have a lot of china or want gap filler for every box.
Stretch film. Measure round the piece of furniture and multiply by the number of turns. A chest of drawers 80cm wide and 45cm deep is about 2.5m round. With 400mm film and a generous overlap you need about four turns to cover a 90cm height, so about 10m. A 400mm x 120m roll covers about twelve pieces that size.
These are worked examples. The figures come from simple arithmetic on the sizes shown. Measure your own boxes and furniture, then run the same sums.
What should you pack six and five weeks before moving?
Six weeks out you pack nothing fragile and nothing you use. Week six is for clearing out and ordering supplies, and week five is for the loft, garage, shed and books. Every item you throw away, sell or give away now is one you do not have to pay to box and carry.
Week 6 checklist:
- Clear out room by room. Make three piles: keep, sell or donate, bin. Check with your council for current rules on bulky waste collections and tip bookings.
- Measure the awkward things. Note the size of the TV, mirrors, pictures and any furniture that has to go through a narrow door. You will need these figures for wrap.
- Order boxes, tape and wrap. Some of our larger box sizes go on a 2 day delivery service, which the product page states, so week six is the right time to order.
- Tell your removal firm what you are packing yourself. Ask whether they supply blankets and whether they will move boxes you have packed.
Week 5 checklist:
- Loft, garage and shed. Most of this is already in storage, so box it, label it and stack it against one wall.
- Books and files. Use small boxes. A 12 x 12 x 12" (305 x 305 x 305mm) double wall box full of books is about as heavy as a box should get. A 24 inch box of books is one nobody can lift.
- Spare bedding and guest towels. These go in the largest boxes because they are light. Keep a few towels back to use as padding later.
Best for books, tools and kitchenware
Double Wall Cardboard Boxes
Two layers of fluting make these stiffer than single wall boxes and better for stacking.
- 12 x 12 x 12" to 18 x 18 x 18" for books and general packing
- 24 x 18 x 12" and up for bulky, light things such as bedding
- Price per box falls as you buy more
From £0.59 ex VAT (£0.71 inc VAT)
Choose sizeView productWhat should you pack four and three weeks before moving?
Four and three weeks out you pack the things you can see but do not use: ornaments, pictures, spare room contents, out of season clothes and the back of the kitchen cupboards. This is when the bubble wrap and paper come out, because most of what is fragile in a house sits on display.
Week 4 checklist:
- Spare rooms and the study. Leave out only what you need for work or guests in the next month.
- Ornaments and vases. Wrap each one in small bubble wrap with two turns and tape the wrap closed. The 500mm x 100m roll is the everyday width for glassware, ceramics and ornaments.
- Pictures and mirrors. Wrap in large bubble wrap, bubbles facing in, and stand them on edge in the van. The 500mm x 50m roll covers more with each turn.
- Out of season clothes and shoes. Fold into large single wall boxes. Clothes weigh little, so the lighter board is fine and costs less.
Week 3 checklist:
- Living room shelves. Leave the TV and whatever you use each evening.
- Children's toys. Pack most of them and keep one box of favourites open until the last day.
- Rarely used kitchen items. Serving dishes, the best glasses, baking tins and the slow cooker.
- Linen. Keep one change of bedding per bed and pack the rest.
- Check your supplies. You are about halfway through the boxes by now. If the pile looks thin, reorder this week while there is time.
Paper and bubble wrap do different jobs. Kraft paper is quick for flat, stackable things such as plates and for scrunching into gaps. Bubble wrap cushions shapes with handles, stems and spouts. Our post on kraft paper rolls for wrapping, void fill and moving shows both uses.
Best for plates and filling gaps
Kraft Paper Rolls
Brown kraft paper for wrapping crockery and scrunching into the empty space in a box.
- Standard roll is 500mm x 200m in 90gsm
- Centre-feed boxed rolls in 70gsm, 200mm x 250m or 375mm x 300m
- Sold as single rolls
From £25.00 ex VAT (£30.00 inc VAT)
Choose sizeView productWhat should you pack in the last two weeks before moving day?
In the last two weeks you pack the kitchen, most of your clothes and the furniture, and you set aside one essentials box that travels with you. Leave out only what each person needs to eat, wash, sleep and dress.
Week 2 checklist:
- Most of the kitchen. Keep one plate, bowl, mug and set of cutlery per person, plus one pan. Wrap plates in paper and stand them on edge in a double wall box with scrunched paper underneath and on top.
- Glasses. Bubble wrap each glass and pack them upright. Fill every gap so nothing can move when you tilt the box.
- Most clothes. Keep a week's worth out. Clothes on hangers can wait until the day before.
- Small electricals. Coil the lead, tape it to the item, and wrap in large bubble wrap if you no longer have the original box.
Mark boxes of breakables on at least two sides. You can write on them with a marker, which costs nothing. If you would rather seal and label in one go, fragile tape has the word printed along the whole roll and comes in packs of 6 from £5.50 ex VAT (£6.60 inc VAT).
Week 1 checklist:
- Wrap furniture. Go round chests of drawers and bedside cabinets with clear pallet wrap so the drawers stay shut. The film clings to itself, so there is no tape on the wood.
- Protect corners and legs. Wrap chair legs, table legs and mirror corners in large bubble wrap first, then hold the wrap in place with stretch film.
- Take beds apart the day before. Bag the bolts, label the bag and tape it to the headboard.
- Defrost the freezer and run down the fridge. Follow the maker's instructions for how long the appliance needs to stand before and after it travels.
- Pack the essentials box. Kettle, mugs, tea, phone chargers, toilet roll, a knife for opening boxes, basic tools, medication and important documents.
For furniture, the 400mm x 120m roll of clear pallet wrap in 20 micron is the light one and suits occasional use. If you are wrapping by hand without a dispenser, the 400mm x 250m roll in 23 micron has an extended core, which gives you something to hold at each end. Our post on pallet wrap uses for warehouses, removals and bundling covers the technique.
Stretch film on furniture. Do not leave film tight against leather, fresh paint or polished wood for weeks in storage. For a one day move it is fine. For long storage, put a sheet or paper under the film.
How do you pack and label a moving box so nothing breaks?
Tape the base properly, put the heaviest things at the bottom, fill every gap and label the side of the box as well as the top. A box packed this way can be stacked, carried at an angle and put down hard without the contents meeting each other.
- Fold the base and tape it. Run one strip along the centre seam and a few inches up each end. For heavy boxes add a strip across each end seam.
- Pad the bottom. Lay in a layer of scrunched kraft paper or a folded towel.
- Load heavy items first. Books flat, plates on edge, tins and jars upright.
- Wrap anything that can chip. Two turns of small bubble wrap for glass and china, with the wrap taped shut.
- Fill the gaps. Push scrunched paper or large bubble wrap into every space. Close the flaps and shake the box gently. If you hear or feel movement, add more fill.
- Stop before the box is too heavy. Lift it. If you would not want to carry it up a flight of stairs, take some out and start another box.
- Close and tape the top. The flaps should sit flat. A domed top means the box will crush when another box is stacked on it.
- Label two sides and the top. Write the room it is going to, a line on the contents, and a number. Keep a list of numbers on your phone so you can find the box with the kettle.
How do you buy moving packing supplies: quantities, cost per unit and delivery?
Buy boxes by the box, tape by the pack of 6 and wrap by the roll, and place one order in week six so everything arrives together. Our boxes are sold individually with a minimum of 5 per size for most sizes, so you can mix small, medium and large in one order without buying a fixed kit.
- Boxes. Double wall boxes start from £0.59 ex VAT (£0.71 inc VAT) per box and single wall from £0.35 ex VAT (£0.42 inc VAT). The minimum is 5 per size, except the 24 x 24 x 24" double wall size, which has a minimum of 90 and is aimed at removal firms.
- Tape. One pack of 6 rolls of 48mm x 66m brown tape from £4.50 ex VAT (£5.40 inc VAT).
- Bubble wrap. One roll of small and one of large is a common order for a house move. Each range starts from £9.00 ex VAT (£10.80 inc VAT) per roll.
- Paper and film. One kraft paper roll from £25.00 ex VAT (£30.00 inc VAT) and one or two rolls of clear pallet wrap from £4.00 ex VAT (£4.80 inc VAT).
The price per box, pack or roll falls as you buy more, and the tiers are shown on each product page. For a single household that mostly matters on boxes, where going from a handful to a few dozen of one size can move you down a tier. If two households on your street are moving in the same month, a joint order gets both of you the lower price.
Royal Mail Tracked 48 delivery is free on every order with no minimum, and orders placed by 2pm Monday to Friday leave our Manchester unit the same working day. Some of the larger box sizes travel on a 2 day service, so read the delivery note on the box page before you rely on a date. If you are in Greater Manchester, click and collect from Cheetham Hill is free and usually ready within 2 hours, and we run same-day van delivery within 10 miles. Our Manchester house move guide has the local detail.
You can also save money by not buying. Supermarket boxes are fine for light, unbreakable things if they are clean and dry, and suitcases, laundry baskets and drawers are containers you already own. Spend the money on strong boxes for books and breakables, and on tape, because a box that opens at the bottom costs more than the box did.
Removal firms and landlords who move stock or tenants often can open a trade account. Every order comes with a VAT invoice. If you are not sure which sizes to pick, call 0161 706 1246 or use the contact page, and browse the full packing tape range if you want clear or low noise tape in place of standard brown.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should you start packing to move house?
Start packing six weeks before moving day. Use the first week to clear out and order boxes, tape and wrap, then pack the loft, garage and books in week five. Rooms you use daily, such as the kitchen and bedrooms, are packed in the last two weeks.
What should you pack first when moving house?
Pack the things you use least first when moving house: the loft, garage, shed, books, files and seasonal decorations. These items are often already in storage and do not need much wrapping, so they pack quickly. Packing them first also gives you a stack of sealed boxes early, which shows how many more boxes you will need.
What should you pack last when moving house?
Pack bedding, the kettle, phone chargers, toiletries, cleaning kit and a change of clothes last when moving house. Put these in an essentials box that travels in your car instead of the van. Keep important documents and medication in the same box so they do not get buried.
How many packing boxes for moving house do I need?
The number of packing boxes for moving house depends on how much you own, so a single figure per bedroom is only a starting point. Pack one test box from a typical shelf, see how much it cleared and multiply up for the room. Our moving boxes guide has box counts by home size, and it is worth ordering a few more than the figure you reach because flat boxes store easily.
Are single wall or double wall boxes better for moving?
Double wall boxes are better for moving heavy or fragile things because the board has two layers of fluting and stacks better. Single wall boxes are lighter and cost less, and they suit bedding, clothes and other light items. Most house moves use both: double wall for books and kitchenware, and single wall for soft, bulky loads.
Does Pack Solution sell wardrobe boxes, mattress bags or removal blankets?
No, Pack Solution does not sell wardrobe boxes, mattress bags or removal blankets. Pack Solution stocks plain cardboard boxes, bubble wrap, kraft paper, packing tape, refuse sacks and clear pallet wrap. For hanging clothes a large sack over the hangers works for a short trip, and most removal firms bring their own blankets.
