Match the Box to the Contents
The most common mistake when packing for a move is using the wrong size box. People reach for whatever's nearest — and end up with bedding spilling out of a small box that's a third empty, or with books in a large box that bursts on the way to the van.
The rule is simple:
- Heavy and dense (books, plates, kitchenware) → small or medium boxes
- Light and bulky (bedding, cushions, pillows, lampshades, clothing) → large boxes
This guide is about the second category — the light, bulky stuff.
The Right Large Box
Use a large double-walled box, approximately 20" × 18" × 18" (about 51 × 46 × 46 cm). Double-walled is important even for light contents because large boxes are stacked with several others on top of them in the van — single-walled boxes collapse under that pressure.
You can buy a suitable pack of 10 large 20×18×18 double-walled boxes from MyMovingBox. For a typical 2-3 bedroom home, you'll usually need 6-10 large boxes for the bedrooms and living room soft furnishings.
What Goes in a Large Box
| Item | Notes |
|---|---|
| Duvets | Folded in thirds, then rolled |
| Pillows | Compressed by hand into the gaps |
| Cushions and cushion covers | Stuff inside duvets to save space |
| Bedlinen sets | Keep each set together inside one pillowcase from the same set |
| Towels | Roll rather than fold for better packing density |
| Folded clothing | Jumpers, t-shirts, jeans — anything not on hangers |
| Soft toys | Bag in bin liners first to keep clean |
| Lampshades | One per box, packed alone with crumpled paper around |
| Coats and jackets | Folded once across the shoulders |
What Should NOT Go in a Large Box
- Books — see our book-packing guide. Use medium boxes capped at 20 kg.
- Crockery — too far to fall when stacked, plates can crack under their own weight in a large box. Use small boxes packed densely.
- Electronics — too much movement risk. Pack in original boxes or smaller boxes with foam.
- Liquids — large boxes have more leak surface. Bag and pack liquids upright in medium boxes.
Step-by-Step Packing
1. Bedlinen sets
Keep matching sets together. Stuff a duvet cover with its sheet and pillowcases, then fold. You'll save five minutes of searching at the new house.
2. Bottom layer: heavier soft items
Towels and folded jeans go at the bottom. They give the box a stable base.
3. Middle layer: clothing
Folded jumpers, t-shirts and lighter clothing.
4. Top layer: pillows and cushions
Pillows fill awkward gaps and protect anything underneath. Cushions on top.
5. Fill voids with smaller soft items
Socks, scarves and odd cushions tucked into corners stop everything shifting in transit.
6. Tape and label
Tape the bottom and top seams. Label by room and content — for example, "MASTER BEDROOM — DUVET, BEDLINEN, PILLOWS". Mark "FIRST NIGHT" on the box that contains the bedding you'll need on the first evening.
Vacuum-Compression Bags: Worth It?
For bulky bedding (winter duvets, ski jackets, fleece blankets), vacuum bags can cut volume by 50-70%. This means fewer boxes overall and lower removal volume, which can directly reduce your quoted price.
Trade-offs:
- The contents come out heavily creased — fine for bedding, less ideal for delicate clothing.
- You need a vacuum cleaner to compress them. Don't try to do this in a half-packed house.
- They rebound fully on opening, so plan wardrobe space at the new property.
Wardrobes and Chests of Drawers
For clothes on hangers, don't fold them into a large box. Use a wardrobe box with a built-in rail instead — the clothes go straight from the rail to the box and back to the rail at the new house.
For chests of drawers with folded clothing inside:
- Remove every drawer from the chest before the move (the chest is much lighter without them and won't get damaged).
- If the contents are light clothing only, shrink-wrap each drawer and transport it as-is.
- If the contents include anything heavy or breakable, empty the drawer into a labelled large box and reload at the new property.
The "Soft-Fill" Trick
Bedding and clothing are also useful for filling voids in other people's boxes. A bath towel rolled up makes excellent padding around a vase. A jumper at the bottom of a kitchenware box cushions glassware. If you have spare soft items after packing your large boxes, hold them back to use as padding elsewhere.
Quick Sanity Check
Before sealing each large box:
- Lift it. It should feel noticeably lighter than a medium box of books.
- Push down lightly on the top — there should be no give. If the box compresses, it's not full enough; add more soft items.
- Shake it gently. Nothing should rattle. If something does, you've packed the wrong item in this box.
Done right, large boxes carry an entire bedroom's worth of bedding and soft furnishings in 2-3 boxes per room — light to lift, easy to stack, and quick to unpack.