Pack From "Rarely Used" to "Used Daily"
Most people pack in the wrong order. They start with the kitchen, panic, and end up living out of bin bags for a fortnight. The trick is to pack the rooms you do not need first, and only pack daily-use items in the final 48 hours.
This guide assumes you have around 6 weeks. If you have less, see our last-minute moves guide. For a full timeline overview, see the moving house checklist.
Week 6: Loft, Garage, Shed and Storage
These are almost always the easiest to pack — most of what is up there has not been touched in a year.
- Christmas decorations, suitcases, camping gear
- Old paperwork (sort and shred where possible)
- Garden tools, BBQ accessories
- DIY supplies
This is also where you will find half the things you decide not to take. Declutter as you go — every box you do not move saves money on your removal volume.
Week 5: Spare Bedrooms, Dining Room, Formal Living Areas
Rooms you do not use daily can be packed almost completely without affecting day-to-day life.
- Spare bedding, decorative cushions, throws
- Books and DVDs — see our book-packing guide
- Display items, vases, photo frames
- Dining-only crockery and glassware
- Out-of-season clothes from spare wardrobes
Leave one set of guest bedding accessible in case anyone visits in the final weeks.
Week 4: Main Living Room (Mostly)
You can pack most of a living room without losing function:
- All books and bookshelf contents
- All decor — pictures, candles, ornaments (see how to pack fragile items)
- Spare cushions and throws
- DVDs, board games, art supplies
- Most of the cabinet contents
Keep out: one or two lamps, the TV, sofa cushions, a couple of throws and the remote.
Week 3: Children's Rooms and Toys
This one needs handling carefully — children get unsettled by empty rooms.
- Involve them in packing if they are old enough
- Let them choose 5 to 10 favourite toys to keep accessible
- Pack school holiday and outgrown clothes
- Keep current school uniform, daily clothes and comfort items out
- Pack books gradually, keeping current bedtime books available
For more detail, see our guide on moving house with young children.
Week 2: Most of the Kitchen
The kitchen is where people lose hours if it is not planned. Pack in this order:
- Specialist appliances — food processor, ice cream maker, pasta machine
- Serving dishes and entertaining gear
- Baking trays, casserole dishes, bulk pans
- Most crockery and glassware — keep one set per person
- Most cutlery — keep 2 of each per person
- Cookbooks
What stays out: kettle, toaster, microwave (if used daily), 1 to 2 pans, 1 to 2 chopping boards, basic utensils, daily plates and mugs.
Pack a "kitchen first night" box separately so you can make a brew the moment you arrive.
Week 1: Wardrobes and Daily-Use Rooms
By now you should be down to:
- Two weeks of clothes per person
- Daily toiletries
- Daily kitchen kit
- Tech you actively use
Pack the bulk of clothes mid-week, leaving a 5-day rotation accessible. For hanging clothes, use wardrobe boxes — they save hours of folding and ironing.
Final 48 Hours
- Bathroom — keep one toothbrush, towel and basic toiletries per person out
- Bedroom — keep bedding on the bed until the morning of the move
- Kitchen — fridge essentials, breakfast kit
- Tech — chargers, laptops, kids' tablets
Moving Day Morning
- Strip the bed and pack bedding into a clearly labelled bag
- Pack final toiletries
- Pack the last kitchen items
- Photograph rooms before furniture goes (handy for insurance and arrangement at the new place)
The First-Night Box
Pack this separately, in your car, not the van:
- Kettle, mugs, tea, coffee, milk
- Loo roll, hand soap, towel
- Toothbrushes, toothpaste, basic toiletries
- Phone chargers
- Change of clothes per person
- Medications, glasses, contact lenses
- Snacks
- Bedding for the first night
Quick Checklist
- Pack rarely-used rooms first
- Leave kitchen, bathroom and main bedroom till last week
- Keep children's comfort items accessible
- Strip beds on the morning of the move
- First-night box travels with you, not the van
- Label every box with room + contents + priority — see box labelling guide
Want a Quote That Includes Packing?
A full pack service collapses 3 weeks of packing into one day. Use our calculator to see what a move with packing typically costs in your area, then compare quotes from local companies.