How to Save Space When Packing for a Move

When packing for a move, you need to overcome several challenges – and work out some tricky issues:

• You need to provide the best possible protection to your belongings, so they survive the move intact and unscathed – therefore, you need to know the safest packing techniques for different kinds of items, so you can use the most appropriate method for packing each and every one of your possessions;
• You need to complete the job by moving day, so your possessions are ready for shipment when the moving truck arrives at your home – therefore, you need to know what to pack when for moving and how to pack quickly and efficiently, so you have access to everything you need prior to your move and still manage to box up all your belongings in time;
• You need to avoid packing mistakes, so you don’t waste unnecessary time and effort on the packing process and don’t end up losing money – or losing treasured belongings – because of your improper actions – therefore, you need to know the golden rules of packing, so you don’t make a misstep;
• You need to fit your items in as little space as possible, so your move becomes simpler, faster, and cheaper – therefore, you need to know how to save space when packing for your relocation.

The last point may not seem as important as the others, but saving space when packing will ultimately save you money on your move.

Not sure how that is possible? Read on to find out and to get some ideas on how to save space when moving.

Why save space when packing for a house move?

There is no doubt that packing in cardboard boxes is the most efficient and most convenient way to pack for a move.

In order to pack up an entire household, however, you’re going to need a LOT of boxes. And even though packing boxes are not very expensive, buying several dozen of them (you’ll need about 25-30 boxes to pack up the contents of a single room) will cost you a pretty penny.

The more boxes you have for moving, the larger moving truck you’re going to need and the more difficult and time-consuming it will be to load and unload your shipment.

If you know how to optimize the space in a packing box, though, you’ll be able to fit more items in it. And the more items you can fit in a carton, the fewer packing containers you’re going to need for your relocation. This means several things at once:

• You’ll need fewer packing materials, so you’ll be able to save on packing expenses;
• There will be fewer boxes to load and unload, so your move will be easier – and will take less time, so if you’re moving locally and your movers are charging you by the hour, your final moving cost will be lower (See also: How much do movers charge);
• Your goods will take less space in the moving truck – so, if you’re moving long distance, the movers will be able to consolidate your shipment with other customers’ shipments and your relocation cost will be smaller. And if you’re performing a self-move, you’ll be able to rent a smaller vehicle and pay a smaller rental fee.

No matter where you’re moving to and what moving option you have chosen, saving space when packing will be good for your wallet.

Therefore, you need to find a way to pack your items for moving without using too much space and inadvertently increasing the cost of your relocation.

But how to pack to save space when moving? Check out the expert space-saving packing tips and tricks below:

Declutter for a cheaper home move

Less stuff takes up less space – so, the best way to save space when packing for a move is to pack fewer things.

The fewer items you decide to relocate, the fewer boxes you’ll need and the easier the packing job will be.

More importantly, though, your move will become much cheaper – and not only because you’re moving fewer boxes, but also because your goods will weigh less (moving costs are based on the weight of the shipment – when you lighten the load, you reduce the relocation cost). (See also: How to estimate the cost of your move)

Therefore, you’re strongly advised to declutter your home and pare down your possessions before the move – sort out your belongings and get rid of everything you don’t need or don’t like anymore (throw away (or recycle, if possible) damaged items and items that are too worn out to be used ever again; donate to charity practical items that you no longer need; give away to family and friends everything they like and/or can put to good use; and sell your more expensive unwanted belongings to make some extra cash for your move.)

See also: How to decide what to keep and what to throw away when moving

Use the nesting packing method

Nesting packing is one of the best packing hacks for moving – quite simple, yet extremely efficient.

The nesting principle is based on (and named after) the Russian nesting dolls – sets of painted dolls of decreasing size that fit inside one another.

When preparing for a move, you can use the Russian doll packing method to save space and reduce the number of packing containers needed for your relocation – all you need to do is nest your items inside one another, so they take up much less space than they would if they were packed separately:

1) Pots and pans, cups and bowls, hats, lampshades, chairs, and other household items can be easily stacked together for packing efficiency.

2) The topmost container in a stack can hold some smaller items inside it:

• When stacking pots and pans, you can put small kitchen items in the topmost pot – packs of spices, packs of toothpicks, salt shakers, paper shakers, can openers, bottle openers, tea strainers, coasters, etc.;
• When stacking bins and buckets, you can put toiletries, cleaning products, clothes pegs, and small bathroom items in the topmost bin;
• When stacking hats, you can put small clothing accessories and hair accessories in the topmost hat; etc.

3) Hollow spaces can be filled with stuff:

• You can use your baby’s cradle and washing tub to transport your little one’s toys, diapers, bath products, etc.;
• You can stuff shoes with socks;
• You can pack headphones, jewelry pieces, figurines, and other small items in sunglasses cases;
• You can put towels, sponges, oven mitts, and other soft items in your washing machine and dryer if you’re taking them with you;
• You can transport linens, pillows, cushions, toys, office supplies, and various other things in laundry hampers, baskets, crates, chests, and other hollow items you’re moving to your new home – all the small, non-breakable items in your home can travel into whatever “receptacles” you have available. You shouldn’t let any of your household containers travel empty to your new place;

The Russian doll principle (object within a similar object) is extremely useful when you need to maximize space.

You want everything to fit together and take up as little space as possible so you should nest your items inside one another whenever possible.

Even simply putting things inside of other things will go a long way toward saving space when packing – you’ll be packing your belongings, not empty air.

Bonus nesting packing tips

1) Never move your suitcases and travel bags empty

Suitcases and travel bags make excellent moving containers – they are designed to hold items safely inside them and you’re certainly going to take them with you when moving, so it’s only logical to pack some of your belongings in them.

Besides, suitcases are quite bulky and take up a lot of space themselves – moving them empty would be a terrible waste of space.

You can put all kinds of items (clothes, shoes, accessories, toys, games, office supplies, etc.) in your travel backs, but suitcases should be packed with heavy items (books, small appliances, etc.) – most suitcases have small wheels on the bottom, so they’re easy to roll in and out of a home, making it easy to take weighty objects to and from the moving truck.

If there is any room left in a suitcase after you arrange your books or other heavy items in it, fill it with small, soft items to maximize the space.

2) Provide protective layers between stacked items

When stacking items, you need to make sure they won’t damage each other during the move. 

You can wrap every item individually before stacking it with other items, but the protective wrappings will take up extra space.

Your better option is to provide protective layers between every two items in a stack – you can use packing paper, pieces of bubble wrap, foam sheets, soft fabrics, etc. to prevent direct contact between the stacked items.

Don’t forget to add some padding inside the topmost container in a stack, if you’re going to put hard items in it.

3) Use plastic wrap to seal the topmost container

When you put some small items inside the topmost container of a stack, you need to make sure they won’t fall out during transportation.

The most efficient way to achieve this is to secure the container with plastic wrap. (See also: The many practical uses of plastic wrap for moving)

4) Don’t stack plates

As tempting as it may be to put your kitchen plates inside one another when packing them for moving, avoid stacking them horizontally in boxes – if you do so, they will be more prone to breakage and will take up more space in the box than when arranged on their ends.

The best way to pack plates for moving is to wrap them individually with packing paper and arrange them vertically in a dish box (or, at least, in a strong, properly padded cardboard box).

See also: How to pack dishes for moving

5) Put heavier items on the bottom

This is a no-brainer, but you should be careful to always nest lighter items inside heavier items in a stack and to put lighter items on top of heavier items in a box.

This will ensure stability and will help you save space when packing. (You should not make boxes too heavy (as they will be too difficult to lift and carry and may break under their own weight), so you cannot pack many weighty objects in a box. If you arrange heavy items on the bottom, however, and fill the remaining room in the carton with lightweight items, you will be able to optimize the space without making the box too heavy.)

Leave lightweight, non-breakable items in their drawers

In order to pack efficiently, you need to use up all available space – not only inside the moving boxes but also inside your household items (as detailed above).

Considering that, it makes no sense to empty your furniture drawers and pack their contents separately:

• You’ll be moving the drawers empty – so, you’ll be wasting space;
• You’ll need additional boxes to pack the items that were inside the drawers – so, you’ll not only have to spend more money on packing materials, but will also increase the number of boxes that need to be loaded on the moving truck (so your move will take longer) and the volume of your shipment (so your goods will take up more space in the moving truck), which will result in higher moving costs;
• You’ll need to take everything out of the drawers and arrange it in moving boxes – so, you’ll spend extra time and effort on the packing task.

It will be much easier – and much more space-efficient – to leave the drawers full and pack them as they are.

This way, you’ll be using your furniture drawers as moving containers, saving space in the cardboard boxes and making efficient use of already available space.

Just make sure you take measures to minimize shifting (add some clothes, towels, or other soft items between and on top of the items in a drawer), place several sheets of packing paper or a large towel over the contents of the drawer for extra protection, and wrap the entire drawer in plastic wrap to keep everything in place.

It is also a good idea to cover the wrapped drawer in a blanket for added safety during the move.

Keep in mind though that this packing hack is safe to use only if the drawers contain lightweight, non-breakable items such as clothes and linens.

If the drawers have fragile items or valuable items in them, you should take your belongings out and pack them separately, so you can provide them with adequate protection.

If the drawers contain very heavy items, you should empty them to prevent accidents due to the extra weight.

In fact, sometimes, you may be able to save more space by emptying the drawers and leaving them in the furniture pieces they belong to – just make sure you secure the drawers with plastic wrap so they don’t fall out during the move.

The best option, of course, would be to leave the drawers full and leave them in the furniture – this way, you’ll save the most space possible.

Doing so, however, is very risky and should only be done if the furniture is sturdy and well-built (so it can withstand the extra weight of the full drawers) and the contents of the drawers are lightweight enough that the furniture piece can be safely lifted and carried with its drawers full.

Related: How to pack furniture for moving

Take advantage of vacuum bags

When it comes to packing space-savers, vacuum bags have no rivals.

Vacuum seal bags, also known as compression bags, are specially designed to compress soft, voluminous items (like clothing and bedding) into compact bundles – there is a valve on the side of the bag that fits a vacuum hose or a hand pump and allows you to suck all the air out of the fluffy items in the bag and out of the bag itself.

Once the air is sucked out, the vacuum bags shrink down to a very small size, greatly reducing the amount of space that the soft bulky items inside them would otherwise take.

They become compact and very easy to fit in a moving box – or to find room for in the moving truck.

Vacuum bags will, therefore, help you save a lot of space when packing for a move. They are extremely useful for packing soft goods that are lightweight but take up too much space – duvets, quilts, blankets, pillows, winter clothes, and other items made of easy-to-condense materials.

How to save space when packing clothes for moving

When wondering how to pack to save space when moving, you’ll be probaly be wondering how to pack clothes to save space when moving.

There is a good reason for that – clothes tend to be voluminous and you’ll likely be moving a lot of clothes to your new home, so they will take up a lot of space in your moving containers and your moving vehicle.

Therefore, if you want to save space when moving, you need to find a way to save space when packing your clothes for moving.

Fortunately, you have plenty of viable options:

Roll up your clothes

If you’re puzzling over how to fold clothes to save space when packing, the answer may surprise you – you should roll your clothes, not fold them.

As hard to believe as it may be, when rolled, clothes can take about 50% less space than when folded.

Just lay a clothing item flat on its front, fold the sleeves backward (if there are sleeves), and roll the piece upward starting at the bottom (if you’re rolling jeans or other kinds of pants, fold them in two vertically before you start rolling them up).

Roll the clothing as tightly as you can and secure the rolls with rubber bands.

Stack as many rolls of clothes in a suitcase or a packing box as possible and place larger lightweight items (pillows, plush toys, garments that should not be rolled, etc.) on top.

You can also use small clothing rolls to fill gaps and provide additional cushioning in packing containers.

Bonus tip: To save even more space when packing your clothes for moving, you can roll thin clothes inside larger, thicker garments or nest smaller clothing rolls inside larger ones, thus combining two different space-saving packing techniques for maximum packing efficiency.

Rolling will allow you to save space and avoid wrinkles when packing clothes for moving, but keep in mind that not all clothes are suitable for rolling – formal shirts, suits, dresses, designer clothes, and other delicate garments should be carefully folded and wrapped in packing paper for better protection (or better yet – moved in specialized wardrobe boxes).

See also: How to pack clothes for moving

Use packing cubes

Packing cubes offer another efficient space-saving technique for packing clothes for moving – they keep your garments compact and organized, making packing and unpacking quick and easy and allowing you to save plenty of space in your suitcases and moving boxes.

All you need to do is group your clothes, squeeze as many clothing items from one group into a packing cube as possible, and zip it up – the sealed cubes will fit like puzzle pieces inside your packing containers, helping you maximize space and keeping your garments conveniently organized.

For even higher efficiency, you’re advised to roll your clothes before placing them in the packing cubes (to once again combine different space-saving packing methods for better results) – you’ll be surprised to see how little space your entire wardrobe can fit in.

Try bundle wrapping

There is no better time to try innovative space-saving packing ideas – like bundle wrapping – than when packing for a move.

You may like the result so much that you may decide to use bundle wrapping every time you need to pack your clothes for travel or storage, too.

Bundle wrapping is intended to save space – it involves layering the clothes and folding them around a central core item to form a bundle that keeps the garments compact, organized, and free of wrinkles.

The bundle-wrapped clothes fit snugly in a suitcase or a moving box and take up the least possible space.

Pack your winter clothes in vacuum bags

Because of their material (down insulation, synthetic fibers, knitted wool, etc.), most winter clothes are easy to compress – there’s a lot of air between their fibers that can be removed to make the clothing compact.

Therefore, the best way to save space when packing coats, sweaters, insulated pants, and other thick clothes is to pack them in vacuum bags that allow the air to be sucked out of them (as explained above).

Bonus tip for saving space when packing

Use your clothes, towels, blankets, and linens as wrapping and cushioning materials – you’ll be moving those pieces to your new home anyway, so using them instead of professional moving blankets, packing peanuts, foam padding, etc. will allow you to both save space when packing for your move (you’ll be able to pack in fewer boxes) and save money on packing supplies.

Additional useful information: Alternative packing materials

Knowing how to save the most packing space when moving will allow you to keep more money in your pocket and to make your relocation a bit easier.

For more tips on how to make your home move easier, cheaper, and safer be sure to check out our home moving blog.