Moving house can feel like an endless, stressful task list. And sometimes, no matter how organised you are, something unexpected can happen.
There’s one thing many people will have experienced during a move – running out of boxes. Often at crunch time, people realise they haven’t got enough boxes for all of their things, leading to a last-minute scramble to find some suitable moving boxes.
But does it have to be like this? Making sure you have enough boxes for your move will save you a lot of time and stress, making it easier to pack up your belongings.
How many home move boxes should you get? Take a look at our handy guide.
Choosing the right type of moving boxes
Finding the right moving boxes can make a big difference to your move. Choosing boxes that are sturdy, easy to carry and the right size for your belongings will help make things a little easier.
Packing-related disasters are amongst the top causes of house move stress. From boxes that break to items becoming damaged, you can avoid many moving woes with some informed packing choices.
Cardboard boxes are ideal for moving various items, including clothing and kitchen items. They are sturdy and easily reusable or recyclable.
Crates are a hard-wearing, reliable choice for moving. They protect your valuables and are capable of storing large volumes. Crates can easily be reused, making effective storage solutions.
How many boxes do I need?
Different factors will decide how many moving boxes you need, including the size of your home and the number of people within it. If you have a lot of items like books and DVDs, it could take a larger number of boxes to transport them all.
To give you a general idea of how many boxes you’ll need to move home, we’ve split them into different rooms to help you get organised.
Kitchen
Your kitchen will be one of the biggest (and trickiest rooms to pack up). From packing up the food cupboard to all of your dinnerware, you’ll need to have enough boxes to manage things comfortably. Remember to use bubble wrap to protect your plates, glassware and other fragile kitchen items.
You will need around 7-10 boxes to pack up a standard-sized kitchen.
Living room
Your living room will mostly consist of large furniture items like your sofa and coffee table, which won’t require boxes. However, you will need to pack items like cushions and decorative items. If you keep books, CDs, etc. in the living room, they will also need to be packed away.
You will need around 4-6 boxes to pack up small living room items and 4-6 large boxes for your other items such as textiles.
Dining room
If you have a dining room in your home, this will normally involve packing a lot of delicate items. This could include a full tableware set, glasses, cutlery and drinks bottles. Get your bubble wrap ready and try not to pack too many things in one box.
You will need 4-6 medium-sized boxes to pack up a typical dining room.
Bathroom
Bathrooms are another room which should be quite easy to pack up. Most items in a bathroom are fixed, so it will mainly be toiletries and towels to pack away here.
You will need 1-2 boxes to pack up each bathroom in your home.
Bedrooms
Bedrooms are where things can get tricky. The bedrooms in your home will likely be different sizes, and have very different packing requirements. Clothes will be the main thing to be packed away in most bedrooms, but children’s bedrooms will have toys and other items that will need to be packed away too.
A master bedroom will need up to 10 large boxes suitable for storing clothes and bedding, and 4-6 medium boxes for other items. Children’s bedrooms will likely need 4-6 large boxes for clothing and 4-6 boxes for toys and other items. For any guest or additional bedrooms, you will need 1-2 large boxes for bedding and other textiles, as well as 3-4 smaller boxes for packing other items.
Extra tips for packing your clothing
Clothing can be among the trickiest items to pack when moving home. This is because clothes come in different shapes and sizes, and the addition of hangers makes them difficult to pack away without the need for a lot of boxes and bags. Packing away your clothes can also lead to a lot of creases, giving you a lot of work to do when you unpack them.
To help make things easier, you can use wardrobe moving boxes to pack away your clothes easily. Wardrobe boxes are specially designed to make it easier to pack and unpack your clothing, thanks to built-in rails that allow you to keep your clothing neat and organised. They’ll protect your clothing from dust and dirt, which also makes them ideal for storing your clothes when you don’t need them, such as seasonal wardrobe changes.
Wardrobe boxes are available in sizes suitable for tall and short garments, helping you pack your clothing quickly and easily.
Office/Study
If you have an office or study in your home, you’ll need to think about packing up paperwork and files, books, office supplies and more. It can quickly end up being more than you realise!
For a small home office, you will need around 4-5 boxes.
Can you reuse moving boxes?
The good news is that moving boxes don’t have to go to waste after moving. There are ways to make the most of your moving boxes, including using them for storage. You can also pass them over to someone else who might be moving home soon.
You could also rent a packing crate bundle for a simple moving solution. You’ll pay a weekly hire fee and get to return the crates after you’ve finished with them.
Get fast and affordable moving crate packages with phs Teacrate
If you’re moving house and want to avoid the hassle of finding boxes for your move, phs Teacrate can help. We supply boxes for moving home in addition to crate hire bundles that can cover all of your moving needs.
Explore phs Teacrate’s moving home products and shop for everything you need to move home.