Feeling overwhelmed at the thought of packing up all of your clothes for a big move? You are not alone. Americans possess an average of 148 pieces of clothing, per person, which can lead to a closet full of stress come packing time.
The good news? There are some ways to make packing up your clothes one of the easiest parts of your move, and they aren’t complicated (No intricate folding of every t-shirt required). Here are some of our favorite tips for moving your wardrobe, backed by our years of experience helping families just like yours create a stress-free move.
Hack 1: Declutter first
The first step in any move is to get rid of the things you do not need or want in your new place. After all, moving is labor and time-intensive. You should not spend either relocating things you do not really need.
Here are a few tips for successfully decluttering your closet:
- Wash all your clothing, so you know what you have.
- Eliminate anything uncomfortable.
- Get rid of anything you do not regularly wear.
- Throw away all clothes you do not like.
- Discard all stained or torn clothing
- Separate your seasonal clothing to pack separately.
Hack 2: Use the trash bag tip
Don’t know what to do with your closet of clothes? Throw them in some trash bags. This is one of the most popular clothing moving hacks. Before you panic, we are not talking about throwing them away. But using trash bags CAN eliminate the headache of folding all your clothes (And reversing the process in your new home). Here is how it works:
- Take a trash bag and poke a hole in the bottom.
- Rubber band your hangers (with clothes on them) together in groups of 10-15.
- Turn your trash bag over and put your hand through the hole.
- Pull the trash bag over the top of one group of hangers.
- Tie the trash bag’s handles together at the bottom.
An alternative to this method is to skip poking holes in your trash bags and simply place the hangers into the trash bag, then tie the bag handles around the hanger hooks.
Either way, at the end of this hack, you will have neat bundles of hanging clothes ready to pop into wardrobe boxes, or even just straight into the moving truck. When you get to your destination, simply pull them out, hang them in your closet, and remove the bag and rubber bands. No unfolding (or ironing) necessary.
Hack 3: Leave your clothes in the drawers
Once your closet is packed up using the trash bag tip, you can move on to your dressers. Here, you have an even easier way to pack up your clothes: Don’t.
If your clothes reside in drawers, you can just tape up the drawers and leave the clothes securely tucked away during the move. Just pick up the dresser and put it in the moving van. Unload it at your new destination, and remove the tape.
Here are some considerations to make this hack work for you:
- Use tape that will not damage your dresser when removed.
- Only use this approach if you are using professional movers who can handle heavy furniture.
- Consider removing the drawers and wrapping them in plastic (Or trash bags) to lighten the dresser.
Not packing is always the easiest way to get your clothes ready for a move! Plus, this is a procrastinator’s perfect hack: You can tape up your drawers on the big day.
Hack 4: Use wardrobe boxes
If you need to pack your clothes in a box, you can still put your clothes away without fondling, unfolding, and dealing with wrinkles: Choose a wardrobe box.
Wardrobe boxes are designed with a metal bar and enough height to let you simply transfer your hanging clothes into the box. Combine these boxes with your trash bag tip, or simply relocate your closet into these boxes.
Simple, easy, and time-saving, wardrobe boxes can turn hours of closet-packing work into a matter of just a few minutes. That frees you up to spend more time on important tasks, like decluttering your closet, or preparing your other belongings for relocation.
Hack 5: Pack footwear separately
Throwing your shoes in with your regular clothes can make it hard to find your footwear when you need it. Try packing them separately, so you can put them away as soon as you get to your new place. Here are some footwear tips you can find:
- Tie your shoelaces together, so you can keep pairs of shoes together.
- Put socks inside your shoes for easy storage.
- Place footwear in the bottom of wardrobe boxes.
Try any of these moving hacks for clothes to cut back on the time and effort you have to spend getting your wardrobe ready for a move. And contact Ward North American to reduce the time and effort you spend getting all of your belongings to your next home.
