PACKING6 MIN READ
Packing in the wrong order is why people run out of coffee mugs a week before move day and end up sleeping on the sofa. Here's the sequence a professional packing crew uses.
4 weeks out — anything you don't touch monthly
- Loft contents
- Garage & shed
- Attic bedrooms (spare bedrooms, dressing rooms)
- Formal dining room
- Books, ornaments, seasonal decorations
2 weeks out — infrequent-use rooms
- Utility room and understair cupboard
- Spare wardrobes (out-of-season clothes)
- Home office non-essentials
- Games consoles and DVDs
- Wall art, mirrors, framed prints
1 week out — bedrooms and living rooms
- Non-daily clothes (leave one week's worth out)
- Bed linen (leave one set out)
- TV, sound system, cables (photograph the back of every TV)
- Cushions, throws, decorative items
48 hours out — the kitchen
See our full kitchen packing guide. Pack everything except a "day-one" kit: one set of plates, cutlery, mugs, kettle, coffee, toaster, one pan.
24 hours out — bathrooms and daily use
- Toiletries into a "day-one" toiletries bag per person
- Meds into a labelled sealed box
- Chargers, remote controls, keys into one clearly-labelled box you carry personally
Move day essentials box
One box per person, opened first at the new address: kettle, mugs, tea/coffee, toilet roll, phone charger, PJs, meds, a change of clothes. This one box saves the family from a meltdown on day one.
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Frequently asked questions
- What order should I pack my house in?
- Start with rooms you use least — loft, garage, formal dining, spare bedrooms — four weeks out. Move to infrequent-use rooms at two weeks, main bedrooms and living rooms at one week, the kitchen at 48 hours, and bathrooms in the final 24 hours.
- What should I pack last when moving house?
- Toiletries, medications, chargers, remote controls, keys, and one "essentials box" per person containing PJs, a change of clothes, kettle, mugs, tea/coffee and toilet roll. These go in the car with you, not in the lorry.
- How early can I start packing to move house?
- Start 4 weeks before completion with the loft, garage and out-of-season items. Starting earlier than that risks packing things you'll still need to use — leaving critical items out and setting yourself up for last-minute chaos.
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