Quick answer: Pack in this order: storage areas → decor and books → off-season clothes → spare rooms → daily-use items → kitchen last. A 1-bedroom needs ~25–35 boxes over 2–3 weeks. Heavy items in small boxes, paper not bubble wrap for dishes, label by room — and let pros pack the kitchen if anything's worth protecting.
Materials, with honest quantities
| Home | Small | Medium | Large | Other |
|---|
| Studio | 8 | 10 | 4 | 2 wardrobe, tape ×3 |
| 1 bedroom | 10 | 14 | 5 | 3 wardrobe, 1 dish barrel |
| 2 bedrooms | 15 | 22 | 8 | 4 wardrobe, 2 dish barrels |
| 3 bedrooms | 22 | 32 | 12 | 6 wardrobe, 3 dish barrels |
Free boxes: liquor stores (perfect book boxes), Nextdoor and Buy Nothing groups, office paper boxes. Buy only tape (more than you think), packing paper (5 lbs per kitchen) and mattress bags.
The order is the method
- Week 3: dead storage. Garage, closet tops, holiday decor, books. You won't miss any of it.
- Week 2: decor and spares. Art, extra linens, off-season clothes, guest room. The home still functions.
- Final week: real life. Remaining clothes, electronics you can spare, bathroom extras.
- Last 1–2 days: kitchen. It's the most breakable, most-used room — packing it early ruins two weeks of dinners; packing it badly costs the most damage.
- Move-day morning: essentials box in your car: meds, documents, chargers, coffee setup, first-night kit.
The dish technique that ends breakage
Paper, not bubble wrap. Each plate wrapped individually, then packed vertically like records — never flat-stacked. Crumpled paper base and top, bowls nested with paper between, glasses get double paper and ride upright in the top layer. A properly packed dish barrel survives a drop; a flat-stacked one fails a speed bump.
10 mistakes that cause most damage
- Big boxes packed heavy (books in large = bottom blowout)
- Plates stacked flat instead of vertical
- Boxes packed half-empty (they crush in stacks) — top up with paper or towels
- No labels, or labels on top instead of sides
- TVs without blankets or boxes — screens crack under side pressure
- Liquids packed sideways (cleaning bottles, oils) — bag them upright
- Lamps packed assembled — shade and base separately
- Cables unbagged — one zip bag per device, taped to the device
- Mattresses bare in the truck — bags cost $10 and prevent the worst stains
- Valuables and documents in the truck — they ride with you, always
Related questions
How many boxes do I need for a 1-bedroom apartment?
About 25–35: 10 small (books, dense items), 12-15 medium (general), 5 large (light bulky), 2-4 wardrobe, 1 dish barrel. Doubt favors small boxes — most DIY damage starts with overpacked large ones.
When should I start packing?
Two to three weeks out for a 1-2 bedroom: one room every 2-3 days, starting with storage and decor, finishing with the kitchen the day before.
Is it worth paying for professional packing?
For the kitchen and fragiles, usually yes ($160-240 buys 2-3 hours of two packers and all materials). For clothes and books, pack yourself — it's unskilled work you can do free.
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