Buying a house is a stressful business, but it’s worth the effort and mountains of paperwork when you’ve finally got the keys in your hot little hand.
The only thing standing in the way? Moving all your stuff from A to B.
It sounds simple, but you alone probably know the scale of the mountain of stuff you’re climbing - even if you don’t have a Sort Your Life Out warehouse to lay it all out in. That said, houses have a knack for squirrelling away long-forgotten knick-knacks in dark corners, so you probably won’t see everything you’ve got until you start packing.
Whether you’re moving to the bigger room next door, across the city or further afield, packing up the entirety of your possessions follows the same set of rules.
Moving House Tips 101
- Play Trash or Treasure: Instead of seeing it as a pain, try to view it as a chance to free yourself from all the rubbish that’s clinging around your orbit over the years. You’ll be surprised at how much you’ll bin - think old takeaway pamphlets, chipped plates and failed hobby kits (let’s face it, hula hooping as an adult is a pipedream for anyone with ageing hips) - meaning less to pack.
- Be brave - and be ruthless: if you’re holding onto something because you ‘might’ need it in the future, ask yourself how many times you’ve needed it in the past and then have an honest conversation about taking it to your new digs. If you’ve bought duplicate appliances or tech in a sale, either get rid of your old one and pack the new to use in your new pad.
- Sell it or give it: Of the pile of stuff you’ve decided to part ways with, see what’s salvageable and list it for sale on eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree or Vinted, which has a section for homewares. It might be a struggle, but the cash that comes in rolling in will make up for the effort. Everything else can be sorted for charity shops or divided up as a final resort for recycling or binning.
- Get packing: Once you’ve made your pile of stuff smaller, it’s time to pack. Sorting things by room makes the job simpler, but keep a Sharpie handy to mark all the boxes so you’re not rooting through anonymous mountains of things on arrival. If it’s daunting, start with the smallest room first - clearing it will spur you on to doing the rest.
- Protect the fragile stuff: It’s obvious, but if you’ve got fine crystal glassware or delicate ornaments, wrap them securely with bubble wrap and newspaper - old issues of The Standard make excellent padding, FYI - to help keep them intact through the move. If they’re being boxed, throw in soft furnishings like throws, blankets, towels and cushions as extra insurance. Truly valuable stuff like fine jewellery, passports and money should stay on your person for complete peace of mind.
- Use furniture as moving boxes: If you’re taking your bedroom chest of drawers, it might be easier to tape the drawers shut rather than upending the contents only to put them all back again when you arrive at your new address. This won’t apply to everything and it's a hack that only works depending on the weight of your contents and how many flights of stairs you’re navigating, but it’s a trick to know nonetheless.
Whatever the situation, a sea of sturdy boxes is part and parcel of any house move.
We’ve rounded up the best options below to check one thing off your growing to-do list.
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StorePAK Moving House Cardboard Storage Boxes - Set of 20
Pack possessions large and small neatly and easily with this bumper set of 20 boxes, offered in three sizes: small, medium and large. The eco-friendly cardboard containers come with a marker pen, rolls of bubble wrap and brown packaging tape to complete the job. Sold with a one-year manufacturer’s guarantee.
Buy now £75.00, Argos
B&Q Moving Packing Kit
Want one bundle to solve it all? Head to DIY expert B&Q where you can find all-in-one packing kits that contain sturdy boxes with checklists printed on the side, bubble wrap and strong tape. Boxes feature hand holes making them easier to lift. Each one can hold up to 43 litres.
Buy now £30.00, B&Q
Trojan Home Moving Kit Large
Get moving with help from Trojan’s packing kit, sold here in a large size for big removals. The kit comes with a black Sharpie, 25m of biodegradable bubble wrap and a room checklist printed on the side with space to add notes. Made from recycled paper, the boxes can be kept as storage or recycled in your new home’s recycling bin.
Buy now £24.99, Amazon
StorePAK Multi-use Archive Box & Lid
Sold as a set of five, these lidded boxes are made with double wall ends to increase their strength and extra strong base construction to handle heavier loads. The stackable boxes are ideal for transporting paperwork - can books count as paperwork? - and can easily be labelled thanks to the white background.
Buy now £18.00, Argos
Direct Global Trading Student Moving House University Extra Strong Cardboard Box Kit Various Size Boxes with Fragile Tape
If you’re moving out of halls or out of a houseshare, you may not have as many things to bubble wrap - in which case, lucky you! You’ll still need boxes, mind, and this bundle offers a smaller set that doesn’t compromise on strength. There are handholds on each side, making them easier to navigate across rooms and along stairs.
Buy now £19.99, Amazon
VENO 6 Pack Heavy-Duty Extra Large Moving Bags W/Backpack Straps
Packing clothes and towels? It might be easier to arrange them all in heavy-duty bags, like this set. Each one comes with a window to make it easier to see what’s inside at a glance and strong straps are long enough to slip over shoulders, meaning less shuttle runs to the moving van. Once you’re in your new place, they can continue to be used to store off-season clothes and bedding.
Buy now £35.99, Amazon
PORTAL Deeper Festival Trolley
Designed for transporting festival goods from the campsite to your pitch, you'll be glad to invest in this trolley come house moving time. The deep-fill trolley can hold up to 99.7kg and sits on wheels, making it easier to pack heavy things like pantry essentials and bottles of booze. If it can navigate festival fields, it'll have no trouble rolling over pavements and roads. Best of all it folds down to manageable proportions when you're done, so won't take up too much space in your new cupboards.
Buy now £83.99, Amazon
Berry Store 25kg Folding Shopping Trolley Storage Boot Cart Box
Those with modest DIY tool collections may not need an all-singing, all-dancing toolbox, yet one on wheels is an undeniably convenient thing.
This folding box trolley can be used in myriad ways, from bringing the weekly shop back from the supermarket to taking power tools around the house. Made from sturdy plastic and complimented with a telescopic handle, the entire design folds up into compact dimensions for easy storage once you're done.
Buy now £22.99, Amazon
Falytemow Collapsible Utility Shopping Trolley
It’s giving Dior! Falytemow’s newspaper-clad shopping trolley is not only collapsible and able to store 41 litres of shopping, but it’s packed with fun style references. Remember Carrie Bradshaw’s iconic newspaper dress? We present to you, the trolley version. The piece can be used as a tote bag for a quick dash to the supermarket or wheeled along for more heavy-duty shops. John Galliano would approve.
Buy now £43.99, Amazon
6 Wheel Folding Navy Blue Stair Climber Shopping Trolley
You’ll laugh in the face of the next staircase you encounter if you have this trolley by your side. The clever design uses six wheels to ‘climb’ steps with you, so there’s no need to huff over the handle. The 42L bag is also removable and can fold away, making storing this as easy as pie.
Buy now £50.00, Argos
