How to Pack Your Belongings Before Moving

Packing is the part of a move you can do entirely yourself — and the part that most affects how long the day takes. When the crew arrives and everything is in sealed, labelled boxes, the work goes quickly. When it isn’t, the movers wait, and with hourly rates waiting is billed.

This comes from our crew’s day-to-day work in Plovdiv: what to buy, when to start, and which items most often break because they were packed in a hurry.

When to start

Two weeks is enough for a flat if you give it about an hour an evening. Begin with what you don’t touch anyway — the basement, the attic, the balcony, the linen cupboard, books, winter clothes in summer. The kitchen and bathroom come last.

The same goes for decluttering: every item you decide not to move is fewer boxes and fewer working hours. There is more on that in our 9 tips for paying less for your move.

What materials you need

An average home needs boxes in two sizes, tape with a dispenser, a marker, stretch film, bubble wrap and some packing paper. Old newspapers leave ink on white ceramics — paper does a better job.

As a rough guide: studio 10–15 boxes, one-bedroom 20–30, two-bedroom 30–45, house 50 and up. Better to have a few left over than to stop halfway.

We supply boxes and packing materials together with a service — a move, packing or a clearance. We are not a box shop, and we don’t buy unused boxes back. Details are on our Boxes and Packing Materials page.

Sort by category, not at random

Clothes with clothes, books with books, kitchen with kitchen. A mixed box feels practical while you pack and becomes a problem when you unpack, because it can’t simply be left in one room.

Label it so it can be read

Write two things on every box: the room and the contents. For example “Kitchen – plates” or “Bedroom – winter clothes”. Write on the side, not the lid, because boxes travel and sit stacked. If a box must stay upright, write it in capitals with an arrow.

Fragile and valuable items

Plates are packed on edge, standing up, not stacked flat — they survive far better that way. Each glass is wrapped separately. Fill the gaps in the box with towels or clothes so nothing moves inside; most breakages come from shaking, not from impact.

Televisions and monitors travel upright. If you kept the original box, use it.

Documents don’t travel in a box

Personal documents, title deeds, jewellery, medication and keys go with you, in a bag that never gets loaded into the van. It is the one thing in the whole process with no backup.

The first-night box

Keep one box or suitcase that is loaded last and unloaded first: toiletries, bed linen, a change of clothes, chargers, a kettle, some food, a knife and tape. On the first evening in a new home, nobody has the energy to hunt for the soap.

What not to pack yourself

A piano, a safe, a large fridge, a corner sofa, machinery — leave those to the crew. Carrying them down the stairs without straps and trolleys is risky for the item and for your back. See our Piano and Heavy Item Moving service.

At the moment we don’t offer furniture disassembly or assembly. If a wardrobe or bed won’t fit through the door in one piece, take it apart beforehand, yourself or with a handyman — otherwise the day stops on the staircase.

On moving day

Seal every box and clear the route from your flat to the entrance. If you can, keep a parking space free for the van as close to the door as possible, and sort out the lift rules in advance if your building has any. Our moving checklist breaks the preparation down week by week.

Frequently asked questions