How Many Moving Boxes Do I Need for an Upcoming House Move?
, by Maeve Reidy, 6 min reading time
, by Maeve Reidy, 6 min reading time
You've gone through the highs, lows and roundabouts of finding a new place to live ... now comes the "fun" part of packing up your belongings - but where do you start?!
Moving can be an exciting time in your life.
It can be a time for a fresh start and a chance to redecorate, and have your surroundings exactly as you want.
But it can also be stressful.
One of the easiest ways to make moving less stressful is good organization ... especially when it comes to packing.
Packing up your home takes a lot of work, and you will need moving supplies like boxes, packing tape, and bubble wrap. You’re also going to have to make sure you have enough of all of these supplies for the items in your home.
Unfortunately, it can be difficult to predict what you will need.
Since you’re likely going to need many more boxes than you initially planned, we’ve created a list of our recommendations for the number of moving boxes you’ll need to pack up your belongings.
Each of the rooms in your house will require a different number of boxes in various sizes. Below are our recommendations for each room.
Remember that every home is different; these are purely suggestions and not the definite amount of moving boxes you’ll need. However, they are a good starting point.
Your kitchen has various things to pack, including small objects like cutlery and more oversized items like your slow cooker and kettle. This means you’ll need several different-sized moving boxes.
We would suggest four small boxes, four large boxes, and six medium-sized boxes for your kitchen.
Your living room is where you probably spend a lot of time. It may double as a study or home office, meaning it will have lots of items to pack up.
For starters, for your television and items like it, we recommend finding the box it came in. There is huge variety in the sizes of television these days, so Box Depot don't stock specific cardboard boxes for TVs. Instead, we suggest transit blankets which are soft and cushioning, as well as protective.
You’ll likely need four small boxes, four medium boxes, four large boxes, and two extra-large moving boxes to cover everything in your living room.
Dining rooms tend to have some form of display cabinet, and so, for your china cupboard, we would recommend allocating at least two moving boxes for your china alone. You’ll also need two small boxes and two medium-sized boxes for the other items found in your dining room.
The main bedroom is likely to have the most items, which means you’ll need a lot of moving supplies to pack it up. We recommend at least six bedding bags or wardrobe boxes, three small moving boxes, six medium-sized boxes and eight large boxes.
The other bedrooms in your home will vary depending on who occupys them. Your teenage son is likely to have more possessions than your newborn daughter; and a guest bedroom could double as a storage room or be relatively empty.
Use our recommendations for the main bedroom and size up or down where needed.
The bathroom is likely to have the least amount of items, so you’re only going to need a few boxes. You’ll probably get away with three small boxes and one medium-sized box in this room.
At this point, you need to consider the kind of lifestyle you lead. Are you a minimalist, a hoarder, or somewhere in between? For minimalists, packing up your home will probably be pretty straightforward.
With fewer items, you’ll need fewer moving boxes and fewer moving supplies overall.
For those with, ahem, hoarding tendencies, the process is likely to take much longer. On the bright side, you could use this opportunity to clear out rooms you haven’t entered in a while.
Another consideration is the size of the room and the number of items in each. If you’ve got lots of big spaces in your home, you’re likely to have more stuff to pack! Are you downsizing to a smaller home? Do you need to declutter some things before moving them to your new place?
Finally, the weight of your items could determine the size of the boxes you use. We recommend putting heavier items in small moving boxes and packing larger moving boxes with lots of lighter things. This protects your items and ensures your boxes don’t break as you move them. With the exception of our extra-large boxes, all the boxes at Box Depot are chosen so that you can comfortably wrap both hands around the boxes to lift them safely.
We totally understand that trying to estimate how many boxes you need when moving house can be stressful and a bit overwhelming. Therefore, we also offer ready-made House Moving Kits with a mix of cardboard boxes in each. Choosing one of our House Moving Kits will, at the very least, get you started. And the cardboard boxes in the Moving Kits are also available separately, should you need more of a specific size.
At Box Depot, we know that trying to envisage the size of the cardboard boxes can sometimes be challenging. All our cardboard boxes have their sizes in millimetres. However, for those who still think in old-money(!) we also give approximate measurements in inches in the description page of each box listed. You can also phone us for any advice you may need.
You are also more than welcome to call in to the Box Depot Shop to see the boxes in-person.
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