How to Pack Your Closet Quickly and Easily

A pile of cardboard boxes stacked on top of each other on a wooden floor in front of a white brick wall.

Your bedroom closets can be some of the busiest and most full storage areas of the home. That makes them hard to pack up when you need to move to a new home. How can you make packing easier and more successful no matter how long you'll be on the move? Here are a few steps to take.

Purge First

Before you pack anything, look through the closet. Are there things you haven't worn or used in a long time? This is the time to sort through and get rid of things that you know shouldn't make the trip.

A number of methods exist for sorting through closets, from the currently popular KonMari method of determining what sparks joy in your life to opting for the one year rule where you discard things you haven't used in a full set of seasons. The specific method doesn't matter as much as that you do take this step before packing everything into boxes to lug around.

Keep Out a Suitcase

Before placing everything into boxes, pack a suitcase of clothing and accessories you'll need for the final week or so before and after the move. This suitcase should be everything you need to survive for at least a few days, but possibly longer - depending on your moving schedule and potential delays.

Pack Off-Season Items

You can generally safely pack up clothing, shoes, and accessories that are out of season. This easy step will lighten your load considerably. Winter clothing and shoes are likely the bulkiest items you have in a closet, so get them out first when possible. Use heavy winter coats to cushion the other accessories and shoes, zipping or buttoning the coats securely around other goods.

Bundle Clothing

Don't waste your time taking everything off hangers, folding them, and then unfolding and rehanging them. Instead, bundle hanging clothing together into categories - perhaps all your blouses or work jackets, for instance.

Place up to ten hanging items together and tie the hangers themselves with twine or zip ties. Place a yard-size garbage bag under the whole bundle and slide it up to the top. Secure the bag around the hanger tops by its own ties.

Use the Right Boxes

Many people prefer to use wardrobe boxes for clothing and shoes, which are specifically designed to mimic a closet with a hanging bar at the top. This will keep things more wrinkle-free and all together. Wardrobe boxes also allow you to pack up closets you still use until the last day of the moving process. If using wardrobe boxes, get at least one box per closet and label it for each bedroom.

Wardrobe boxes can be unwieldy, though, and they usually cost more. If you want something more manageable, you can carefully fold your bundled clothing in half and place them in regular moving boxes.

Be careful to use medium-sized boxes, though, and not to overpack them. Fill extra space with lightweight items like scarves and hats. If you pack a lot of clothing and shoes together, you'll likely end up with an unmovable (or broken) box.

Pack Accessories Together

One of the big dangers in packing up a closet is getting things unorganized and separated. Keep together everything that should go together. Shoes should only be packed in pairs. Belts should be packed with other belts and scarves with other scarves. Have a variety of boxes of different sizes so that you can avoid the temptation to mix and match closet items with other boxes or other rooms.

Packing up your closet can seem like an insurmountable task when you start. But, by sorting through items, packing them the right way, and keeping things organized, you'll have the task done in no time. At Almond Tree Mini Storage, we provide storage solutions for all types and lengths of needs. Call today to learn more from our packing and moving experts.

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