Room by Room Packing Guide

More than just about anything else, packing well is essential for an overall successful move.

Packing up your personal items is arguably the most important part of your move. Whether you’re moving across town or cross-country, we want to help you achieve a successful transition. To that end, we’re sharing our best packing tips for moving to help you ensure your belongings are safe and secure from your old door to your new one.

When you choose North American as your moving partner, we go the extra mile to make your move simple and stress-free. Our extensive moving resources are at your disposal, from packing standard household items to securing moving supplies to safely shipping delicate belongings like antique furniture and wine collections. Whether you’re looking for shipping and storage solutions or you’d like help planning every aspect of your move, our custom moving services are tailored to your needs. Review our best packing tips for moving below to get started.

You can use these moving tips to guide you through the packing stage and ensure everything is packed, boxed, and ready to be transported to your new destination.

Packing Tips For Moving

A long-distance moving company can take care of this for you – but sometimes, you want to do it yourself.

At North American Van Lines, we want to make your moving experience as painless as possible. While we offer packing services, we understand that some customers prefer packing their own belongings. We’ve drawn on our expertise to create the ultimate packing guide to help ensure you have a smooth cross-country moving experience.

Here are a few general moving tips to keep in mind while using our packing guide:

Always pack like items in the same box
Label each box to streamline the unpacking process
Be careful with fragile and valuable items
Pack heavy items at the bottom of the box first

If you need moving supplies, reach out to North American for standard boxes, clothing boxes, boxes for glass, mirrors and mattresses, custom crates and more. Now it’s time to start packing!

Each section of the following guide is linked to a detailed breakdown of how to handle, pack, and transport specific items.

Looking for information about an item that’s not listed? Contact a Relocation Consultant at North American Van Lines for a consultation and no-obligation quote today.

Hire the Packing Professionals at North American

Packing personal items for your move can take a great deal of care and preparation. Simply throwing everything into a box and hoping it makes it safely to your destination is a recipe for disaster. Even though following our best packing tips for moving will help, a little professional assistance goes a long way.

At North American Van Lines, we understand the moving process can seem daunting. We’re here to help. Our professional movers treat your personal items like their own. We know how to pack fragile items properly and transport them safely. If you’d prefer to let us handle the whole process for you, we’ll take our time expertly packing each box with the utmost care. With our team by your side, you can enjoy peace of mind leading up to moving day and beyond.

Garage/Hobby Room/Storage

Garages and storage sheds typically take the longest to prepare for moving, as they are filled with oddly shaped, sharp or heavy items that require special care to pack correctly. It’s easiest to start with the basics. Assess large items first: Can they be disassembled for easier shipping or storage? Can they ship as-is, or do they need extra packaging? This also makes a great time to do a bit of cleaning. Remember, everything you dispose of now is one less thing you’ll have to unpack at your new home.

Home Office/Den

If you work from home, you likely want to get your home office packed last and set up first. To streamline the process, label cords and cables and pack them in the same box as the electronic equipment they go with. We also provide moving tips for transporting office furniture, books, and electronics.

Bedroom/Nursery/Bathroom

Start packing your bedrooms for moving by tackling less-used guest rooms first. Children can help by setting aside the toys, shoes, and books they want to keep close at hand and packing the rest in boxes.

Living/Family Rooms

From packing lamps to electronics, your main living area requires a little extra preparation prior to moving day. Your furniture, tech items (such as home theater equipment), photographs, books, rugs, and even the pool table require a different approach to ensure they arrive safely at the new location.

Dining Room

The dining room will generally include your most fragile china and crystal stemware. Our moving professionals recommend that each item be carefully wrapped in paper and placed in dish-pack moving cartons; cellular dividers are recommended for stemware.

Kitchen/Laundry Room

Once you know you're moving, you can begin packing your kitchen almost immediately. Start with your less-used serving dishes, seasonal items, and small appliances.

Moving Appliances

When preparing large appliances such as washing machines and dishwashers for moving, make sure they’re clean and dry to avoid the buildup of mildew and mold.

Non-transportable Items

There are a few items you won’t want to put in a moving truck on moving day. You should transport valuable and irreplaceable items with you rather than on the truck. Also, any hazardous materials, firearms, or items with sentimental value are not recommended for a moving van.

Types of Boxes

No matter what you need to pack, North American has the box for it. Our shipping boxes come in all different strengths and sizes to help ensure safe and efficient moving.