Whether you are a fashion guru or just dress for practicality, clothes are an essential part of everyday life. This means that when the time comes for us to change addresses, packing wardrobe for moving is something we all have to do. Whether you have a handful of simple pairs of jeans and tees or a whole closet full of shoes, purses, and dresses, you'll need to pack everything you plan on wearing again in your new home. At Gateway Moving and Relocation, we've seen a lot of different clothes packing techniques from people using storage for the extra clothes they have nowhere else to put. Some of those techniques work better than others. So we've collected a few useful tips for how to best pack your wardrobe.

Things to do before packing wardrobe for moving

You don't really realize how many clothes you have until it's time to pack them.

If you have a lot of clothes, packing them can be a daunting task. If you have a small wardrobe, on the other hand, you may be tempted to jump in and just get everything done as soon as possible. Whatever the case, however, you'll want to do some preparation first. Your clothes are about to either take a long trip to your new home or spend some time in storage units San Jose and either way, they need to be in good enough condition to survive the change if you plan on wearing them again.

Make sure to do your laundry before the move

The first thing you'll want to do is to wash all your clothes. Odds are that at least some of your outfits will end up dusty, musky, stained or even damaged when you're moving or storing them. Even the most careful international movers Costa Rica are not immune to accidents or dust or bad smells. But that doesn't mean that you can just put dirty laundry in a box and call it a day. Your clothes are more likely to come out on the other end in decent condition if you clean them beforehand. That way old stains and smells won't have the time to seep into the fabric.

Sort through your clothing

Before you start packing, go through your clothes with a critical eye. Do you really need everything you own? How much of it do you actually wear on the regular? Are there things you've outgrown or no longer like? If you're moving to a different climate, you might be able to get rid of some seasonal clothing. This will make it easier to pack and move too because you'll have less stuff. Separate your clothes into three groups:

• things you're packing
• gently used items you're donating to charity
• fashionable, high-quality items you can sell

Gather supplies

Once you've decluttered your closet, you'll have a better idea of how much clothing you're actually packing. Then you can estimate how many supplies you need and collect them. Depending on the method you choose for packing your clothes, you may need wardrobe boxes, regular boxes, vacuum bags, garbage bags, suitcases, and more.

The best practices when packing wardrobe for moving

Pack the clothes you won't be wearing soon first.

Regardless of your chosen method for packing clothes, there are some general tips you should follow to ensure that your packing goes smoothly.

Start with out-of-season clothing

You'll probably need to start packing clothes for a move well before moving day. In the meantime, you'll still need to wear some of your clothes. So you can't pack the things you're still using. Instead, pack out-of-season clothing first. If you're moving in summer, for example, you won't need coats and jackets so those can be packed well in advance.

Prepare a moving week box of clothes

As moving day gets closer, you'll be able to pack more and more of your clothes. But you mustn't forget to prepare some outfits for moving day and the days immediately before and after it. So set aside one small box where you'll pack your outfits for moving week. Bring it with you when moving so you'll have a few outfit changes during your first week in the new home too.

Pay special attention to delicates

If you own any expensive high-quality items of clothing or simply pieces that mean a lot to you, you'll want to make sure nothing happens to them during relocation or while they're in storage. So take the time to properly protect and separately pack the most important clothes you own. Use high-quality packing materials for them, drop in some moisture-absorbent packs, and a bag of dried lavender to ward off moths.

Pay special attention to delicates

Learn how to save space when folding clothes

When the time comes to finally pack all your clothes, you'll have a number of methods to choose from. Most of the time, a combination of these techniques is best.

Using wardrobe boxes

Professional packers typically use wardrobe boxes to pack your clothes for relocation and storage. These are essentially portable cardboard closets usually with a bar down the middle to hang your hangers on. However, they are special packing supplies and you'll need to get them from a moving company if you want to use them which can be pricey. You can, of course, also use standard moving boxes that you'll just put folded clothes in.

Using bags

Clothes mostly just need to be protected from outside elements which means you can simply roll them up and wrap them in something if you don't want to invest in packing boxes. Vacuum bags are especially good for this as they will also save space. But if you're in a hurry, you can also use clean garbage bags.

Using drawers

If you keep any of your clothes in drawers, you can simply leave them there. Tape the drawers closed to make sure nothing falls out and move your wardrobe along with your furniture. But remember that clothes add extra weight, so let your movers know to expect it. Keep in mind that some companies charge extra for heavy lifting!

Using luggage

Packing wardrobe for moving using suitcases bags is a neat trick for local moving when you don't need those suitcases and bags for actual luggage. You're moving your suitcases anyway and they take up space even when they're empty. So using them for clothes saves space and money because you don't have to buy extra packing materials!