Stress-free London moving

The Packing Checklist

The room-by-room, material-by-material way our packing crews wrap a London home — so nothing arrives broken and unpacking is genuinely fast.

← Start with the Moving House Checklist Get a packing quote →

Part of a series

This checklist sits inside our full 8-week Moving House Checklist. Once your packing is done, move on to the Removal Day Checklist.

Step 01

Materials to gather

Buy once, pack properly

Double-walled cardboard boxes in two sizes — small for books and crockery, medium for everything else.
Wardrobe cartons with hanging rails for suits, dresses and coats.
Bubble wrap, packing paper (not newspaper — ink transfers), and corrugated card sheets.
Heavy-duty parcel tape, a tape gun, permanent markers and pre-printed room labels.
Stretch wrap for drawers, sofas and anything with doors that swing open.

Step 02

Kitchen

Fragile, heavy, often forgotten

Wrap each plate individually and stack vertically (on edge) in a small box — they survive far better that way.
Pad glassware with paper inside and out, then box with dividers.
Pack pots and pans nested, with paper between each one.
Bag and tape lids of any open jars, spices or cleaning bottles before they go in a box.
Defrost the freezer 24 hours before and dry it fully to avoid mould on the van.

Step 03

Bedrooms & wardrobes

Clothes, linen, valuables

Use wardrobe cartons for hanging clothes — straight off the rail, no folding.
Vacuum-bag duvets, pillows and out-of-season clothing to halve the volume.
Empty bedside drawers of anything fragile or valuable; stretch-wrap the drawers shut.
Pack jewellery, watches, passports and important documents separately — these travel with you, not on the van.

Step 04

Living room & study

Electronics, art, books

Photograph the back of your TV and AV setup before unplugging — saves an hour at the new place.
Use original boxes for electronics where possible, otherwise double-box with bubble wrap.
Pack books flat in small boxes only — a full medium box of books is too heavy to lift safely.
Wrap framed art in bubble wrap, corner-protect, then sleeve in a picture carton. Never lay flat on the van.

Step 05

Bathroom & utility

Liquids, sharps, last-minute

Bin anything half-empty or expired — it's not worth the volume on the van.
Bag toiletries in zip-lock pouches in case of leaks.
Pack medication and prescriptions in your personal overnight bag, not in a box.
Keep cleaning supplies back for the final sweep of the old property.

Step 06

Labelling system

Five seconds per box, hours saved on unpacking

Label every box on TWO sides and the top — never just the lid (you can't read it once stacked).
Write: destination room, brief contents, and a priority code: 1 = open first, 2 = this week, 3 = no rush.
Mark fragile boxes with red tape so the crew handles them visibly.
Number boxes (1 of 24, 2 of 24…) and keep a master list — instant inventory check at the new home.

FAQ

Packing questions, answered

How long does packing a 3-bed house take?+

A family of four typically needs 4–6 evenings spread across two weeks. A professional packing crew of two does the same house in 4–6 hours.

Where can I get free packing boxes in London?+

Supermarkets, off-licences and bookshops will often give away their delivery boxes — but they're usually too weak for a full house move. Invest in proper double-walled cartons for anything fragile or heavy.

Should I empty drawers before the move?+

Empty anything fragile, valuable, liquid, or heavy. Soft items like clothes and bed linen can stay in drawers — we stretch-wrap them shut so nothing slides out in transit.

Do you offer a professional packing service?+

Yes — full pack (we pack the entire home the day before) or fragile-only pack (kitchen, glassware and art). Both are fully insured and use proper double-walled materials.

Keep the plan moving.

Next: the Removal Day Checklist. Or jump back to the full Moving House Checklist.

Packing service →Get a quote