Moving House Checklist: The Complete Packing Supplies Guide

Moving house means keeping track of dates, furniture and the contents of every cupboard at once. A checklist makes the work less daunting. The most useful moving house tips are to start with the decisions, pack in stages, and keep what you need on moving day within reach. Follow the timeline below, then use the supplies list and room-by-room tips to plan the packing. If there’s a gap between homes, you’ll also find a practical way to handle what can’t go straight to the new address.

When to Start Packing

You don’t need to live among boxes for two months. If you’re working out how to pack and move house, work backwards. Settle the dates and bookings first, then box up your belongings in stages. Bring this timeline forward if you’re moving a large household or facing a tight handover.

• 6-8 weeks before: Confirm your moving date and book removalists or a vehicle. Walk through each room, including the garage, and decide what to keep, donate, sell or dispose of. If settlement dates or leases leave a gap, look into storage now so you have a place for packed items and furniture.
• 3-4 weeks before: Order boxes and protective supplies, then work through non-essentials room by room. Seasonal clothes, spare linen, decorations and little-used kitchenware can go first. Mark each carton with its destination room and a brief description of its contents.
• 1-2 weeks before: Pack most of what’s left, keeping daily-use items accessible. Arrange utility connections and disconnections, update your address with important services and confirm the removalist’s arrival time, parking and access at both properties. Set aside valuables and important papers to travel with you.
• Moving day: Keep an essentials box or bag with you, rather than burying it in the truck. Before handing over the keys, check cupboards, drawers, outdoor areas and power points, and photograph the empty rooms if you need a record of their condition.
  When packing a house for a move, a small routine helps: finish one zone, seal its boxes and move on. Leave enough space to walk safely around rooms as your pile grows.

 

Declutter Before You Pack

Every item you bring takes time to wrap, carry, unload and find a home for. A pre-move sort is therefore one of the easiest ways to reduce both the work and the number of boxes you need. Start with a cupboard or shelf, not an entire room spread across the floor.Make four decisions as you go: keep what you’ll use or genuinely want in the new home; donate clean, usable items you no longer need; sell things worth the time it takes to photograph and list them; and bin or recycle anything broken or unsuitable for donation. Check local council rules for hard rubbish and e-waste rather than leaving unwanted items behind.
Give yourself a deadline for selling. An unsold item still needs a plan when the truck arrives. If the new place isn’t ready when you move out, temporary storage can give you breathing room to make sensible decisions once the dates are settled.

 

The Moving House Packing Supplies Checklist

Gather the moving essentials before you start: boxes in a few sizes, enough material to protect fragile items, and the tools to seal and label everything. Match each box to its contents rather than buying every specialist product. A few spare cartons and an extra roll of tape will save a trip to the shops when the last cupboard turns out to be fuller than expected.

Boxes

• Small boxes: for dense items such as books, pantry goods and tools. A box you can lift comfortably is more useful than one packed to the brim.
• Medium boxes: for general household items, shoes, toys and lighter kitchen equipment.
• Large boxes: for bulky, light contents such as pillows, clothing and bedding. Don’t fill them with heavy books or crockery.
• Specialty boxes: wardrobe or port-a-robe cartons for hanging clothes; wine cartons with dividers for bottles; picture and mirror boxes for framed pieces; and archive boxes for documents. Consider a crockery box for delicate kitchenware.

Protective supplies

• Packing paper for wrapping plates and glasses and filling empty spaces, and bubble wrap for fragile or awkward items that need extra cushioning.
• Furniture blankets to shield cabinets, tables and other hard surfaces from scratches during handling.
• Mattress and sofa covers to protect upholstery from dust and marks in transit.
• Vacuum-seal bags containing linen and clothing to reduce the space they take up, and keep any items you’ll need on arrival out of them.

Tools and accessories

• Heavy-duty packing tape and a dispenser, with extra rolls close by.
• Permanent markers for writing the room and contents on the side and top of each box.
• Scissors or a utility knife for cutting materials and opening cartons safely at the other end.
• Labelled zip-lock bags for screws, bolts and other small parts. It’s handy to tape each bag to the item it belongs to where practical, to make things easier during unpacking.

Fort Knox sells boxes and packing materials through its online box shop and at its Melbourne facilities. Check what’s available before you buy if you’d prefer to collect supplies near home.

 

How Many Boxes Do I Need?

As a rough starting point, allow 20-40 boxes for a one or two bedroom home, 40-60 for a three to four bedroom home, and 60 or more for a larger household. These are planning estimates, not a promise: full bookshelves, children’s toys, stored belongings and a long-established garage can change the count quickly.

A lightly furnished three-bedroom home may need far fewer cartons than one with full wardrobes and a shed. Once you’ve packed the first room, compare your estimate with the number you actually used and adjust your order while there’s still time.

 

Packing Tips for Each Room

If you’re wondering how to pack for moving house without losing track of things, finish one room before starting the next. Write the destination room on each carton so it lands in the right place, even if its contents came from elsewhere.

Kitchen

The kitchen usually takes longer than it looks, so start with the things you only use occasionally.

• Wrap crockery and glassware individually in packing paper, then place them securely in a crockery or fragile box.
• Fill gaps with paper so contents don’t shift when you lift the box.
• Share the weight of small appliances and canned goods across different cartons so each load stays manageable.
• Set aside a few plates, mugs and basic utensils for the final days; pack those last.

Bedroom

Start with the wardrobe items you won’t wear before the move.

• Move hanging clothes straight into wardrobe or port-a-robe boxes if you want to avoid folding and rehanging them.
• Strip the bed last; vacuum-seal spare linen and suitable clothing to save space.
• Box shoes and accessories separately, with a clear label so they don’t disappear among the bedding.

Living Room

Plan for the pieces that need two people, careful handling or some dismantling.

• Disassemble furniture where possible and keep its fittings in a labelled bag attached to the piece.
• Wrap sofas and cabinets with covers or furniture blankets before moving them through doorways.
• Use picture or mirror boxes for framed artwork; keep them upright and never load other items on top.
• Use original packaging for electronics if you still have it, and photograph cable connections before unplugging them.

Garage and Shed

• The garage can hold more than expected, including items your removalist may not be able to carry.
• Group tools by type and box them securely instead of tipping loose tools into a carton.
• Place screws and bolts in labelled zip-lock bags and keep them with the relevant furniture or equipment.
• Drain fuel from equipment before transport, following the manufacturer’s instructions and your removalist’s requirements.
• Cover sharp edges and clearly label anything that needs special handling; check with your mover about hazardous items, which may not be accepted.

 

When to Use Storage for a Move

Sometimes the boxes are ready but the new address isn’t. Storage for moving house is useful when settlement dates don’t line up, you’re leaving a rental before the next lease starts, renovations need to finish before you move in, or you’re downsizing and need time to decide what fits. Instead of repeatedly moving everything between temporary places, you can take it to one unit and collect it when you’re ready.

Choose the space according to what actually needs storing. Storing an entire house of furniture calls for a much larger space than storing a few cartons. Measure the larger pieces, make a list of cartons and ask about unit sizes, vehicle access and opening hours at the location you’re considering. If some belongings will go straight to the new home, label the storage-bound boxes clearly before loading the truck.

Fort Knox offers self storage across 11 Melbourne locations, with a range of unit sizes and month-to-month agreements. A smaller unit may be enough for the gap between leases, while furniture from a full household needs more room. Units are individually alarmed and facilities have 24/7 CCTV. Check the customer access hours at the location you choose, as they vary between sites.

The price depends on factors such as unit size and location. If you’re comparing options, check Fort Knox’s storage unit prices and request a quote for the space you expect to need. You can also find a nearby Fort Knox location before planning where the removalist should unload.

Make Your Next Move Easier with Fort Knox

Before moving day, make sure every box has a destination and your first-night essentials are travelling with you. If furniture or cartons need somewhere to wait, Fort Knox can hold them while you settle in. Find a nearby location or request a quote based on what you need to store.

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