It’s a well-known fact that cardboard boxes have become synonymous with the process of moving house.
Of course, there’s a good reason for that too – cardboard containers are not only uniquely versatile in their usage, but they are also pretty affordable (sometimes even free of charge), easy to find (multiple sources to get moving boxes), useful even after the move is over, and readily recyclable when their practical usefulness comes to its logical end.
In most relocation instances, moving boxes made of corrugated cardboard tend to rule the packing scene. On average, you’re going to need around 60 boxes to pack up your things when moving to a new home.
And yet, it’s interesting to note that during a house move, cardboard boxes can only be rivaled by plastic storage boxes in specific situations. And believe it or not, at times, a few suitcases can be great substitutes for cardboard containers as well.
If you do happen to own several suitcases that you’re taking with you either way, then you should definitely make sure you don’t transport those suitcases empty. Think about it – hauling empty suitcases to another home is just a waste of useful storage space, right?
So, what to pack in a suitcase when moving house?
Here are the top 5 things you can pack in a suitcase when moving :
1. Clothes
Pieces of clothing are the most obvious choice to be packed inside a suitcase when packing for a move. After all, suitcases are intended to hold clothes when people go on vacation or when they go on a business trip.
Without a doubt, the best way to pack hanging clothes is to use wardrobe boxes. Those specialized cardboard boxes look like mini versions of a wardrobe or a dresser and have a metal bar on the top to hold the hangers with the clothes on them.
But when you’re packing clothes that are not on hangers, then a suitcase will provide the best possible protection for your expensive designer clothes. Thanks to the much thicker leather or fabric walls of a suitcase compared to a cardboard box, you can rest assured that your valuable clothes will stay perfectly protected throughout the move.
Pack your more expensive clothes in a suitcase the way you would pack them in a large cardboard box. To avoid finding your clothes all wrinkled up after reaching the new home, fold them carefully before placing them inside your suitcase.
See also: How to pack clothes so that they don’t wrinkle during the move
2. Shoes
Other things you can pack in a suitcase when moving house are all or at least some of your shoes.
Naturally, the best way to pack shoes is to arrange them cautiously into their original shoe boxes. If you don’t keep those shoeboxes, then you should find regular cardboard containers of similar size that will accommodate your various types of footwear.
There are several steps you should follow to pack up your shoes quickly and safely into a suitcase:
- Use a soft damp cloth to clean the shoes before you pack them up in the suitcase. The thing is that you don’t want to transport any dirt and dust to the new place. Besides, you’ll have to do the cleaning bit after the move, so it’s better to get it done now.
- Let your shoes air dry for a few hours before you pack them up. Shoes must be 100% dry prior to packing to prevent any possible growth of mold.
- Stuff crumpled packing paper into your closed shoes to keep their shape intact and prevent your footwear from getting crushed.
- Wrap each shoe in soft wrapping paper. When done, place both shoes of a pair next to each other and wrap them up together in a large sheet of packing paper. Use pieces of tape to secure the bundles.
- Arrange the paper-bundled shoes into the suitcase without exerting too much force.
Read also: How to pack shoes for moving
3. Small electric appliances
A suitcase can be used to hold small kitchen appliances such as coffee makers, stand mixers, toasters, blenders, air fryers, food processors, bread makers, rice cookers, and sandwich makers. Also, various small household appliances such as hairdryers and hair straighteners will also fit well into a medium or large suitcase.
But why would you use a suitcase to move small electric appliances rather than a large cardboard box?
First of all, it’s much easier – you just open up the suitcase and start arranging those appliances without having to worry about finding the right cardboard box or preparing the container by taping up its sides and padding it with packing paper.
And secondly, your appliances will be much safer in a suitcase thanks to the much higher degree of protection it offers compared to a single- or double-walled cardboard box.
Electric appliances are best transported in the original boxes they came when they were bought from the store. If you do keep those boxes somewhere, then you can pack them inside and then transfer them into medium-sized cardboard boxes.
However, if you don’t know where those original boxes are, then wrap each appliance with two sheets of packing paper, then use a bit of tape to secure the paper layer, and finally arrange them into the suitcase. When ready, insert pieces of clothing between the electric appliances to keep them from shifting around during transport.
Useful info: How to pack small kitchen appliances for moving
4. Essential items
When packing up your things for moving, you’ll have to pack an essentials box at some point, preferably a few days prior to Moving day.
The main reason why you need such a box at your disposal is that you won’t have access to your regular household items while they are being transported to the new address. And that’s exactly when you’ll have to rely on all the essentials that you can’t live without, not even for a single day – bathroom essentials, medications, children’s items, pets’ items, personal items, and so on.
One possible problem when packing essentials into cardboard boxes is that you may not be able to fit all of them into one single container, especially when the boxes are small or the items are too many. In such cases, packing all essential items into a single large suitcase can be the perfect solution, making things so much easier for you and your family members, including pets.
In reality, having all the things you will need – at least until you get reunited with your stuff – in one suitcase should also prove to be both practical and convenient.
Good to know: How to pack an essentials box
5. Books
Possibly the best use of a suitcase during a house move is to transport your books in it. That’s right – books. And here’s why:
You may not be aware of the fact but books that are packed together become too heavy too quickly. Don’t be fooled by the weightless feel of a single page – books can be really, really heavy, especially big hardcover volumes.
And so, since books weigh a lot, you should always pack them in small books to avoid exceeding the reasonable weight limit of around 30 lbs. But even then, books-filled boxes are always difficult to lift and carry and there are always a number of risks in the process too.
Therefore, if you happen to have a travel suitcase with wheels on its bottom (or maybe you have two suitcases like that?), then you should definitely use it to transport the heaviest books you own. You’ll thank yourself later that you did.
Thus said, the best way to pack books in a suitcase is to arrange them flat. Then, use pieces of clothing to fill up any newly-created empty gaps inside so that the volumes won’t be able to shift around during transit.
Read also: DO’S and DON’TS when packing books for moving
BONUS: Sentimental items meant for storage
If you don’t plan to use a suitcase in the near future – probably you have another one that’s newer and better, then feel free to pack the suitcase in question with all types of sentimental items that you don’t ever want to part with but you won’t really need shortly after the move.
Such items include children’s pieces of art – most often drawings, old photos, old books, textbooks, or notebooks, and just about any items of high sentimental value that will fit inside the suitcase. And then, once you find yourself in the new home, that priceless suitcase can go straight into storage – most often in the attic, garage, basement, or another storage space in the new home.
Did you know: How to let go of sentimental items when moving
