When you are getting ready to move the wardrobe can seem to be the most daunting area. It is full to bursting with all sorts from shoes to dresses to shirts to jewelry and just trying to figure out where to start is frankly more than a bit of a nightmare but don’t panic, here is a quick and simple guide to getting through.

1) Call your removal company and ask how big their wardrobe boxes are. These are great for items that ideally want to remain hanging and once you know their size you can figure out exactly what you can put in them.

2) Empty it and Clean it. Just to clarify what I mean here I mean get EVERYTHING out of there. It doesn’t need to be neat just get it out of there so that you can give it a proper scrub from top to bottom. If you are feeling efficient you can start sorting it which leads very nicely to point 3.

3) Don’t take it all. As you empty your wardrobe you will find a number of items that haven’t seen the light of day in a long time. There will be a temptation to cling on to them for sentimental reasons but this is a great time to make space so as you are emptying your wardrobe put things into piles marked ‘keep’ and ‘chuck’. The ‘chuck’ pile can also be a ‘donate’ pile but either way get it bagged up and out of the way.

4) Pack the unseasonable stuff first. This is just logic. If it is the height of summer get your big woolly jumpers packed away or if it is freezing you can pop the swimwear away for a bit. If you aren’t going to need for a long time get it out of the way first.

5) Pack a vitals bag. This is stuff that you will wear for the first few days. It’s a great way to use up your suitcases and will give you easy access to a handful of things for the first few days without you having to burrow into boxes.

6) Utilise the wardrobe sensibly. Don’t forget that your removal men are going to have to carry your wardrobe for you so in the interests of fairness you probably don’t want to make it too heavy. This isn’t where you want to store your bowling ball collection for example but it doesn’t mean that you can’t have anything in there. It is a great place to pack bulky but light items like quilts and bedding, making sure that there is no ‘dead space’ in your van but equally that the wardrobe remains moveable.

7) Fold…not throw. If you want to maximise the efficiency of your packing then you unfortunately have to fold everything. This means there is less empty space in your boxes and therefore you should need less of them. In addition, don’t forget that you will have to unpack all this stuff at a later date and that will be much quicker if you can just take it out of the boxes and get immediately put it away.

8) Cover the corners. With wardrobes it is very easy for them to damage themselves or other items of furniture, simply through being big and hefty. If your wardrobe has corners (or legs that would benefit from being protected) use a combination of cardboard for support and bubble wrap for protection. In doing so you should ensure that there is no damage to your possessions. Once this is done tie the handles together with string to stop them from moving around too much in transit or becoming unwieldy while being carried.