You can move a whole house without buying a single box. It takes a little planning and a set of reusable bins, and it usually ends up faster than the cardboard version.
Here's the plan we give customers who want a zero-cardboard move.
Start with what you already own
- Suitcases and duffels: clothes, linens, shoes.
- Laundry baskets and hampers: bulky soft goods.
- Dresser drawers: leave clothes inside and wrap the dresser.
- Pots and stockpots: pack smaller kitchen items inside them.
- Trash cans and coolers: cleaning supplies, garage odds and ends.
Rent bins for everything else
The remaining 70% of a house — kitchen, books, decor, office, bathrooms, kids' rooms — goes into reusable bins. Because they're all the same size, you can plan loads instead of playing Tetris.
Order slightly more than you think you need. Bins are easier to return unused than to source at the last minute.
Wrap without buying packing paper
- Towels and dish cloths around plates and bowls.
- T-shirts and socks inside glasses and mugs.
- Bedding as a top layer to keep contents from shifting.
- Skip newspaper on white ceramics — the ink transfers.
Pack heavy low, light high
Books, canned goods and tools go in the bottom third of each bin, then medium-weight items, then soft goods on top. Fill to the rim so the lid supports the stack above it — a half-empty bin collapses inward when you stack on it.
Label the lid and one side
Use painter's tape and a marker: room, plus one line about contents. Label the lid so you can read it in a stack, and one short side so you can read it against a wall. Peel the tape off before pickup.