Pack it once. Pack it right.
Good packing does two jobs. It stops things breaking, and it shrinks the load so a smaller vehicle can carry it. Here is how to get both.
- What is worth buying, and what to use instead
- A room order that saves you doing it twice
- Labels that keep the unload short
Three rules that hold everywhere
Heavy things, small boxes
Books, tools and tinned food go in the smallest carton you own. Fill a big one and the base gives way on the stairs.
Fill every gap
A half empty carton crushes the moment anything sits on it. Pad the voids with towels or paper until the lid closes flat.
Boxes decide the vehicle
Odd sized cartons waste more room than people expect. Pack tight and square and the same home often fits a smaller van.
How to pack a house
Start three weekends out, not the night before. Packing is slow in a way lifting is not, and the last box is the worst.
Then work in one direction. Rooms you barely use go first, the kitchen late, the bedroom last. Our moving house checklist sets the wider timeline. This page is what goes inside the box.
Materials worth buying
Buy cartons, tape and paper. Nearly everything else already has a substitute sitting in the house.
| Material | Why it matters | Cheaper option |
|---|---|---|
| Double walled cartons | Hold weight and stack square | None, buy these |
| Wide tape | Three strips across every base | Any strong tape, doubled |
| Butchers paper | Wraps glass without marking it | Tea towels and clean linen |
| Bubble wrap | Cushions edges and corners | Doonas, jumpers, folded towels |
The room order
Anything you open again gets done twice. Leave the daily rooms alone until the end.
| Stage | What to do |
|---|---|
| Three weeks out | Books, spare linen, the garage, tools |
| Two weeks out | Wardrobes, shelves, art, spare crockery |
| The last week | Kitchen, laundry, bathroom cupboards |
| Moving morning | Bedding, kettle, chargers, one bag each |
| Never boxed | Keys, documents, medicine, jewellery |
Fragile and flat-pack
Plates travel on edge, never stacked flat. Glasses get paper inside as well as around. Screws go in a bag taped to their own frame.
| Item | How it travels |
|---|---|
| Plates and bowls | On edge, paper between each, small carton |
| Glassware | Paper stuffed inside, then rolled and upright |
| Mirrors and frames | Corners taped, wrapped, kept standing up |
| Flat-pack shelving | Apart before the day, fittings bagged and taped |
| Beds and wardrobes | Flag them at the quote, the crew dismantles |
Filling the boxes well is half the job. Stacking them so the load stays put is another, and how to pack a moving truck covers it.
Labels and the unload
Every minute the crew spends asking where a box goes is a minute of your booking. A marker fixes it.
| On the box | Why it earns the ink |
|---|---|
| Destination room | Read once, the carry goes straight there |
| One line of contents | Saves opening five boxes to find the kettle |
| Fragile, on two sides | Visible however the box ends up stacked |
| Open first | One a person, the things you need tonight |
Done before we arrive
- Every carton taped, closed and grouped by room
- Drawers emptied, and nothing loose on shelves
- A clear path from the door to the kerb
The boxes are yours: we do not offer packing and we do not supply materials. Our haulers lift, carry, load and deliver, and take apart the pieces you flag.
White glove is different: that handling tier unpacks at the delivery end and takes the packaging away, so the empty cartons leave with the truck.
Tighter packing, smaller quote: volume drives the price. Our tips for moving house cover the rest of the day.
Numbers worth knowing
Google rating and review count pulled June 2026. The 50,000+ figure counts residential jobs since 2020.
Packing questions
Will PicUp pack my house for me?
No. We do not offer packing, and we do not supply cartons or tape. What we do is bring the vehicle and crew, then lift, load, carry, deliver, and rebuild the pieces you flag at booking.
How many boxes will I need?
More than you think, and fewer if you use them properly. Count cupboards and shelves, not rooms. One full carton beats two half empty ones.
Can I use bags and suitcases instead?
For soft things, yes. Suitcases are ideal for books, because the wheels do the lifting. Bags will not stack, though, so anything in one rides on top and eats space you paid for.
What should never go in a box?
Fuel, gas bottles, aerosols and anything that can leak. Keys, documents, medicine and jewellery travel with you in the car. Open food is better eaten than carried.
Should I take furniture apart myself?
Only if you are confident you can put it back together. Flag beds, wardrobes and table legs when you book and the crew handles them at both ends. Flat-pack travels better apart.
Boxes packed. Truck next.
Tell us the rooms, the access and the awkward pieces. The price comes back in about a minute.