How to Pack a Messy House in 5 Easy Steps to Move Safely

Updated: January 29th, 2024

Packing a house and moving the household goods safely can be overwhelming and difficult to deal with. And when you are packing a house which is not well organized, packing such an unorganized and messy house can become even more difficult and daunting. It’s not going to be easy to pack a messy house on your own. Packing a messy house is more challenging than you think, because you won’t know where to start and how to get it right.

If there is an upcoming house move and you are not sure where to start, and how to pack then continue reading. Today in this post, I am going to tell you about how to pack a messy house in five easy steps. By following these simple packing tips, you can pack even the most unorganized and a messy house easily and efficiently.

One of the most challenging jobs of packing household goods for a do it yourself house move is to estimate the right quantity of different types of packing materials you need. With clutter all around, it could be really difficult to know what kind of packing supplies will be required and in what quantity. With professional moving service on board, they can quickly assess the situation and they also have ready stock of packing supplies. However as an individual, you may find it challenging and that makes it even more difficult.

But, there are ways to get it right. And with years of experience in packing and moving domestic household goods, I am happy to share the best packing tips that’ll help you to pack a messy house to move it anywhere in India.

Here’s how to pack a messy house in five easy steps

As you already know, packing a messy house on your own is not going to be easy, especially when you do not have helping hands. But, instead of getting overwhelmed, you need to calm down and get to the task.

Here are a few of the best tips that you can use to pack a messy house easily and move it safely.

Step 1: Make a plan

One of the worst things one can do when packing a messy house is to start packing randomly. If you start packing the household goods randomly then you can easily get lost in the process. Without a proper packing you will also end up creating more boxes. Or, you may even run out of essential packing supplies while packing things. You will end up spending more time managing packing supplies than packing the household things.

And therefore, it is important to make a proper packing plan, especially when you are packing a messy house.

Here’s what you can consider as part of planning to pack a messy house.

Fix a date for the move
Separate the major household goods
Know about the loose items that’ll be packed
Find the vendors to procure packing supplies
Roughly estimate the time you would need to pack
Check if you can get a helping hand

The idea is to get to the basics and plan what you need, what you have and how to go about it. A little bit of planning before you get to the daunting task of packing a messy house can go a long way.

Step 2: Sort out the items

One of the most crucial steps to pack up a messy house is to sort out the items. Knowing what to move and what to discard can be crucial. If you end up packing all the possessions you might have gathered over a period of time, then you will end up increasing the move size by double. And that will not just result in extra effort while packing, but the move will become much more costly for you. Naturally, when you have more boxes, the moving, transportation and handling charges may increase substantially. All these hassles of packing a cluttered and messy house can easily be avoided with proper sorting.

Here’s how to sort out the items easily and efficiently before packing:

Go through each of the rooms and spaces
Identify all the items that are in good shape and you want to pack and move
Identify items that you are not sure about – move or discard them
Make a list of items that you don’t want to move

When you go over individual rooms and evaluate each item, you’ll be able to sort these items correctly.

However, avoid getting attached to the items before putting it in the list of goods that are to be moved. In a house that you have built over a long period of time, you will find many items that are not in the right shape and condition.

Here’s the probable list of items that you should consider discarding instead of packing and moving to your new house.

Damaged and broken furniture – there is no point putting effort and money in packing and moving such heavy items, especially if it’s not in good shape.

Used clothes– instead of packing and carrying all the used clothes, it’ll be better if you can donate it to the needy.

Damaged home appliances – we often get attached to home and kitchen appliances. But if you have managed without it for long, there is a high chance that you won’t require these items. So it may be better to get rid of any such damaged home and kitchen appliances.

Books and magazines– you may want to keep some old used books, but there will be many books, periodicals and magazines that you have already read. If it’s a good one time read, it’s better to donate such books and magazines to a library or to someone who may need it.

Basically, the purpose of sorting out inventory when packing a messy house is to get organized and downsize the move as much as you can. Downsizing can help you save your time, efforts and of course the overall packing and moving expenses to an extent.

Step 3: Pack strategically

One of the easiest ways to pack a messy house to move is to get rid of all the clutter and then start packing strategically. Now that you have already sorted out the things you want to move and discard, it’s time to make the right strategy for packing.

Here’s the best packing strategy used by the professional moving service companies that you may like to follow.

Assess the inventory

One of the basic rules of thumb is to assess the inventory carefully and know what types of packing materials will be required. Different items require different types of packing, and therefore the movers like to conduct a home inspection before submitting the quotation. Home inspection helps them estimate the quantity and types of packing supplies they need to pack these things safely. So figure it out carefully.

Arrange packing supplies

Once you have assessed the number of boxes and other packing supplies you would need to pack your messy house, the next step is to arrange packing supplies. Usually, you can buy packing materials from the market. However, you can also get some free moving boxes from a nearby grocery shop. You can use these boxes to pack light weight boxes as per its strength.

Start packing rooms

One of the basic rules you should follow when packing an overly messy house is to go slow. You are not a professional and thus you can’t pack the entire house in one go. So go slow and make a schedule as per your convenience. Packing one room at a time works well in case of a do it yourself house move.

Put the appropriate label

Now that you are done with packing, put the appropriate label on each of the moving boxes and packed items. The label should primarily list the room name, items and handling instruction.

Check and seal the boxes

Now that you have placed a label, you need to check the boxes and if it looks good, you can seal them. However, don’t forget to check the weight of the boxes and it should never exceed the strength of the boxes. So if a box is suitable to carry up to 20Kgs, it would be wise to put less than 20 kgs inside the box.

Step 4: Get rid of unwanted items

While packing and moving a big messy house, you will find many items that you don’t want to bring to your new home. Getting rid of such items can be a challenge, especially when there are many such items. You can’t really dispose of these things. Instead, you can sell some of these items to cover the moving expense.

Here’re a few of the best ideas you can use to get rid of unwanted items when packing and moving a cluttered and messy house:

Sell – When moving a messy house, there’ll be many items that may be in good shape, but you don’t wish to move it to your new home. You can easily sell such household things for comparatively cheaper prices. You can easily find buyers by listing such items on online classified websites.

Donate – Then there’ll be some items that you don’t really want to sell, then you can donate such items to a needy person or an NGO. This may include items that are in good shape or can easily be repaired inexpensively.

Discard – and if you are still left with items that can’t be sold or donated, then you can discard such items. Just make sure to dispose-off such items carefully without causing any harm to society or nature.

Step 5: Schedule the move

Now that you are done with packing a hugely crowded house, it’s time to think of moving these packed goods and boxes to your new house. Although you have managed the entire household goods packing on your own, you need additional help for loading these into the truck.

So call a man and van team or a mover who can help load and transport your goods safely to your new house. If you have already made an appropriate arrangement for moving your goods, then just remind the transporter one more time.

However, if you have not booked a truck or moving service as of now, then it’s time to find a mover and schedule your household move.

Final thoughts on packing a messy house

Packing a messy house, all on your own can become overwhelming and tiring. Knowing how to plan, prepare and pack correctly can help avoid many hassles. When you are packing a severely crowded house, the very first thing you should do is to start early. Then sort out the items that you wish to move with ones that have to be discarded, sold or donated.

Once you have the final list of things that have to be packed and moved you should make appropriate arrangements for packing materials. When you have the packing materials ready, you should go over each of the rooms and spaces and start packing carefully.

However, you should not try to pack too many rooms in one go. Don’t forget to cross check the boxes and label them correctly with appropriate handling warnings where applicable.

If you follow this simple five step guide, you will be able to pack any house fast and efficiently.

What else do you think one should consider when packing a messy house to move safely?

Share your thoughts and packing tips by commenting below.