Put the heavy things, the things that don’t stack and the things you won’t need for months in first, along the back and side walls. Leave whatever you’ll want soonest until last, so it sits right by the door, and keep a clear aisle down the middle so you can always reach the back.
Two questions decide where everything else goes: how heavy is it, and how soon will I want it?
A simple order, back to front
- First, against the back and side walls: white goods (upright), large furniture, dismantled bed frames and heavy boxes of books. They make a steady base, and they’re the hardest things to move twice.
- Next, the middle: sealed boxes and furniture you won’t need while it’s stored, heaviest at the bottom of each stack.
- Last, by the door: the boxes you’ll want first, fragile boxes on top, and anything you’ll visit for, like bikes or seasonal decorations. If something is heavy and you use it often, keep it by the door, on the floor.
Something you’ll need in month three goes nearer the door than something you’ll need in month six. The very last box in should be the one you’ll want first.
Habits that make it easy to live with
- Leave an aisle. For a house move into a larger unit, our house-move guide suggests 60 to 80 centimetres of clear space down the centre; in a small unit, a narrow channel to the front is enough.
- Keep stacks steady: heaviest at the bottom, lightest and most fragile on top, and no more than about five boxes high unless the bottom boxes are made for it. See how to pack boxes so they stack safely.
- Raise furniture on pallets or boards, and leave a little gap behind it so air can move. Ask us whether your site has pallets.
- Label boxes on more than one side, so you can read them from the aisle.
- Stop the load a step short of the door, so nothing leans on it and tips towards you when you open up.
- If you’d like shelves, bring a freestanding unit, as nothing can be fixed to the unit walls.
- Give laptops, tablets and anything else with a built-in battery a spot of their own, out of the box stacks and with air around them.
For the big pieces, see how to store a mattress and whether a sofa can stand on its end.
If your plans are a little different
If you’re renovating, load in reverse of the order things will go back, so the first things you’ll need sit nearest the door. If you keep business stock, put your fast-moving lines closest to the door and spares at the back. Students storing for the summer can put the boxes they won’t need until September against the back wall, with anything they might want mid-summer in a clearly labelled box at the front.
If you’re adding things over several visits, fill the back first, while the unit is empty and easy to walk into.
When you know roughly what you’re storing, get a price online, or call us on 0800 2545585 and we’ll help you choose a size that leaves room for an aisle.
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