Moving and storage guides
What we found reading the moving and storage guides worth reading, compiled so you only have to read one. Everything here is free.
Moving
- How to keep track of moving boxes
Number every box, color it by room, photograph what goes in, and keep one list everyone can see. A simple system for keeping track of moving boxes.
- How many moving boxes do I need?
A box count by home size, what each box size is for, and the four things that change the number. Plus how to buy without over-buying.
- What to pack in your open first box
What to put in the box that rides in your car and gets opened first: a room-by-room list, the four rules that make it work, and what people forget.
- How to pack a kitchen for moving
What to gather, what order to pack in, and how to wrap plates, glasses and knives so they arrive whole. Plus how to label kitchen boxes for unpacking.
- How to ask friends to help you move
How to make the ask specific, what to say in the message, which jobs to ask for, and how to run the day so the people who showed up would do it again.
Storage
- What size storage unit do I need?
A storage unit size chart from 5x5 to 10x30, what each size holds, and the two rules that decide whether you should size up or pack smarter.
- What not to put in storage
What almost every storage lease forbids, what is allowed but a bad idea, and where to put the things that should never go into a unit.
- How to make a storage unit inventory list
The five columns a storage inventory needs, how to build it while you load, and how a simple map of the unit turns an afternoon into one trip.
- How to organize a storage unit
How to lay out a storage unit so it stays usable: where the aisle goes, what order to load in, keeping things off the floor, and zoning the space.
Labels & tools
- How to label moving boxes
The four things that belong on a moving box label, where to put it, how room colors work, and the four labeling mistakes worth avoiding.
- How to label boxes for storage
What a storage label needs that a moving label does not, how to write one that survives a year, and why every label has to face the aisle.
- Free printable moving box labels
Color-coded by room, numbered, with optional QR codes. Avery sheets or plain paper, no sign-up.
- Free printable storage box labels
Numbered to match one list of what’s inside, for a storage unit, attic or garage.
- Free business labels
For an office move, business storage or organizing a supply room, with your company name on every label.