Packing Supplies You Actually Need (and What's a Waste of Money)
Box sizes, tape, paper vs. bubble wrap — a practical guide to what to buy and what to skip.
Published 2025-12-04 · 5 min read · Packing
The box sizes that cover most of a home
Small boxes, around 1.5 cubic feet, for books and anything dense, medium boxes around 3 cubic feet for most household items, and large boxes around 4.5 cubic feet for bulky, lightweight items like linens and pillows will handle the majority of a typical home. A dedicated dish-pack or dish-barrel box is worth the extra cost for kitchenware specifically, since its reinforced walls are built for fragile, heavy contents.
Tape, paper, and what actually protects
Packing paper, unprinted newsprint, is better than bubble wrap for most items because it's cheaper, more versatile, and doesn't leave a residue on some finishes. Save bubble wrap for genuinely fragile pieces — glassware, electronics, framed items. A quality packing tape and a proper tape gun beat cheap tape every time, since box seams that give way mid-move are one of the most common causes of a lost or damaged item.
Specialty supplies worth the money
Wardrobe boxes save real time on packing and unpacking clothes and are worth renting or buying for any full-home move. Mirror and picture cartons, with their telescoping design, protect flat fragile items far better than wrapping them in blankets alone. Furniture pads or moving blankets protect finished wood and upholstery from scuffs during loading, and are worth having on hand even if your crew brings their own.
What's usually a waste of money
Plastic bins are convenient for long-term storage but rarely worth buying new just for a move — standard cardboard boxes do the job for less and are easier for a crew to stack efficiently in a truck. Packing peanuts create more mess than protection for most household items and are best reserved for irregularly shaped or lightweight fragile pieces. When in doubt, ask your mover what they recommend for your specific inventory before buying supplies you won't use.
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