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How to Pack Clothes for Moving

Published 2026-06-19 · Best Movers LA editorial team

Clothes are bulky, light and easy — which is exactly why people leave them for last and then panic. With the right method you can pack an entire closet in under an hour and have shirts arrive ready to hang.

Hanging clothes: keep them on the hanger

Don't unhang everything. Wardrobe boxes have a built-in bar so clothes move straight from the closet rod to the box and back — no folding, no wrinkles. No wardrobe boxes? Use the garbage-bag hack: gather 10–15 hanging garments, pull a large trash bag up over them from the bottom, and tie it around the hooks. It's the cheapest way to keep an outfit crease-free in transit.

Dresser clothes: leave them in the drawers

Folded clothes can usually stay right in the dresser drawers — just remove the drawers, wrap each in plastic, and carry them separately, then slide them back in at the new place. If the dresser must travel with drawers in, keep lightweight clothes inside and tape nothing to the finish. It saves boxing and unpacking entirely.

Fold or roll the rest

For clothes that go in boxes or suitcases, rolling saves space and resists wrinkles better than flat folding for casual items; fold structured pieces. Use your suitcases and duffels for the heaviest clothes and shoes — they have wheels, so you're not paying to box weight you can roll. Stuff shoes with socks to hold their shape and bag them so they don't dirty fabric.

Declutter and sort as you go

A move is the best closet edit you'll ever do. Anything you haven't worn in a year, donate now — you pay to move what you keep, and LA has plenty of donation spots. Pack off-season clothes first (you won't need them mid-move) and keep a few days of essentials in a labeled bag that travels with you.

Label and load

Mark boxes by person and room so closets fill themselves at the new place. Clothing boxes are light, so they ride on top of heavier boxes in the truck. Want it done for you? Our packing service includes wardrobe boxes and materials — see also our general packing guide and where to get boxes.

Related guides

Related questions

What's the fastest way to pack clothes for moving?

Leave folded clothes in the dresser drawers (remove and wrap the drawers), keep hanging clothes on their hangers in wardrobe boxes or trash bags, and use suitcases for the heaviest items.

Can I leave clothes in the dresser when moving?

Usually yes — remove the drawers, wrap them, and carry them separately, then slide them back in. Keep the contents light so the drawers aren't too heavy to handle safely.

Do I need wardrobe boxes?

They're the easiest way to move hanging clothes wrinkle-free, but the trash-bag-over-hangers hack works for free. Our packing service includes wardrobe boxes.

How do you pack clothes without wrinkles?

Keep them on hangers in wardrobe boxes or bagged, and roll rather than flat-fold casual items. Structured pieces should be folded along their natural seams.

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