Packing for a move comes down to three things: start early, put heavy items in small boxes and light items in large ones, and label every box with its room and contents. Here is a full room-by-room packing list, how many boxes you actually need, and how to pack the fragile things.
What you need
Buy everything before you start. Stopping mid-pack to go and buy tape is what makes packing drag.
- Moving boxes in two sizes, small for heavy and large for light
- A wardrobe box with a hanging rail for clothes on hangers
- Packing paper or tissue paper for glass and china
- Bubble wrap for electronics, pictures and mirrors
- Strong packing tape and a tape dispenser
- A thick marker pen
- Stretch film to hold drawers shut and protect furniture
- Furniture blankets
Many Swedish movers sell or rent packing materials, and hardware and discount stores stock them. Renting is usually cheaper if you do not need to keep the boxes afterwards.
How many boxes?
Roughly 15 to 25 boxes for a one-room flat, 30 to 50 for three rooms, and 60 or more for a house. The number depends more on how much you own than on the size of the home, so take a few too many. Unused boxes can usually be returned.
When to start
Begin four to six weeks before moving day and work backwards: pack what you use least first.
- 6 weeks out: storage, attic, basement, books, seasonal clothes, decorations
- 4 weeks out: occasional-use items, guest room, hobby equipment
- 2 weeks out: most of the wardrobe, living room, electronics you can live without
- Final week: the kitchen, the bathroom, and clothes for the week
- Moving day: one clearly labelled first-day box
Pack a first-day box last and load it into the car first. Put in toilet paper, soap, towels, chargers, tools, coffee, a few dishes, medication and clean bedding. It rescues your first evening in the new home.
Room-by-room packing list
Kitchen
The kitchen takes the longest, so set aside a full day. Wrap each glass and plate separately in paper. Stand glasses and plates on edge rather than stacking them flat, and fill every gap with paper or tea towels. Heavy pans and tinned food go in small boxes. Empty, defrost and dry the freezer at least 24 hours before the move.
Living room
Books go in the smallest boxes, otherwise they become impossible to lift. Photograph how the cables connect to the TV and stereo before unplugging. The TV should travel upright, ideally in its original box. Pictures and mirrors are packed standing, with bubble wrap and cardboard edges, never lying flat under other items.
Bedroom and wardrobe
Clothes on hangers go fastest in wardrobe boxes, saving you both folding and ironing. Clothes in dresser drawers can often stay put if the drawers are taped or wrapped in stretch film. Put screws and fittings from disassembled beds in a labelled bag taped to the bed frame.
Bathroom
Tighten every lid and put liquids in a sealed plastic bag on their own. Half-empty bottles and expired medication are not worth moving. Take unused medication to a pharmacy.
Storage, balcony and attic
This is where most of the discarding happens. Bundle garden tools with stretch film. Drain petrol from mowers and other machines, and take whatever you are not keeping to a recycling centre.
Labelling
Label the side, not the lid, so the text is visible when boxes are stacked. Write the room and the contents, for example "Kitchen, plates, FRAGILE". Also write which room the box goes to in the new home, so the movers do not have to ask and you do not end up shifting boxes yourself afterwards.
What must not go in the truck
Flammable and explosive goods do not belong in a move: gas canisters, paint, solvents, lighter fluid, aerosols, fireworks and car batteries. Most Swedish movers will not transport them, and they should go to a recycling centre (återvinningscentral).
Carry passports, residence permit cards, cash, jewellery, keys and hard drives with important files yourself. Those travel with you, not in the load.
Packing help and the RUT deduction
If you would rather not pack yourself, most movers offer packing, unpacking and furniture assembly. This counts as moving work and earns a 50 percent RUT deduction on the labour (Skatteverket). Packing materials are goods, not labour, so they sit outside the deduction on a separate invoice line.
Packing help is usually charged by the hour at a similar rate to the moving itself. See our guide on what moving costs.
Insurance during the move
Your home insurance often provides limited cover during the move itself, so the mover's liability insurance is what actually applies (informationsverige.se). Check the terms before booking, and photograph valuable furniture before loading. If something is damaged, document it with photos and report it to the company within the deadline stated in the contract.
Common mistakes
- Starting too late and packing the kitchen in a panic the night before
- Filling large boxes with books so nobody can lift them
- Labelling the lid instead of the side
- Leaving gaps in the box, the most common reason glassware breaks
- Forgetting to defrost the freezer in time
- Packing the chargers, tools and toilet paper where nothing can be found on the first evening
Related guides: moving checklist for Sweden, what moving costs and move-out cleaning. Back to moving in Stockholm.