Packing Checklist for a Fall Move

Our residential movers at All My Sons Moving & Storage know all the best packing tips, including how to pack for your fall move. 

Fall brings pumpkin spice lattes, Halloween treats, and Thanksgiving cheer, but for you and your family, it also means a new home.  The heat of peak moving season is cooling off, but there are still many families, businesses, and individuals looking to make a move during the fall season. All My Sons Moving & Storage performs roughly 55,000 local moves all over the nation during the autumn months of September through November.

Grab your favorite autumn season beverage and get started on your fall moving checklist with help from this packing guide. 

First, right after you purchase and obtain all your moving supplies, including your moving boxes, bubble wrap, packing paper, and tape, you should pack the items that are safe to sit in boxes for a few days to a few weeks. The fall season brings a flurry of activity, from Halloween costume-crafting to cleaning the house up before hosting for Thanksgiving, and it could be some time before you’re able to fully unpack. 

These items are the non-essentials you should put into boxes first to prepare for your big move.

• Summer and Winter Clothes: Your heavy-duty coats and swimsuits are probably safe to go in boxes, but keep in mind that the temperature can shift dramatically during fall. 

• Winter Holiday Decorations: Christmas lights and Hanukkah menorahs can be safely packed until after the Thanksgiving season.

• Extra Towels and Sheets: Linen closets should be emptied of the extras you keep on hand. Leave the cozy blankets though, their time comes later.  

• Collectibles and Keepsakes: After the back closets empty, gather up anything on display. 

• Books: Love to read? You might keep paperbacks, hardcovers, and special edition books on shelves in your library, bedroom, office, or study. Set aside anything you are currently reading, and then pack the books you keep to display and re-read. 

• Physical Media Collections: Disc media and vinyl records might also occupy bookshelves in your living space. Keep your favorite autumn movies on hand, and pack the rest. 

• Photo Albums: Also on the bookshelves in your living space you might find your photo albums and scrapbooks. These are safe to go into your boxes. You can even take an extended trip down memory lane when you unpack them later. 

• Décor and Artwork: After the closets and shelves are empty, look to the walls and tabletops. It may make you a little sad to have the walls bare, but don’t worry. These items can come back out just as soon as you’ve unpacked your essentials. Autumn-themed decorations might be a possible exception that you wait to pack until closer to your move date. 

Once the back closets, shelf spaces, and walls have been packed away, you will be left with the items that serve an important daily function. These are your household essentials, and they should be packed and loaded onto your moving truck LAST to be unloaded at your new home FIRST. 

During a fall season move, you should pack these items last.

• Bed Sheets and Pillows: One set for every member of your household.  

• Extra Blankets: For those sudden fall-season chills. 

• Kitchen Utensils, Dishes, and Glassware: Everything in your kitchen that you need to make a good dinner, especially if you are moving close to Thanksgiving. 

• Toilet Paper: Don’t get caught without this essential item in your new bathroom, pack it in an essentials box and stock the bathroom immediately upon arrival. 

• Soap: Keep up with hand-washing until the moment of your move, and then throw the soap into sealable plastic bags and bring it straight to the new bathroom.

• Bathroom Towels: One bath towel and one set of hand towels to stock the bathroom immediately. 

• Shower Curtain: Your new home might not come with this installed, so make sure yours is dry and folded in your bathroom essentials boxes. 

• Fall Clothing: Set aside one or two weather-appropriate outfits for your move day, and then pack the rest of the season’s clothing into essentials boxes. 

• Halloween Costume: Don’t lose track of your family’s special costumes for Halloween in a sea of boxes. If you celebrate and are moving close to October 31^st, be sure to put your Halloween outfit with your essentials. That way, you have it ready when the clock strikes time to trick or treat.

• Cleaning Supplies: Some of the last items to go in the moving truck or your own vehicle should be the vacuum, mop, and multi-surface cleaner. This way, you can spruce up your old space as the rooms empty, leaving a clean home for the next residents.

There are some items that definitely should not go into a moving box, especially if that moving box is going to be inaccessible on a moving truck. All My Sons recommends you carry these items in a bag you keep on your person during the move. 

These items will ensure you can successfully navigate your fall move, and be prepared in the event of an emergency.

• Medications: Pills, inhalers, and injections that you require for both daily living and emergencies should be on your person. Never put medicine in a moving box. 

• Toiletries: If moving long-distance you might need items for an overnight stay. If moving local, you might be too tired to unpack bathroom boxes when you reach your destination. Carry toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, a hairbrush, and some soap with you and make sure your children have them packed as well. 

• Fall Clothing and Shoes: Wear a weather-appropriate outfit on move day and keep at least one set of extra clothes and shoes in your bag. 

• Phone Charger: Dead phones can spell disaster during emergencies. Keep a car charger, wall charger, or power bank in your bag. 

• Book or Tablet: Hired professional movers? Good for you, saving your back from all the heavy lifting. Unfortunately that means you might have some down time during your move. Even if you don’t have pro-movers, you might get to your destination and decide you have no more energy to unpack. Keep some entertainment on hand.

• First Aid Kit: Moving can be dangerous heavy labor. Keep some supplies in the event of moving injuries. 

• Water Bottles and Snacks: The temperature might be falling, but you should still stay hydrated and eat when you’re hungry. 

• Important Documents: Keep your government ID in your wallet on your person, and keep your rental contracts in a folder in your bag. 

• Boxcutter: The last thing you want to do when you reach your destination is stare at your army of taped-shut boxes and realize you have nothing to open them with. Slip a boxcutter into the front pocket of your bag. 

Settling into a new home for fall, you’ll have a lot to be grateful for if you choose All My Sons to handle all the packing, loading, and transport. Our company would be honored to provide whatever level of support you need for your move, whether that’s full-service packing for your luxury move to your dream home or just-the-lifting for an apartment move. Keep your fall move easy and ask for All My Sons to handle the moving logistics. 

Get a quote today.