How to pack for storage when you store with JamStorage comes down to one question: when you want something back, how easily can you get it? Pack with a bit of thought and the answer is simple. Tip everything into three enormous mixed boxes and you’ll be having the lot back just to reach one jumper.
We collect from your door and return your belongings when you ask, so the choices you make while taping up boxes at home are the ones that count later. This guide covers box sizes, weights, fragile items, furniture, paperwork and a labelling habit that takes seconds per box.
Why How You Pack Affects What You Can Get Back Later
Packing for storage with a collection and delivery service means packing at home, into boxes that get collected, stored and returned whole. You never go anywhere yourself. Whatever we collect as one thing, a box, a chair, a bed, is what comes back when you ask for it.
We don’t open boxes to take one thing out. That would mean our team going through other people’s belongings to find yours. So when you need something, you request that box back and it arrives exactly as you sealed it. Anything that isn’t in a box, furniture and beds included, is individual by nature and comes back on its own.
So what goes in with what matters. Put a winter coat in with the Christmas decorations and the spare curtains, and getting that coat in October means having the whole box back. Put it in with the rest of your winter clothes and you get exactly what you wanted.
Domestic customers now account for 76% of UK self storage use, according to the Self Storage Association UK’s 2026 annual industry report, and a lack of room at home is the most common reason people store. If you want the wider picture on how collection and delivery works first, our storage services page covers it.
Pack in Smaller, Themed Boxes, Not a Few Big Ones
The best way to pack for storage is in several smaller boxes grouped by theme, rather than a few large mixed ones. Keep books with books, winter clothes with winter clothes, kitchen things with kitchen things. Then you can request one themed box back without everything unrelated coming with it.
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
- Seasonal things. Skis in one box, Christmas decorations in another. The Christmas box comes back in early December and goes away again in January, and nothing else has to move.
- A house move, by room. Kitchen, bathroom, spare room. If you land in temporary accommodation and need your kitchen things sooner than the rest, that’s one box back rather than a full delivery.
- A house clearance or sorting an estate. Photographs and paperwork in one box, china and glassware in another, ornaments in a third. Families often work through this over months, and category boxes let them go at their own pace.
Books and record collections show the idea nicely. Split across small, clearly labelled boxes, a collection stays usable, because you can have one box back whenever you want it. There’s more on our book and collection storage page, and our items we store page lists the other categories.
Similar sized boxes also stack more neatly and carry weight better than a jumble of odd shapes, and they’re easier to work around while you pack. Space is tight in most London homes, and the average privately rented home in England has 76 square metres of usable floor space, with 17% under 50 square metres, according to the English Housing Survey 2024 to 2025.
Choosing the Right Size and Type of Box
Match the box to what’s going in it. Heavy, dense things like books, records, crockery and tools belong in a medium box, because a large one filled with them gets too heavy to lift safely. Bulky but light things like bedding, cushions and coats are what large boxes are for. Starting from scratch? The mover kit bundles boxes, tape and protection together, and the full range sits in our box shop.
Cardboard or plastic? For most household belongings, sturdy cardboard is the sensible default. It’s lighter to carry, easier to write on directly and stacks well once taped. Sealed plastic boxes earn their place for damp sensitive things like photographs, documents and textiles going away for a long time. Both work, so don’t agonise. What counts more is that everything goes in completely dry.
How heavy is too heavy? Aim for roughly 15 to 18kg per packed box. The HSE’s manual handling guidance gives guideline figures of 25kg for men and 16kg for women for a load held close to the body in good conditions. Those aren’t legal limits, and they drop sharply once you’re bending, twisting or carrying awkwardly. Handling, lifting or carrying caused 17% of all non-fatal workplace injuries in Great Britain in 2024/25. Our team does the lifting on the day, but you’re the one filling the boxes first.
Visit Our Box Shop For Boxes & Other Packing Materials
Packing Fragile and Electrical Items Safely
Fragile items need three things: individual wrapping, a cushioned base and no empty space. Wrap each one on its own in bubble wrap or packing paper so nothing touches anything else, line the bottom of the box, then fill every gap with packing peanuts or scrunched paper. If you can hear things move when you tilt the box, it isn’t full enough. Pack plates and glasses on their edge rather than flat, since a plate lying flat carries the weight of everything above it.
For electronics, use the original box if you still have it. It was built to that exact shape, and nothing you improvise will fit better. Take removable batteries out of remotes and cameras, since a battery left in place for months can leak. Large screens deserve a box of their own, and a 55 inch TV box is a lot safer than a duvet and good intentions.
Then mark the outside. Fragile warning tape tells whoever’s carrying the box what’s inside without anyone opening it, which matters when it’s our team lifting it rather than you.
Packing Furniture, Clothes and Bulky Items
Take apart anything that comes apart easily. Table legs, bed frames, headboards and flat pack shelving all travel better in pieces and take up far less space. Bag the screws and fittings, label the bag, then tape it to the underside of the item or keep all your hardware bags in one small labelled box. A bolt that goes missing in August is a real problem in November.
Clothes do best hanging where they can. Suits, coats and dresses go straight from the wardrobe into a wardrobe box with a hanging rail, which keeps them on their hangers and off the floor. Avoid sealing clothes into bin bags. Plastic traps moisture against fabric, and moisture over a few months means mildew and yellowing.
Mattresses should be clean and completely dry before covering, then protected with a proper mattress cover rather than a plastic sheet that can’t breathe. Guidance is split on whether a mattress is better stored flat or on its side, though flat is the more common recommendation, on the grounds that it protects the internal structure.
Drawers are useful space. Anything inside a chest of drawers comes back with it, so fill them with soft, light things you won’t need in the meantime.
Packing Documents and Paperwork
Paperwork is easy to underestimate and miserable to untangle later. Keep it together in a dedicated lidded box such as an archive box with a lid, rather than spread through general boxes.
Stand documents upright in folders rather than lying flat and loose. Upright files stay in order, are quicker to look through and don’t get crushed under their own weight. Keep categories together: warranties and manuals in one place, financial paperwork in another, property documents in a third.
If the box isn’t full, put a spacer on top so nothing slides and bends in transit. Bubble wrap works well. Avoid newspaper against paperwork, as the print can transfer.
Labelling and Keeping Track of What’s in Each Box
This is the bit most people skip and later regret, and it doesn’t need a spreadsheet or an app.
Here’s a system that takes seconds:
- Give every box a number and a short, specific name. “12: Winter clothes” beats “Bedroom” every time. Vague room labels stop being useful within a week.
- Photograph the contents before you seal it. One phone photo of the open box, with the number visible on a label or written on the flap. Keep them in one album on your phone.
- Write the number on at least two sides and the top, then seal properly with strong parcel tape so the box holds its shape.
Nobody is going to open box 12 so you can have a look inside, so the label and the photo are what tell you which box to request back. We complete an inventory when your belongings come in to us as well, so nothing gets lost track of.
Working Out How Many Boxes You’ll Need
Most people underestimate this. Walk each room, count what’s actually leaving it, and think in themes rather than in volume.
Once you’ve got a rough idea, our storage space calculator turns a list of items into an estimate of the space you’ll need, and our instant quote takes it from there.
Pack in themes, keep boxes to a weight you can lift, label them clearly. Do that, take the photos, and your belongings never really feel like they’ve disappeared. They’re just somewhere else for a while, ready whenever you want them back.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Size Boxes Should I Use for Storage?
Use similar sized boxes where you can, matched to what’s going in them. Small and medium boxes suit heavy, dense items like books, records and crockery. Large boxes suit bulky but light ones like bedding, cushions and coats. A matching set stacks more safely.
Cardboard or Plastic Boxes for Storage?
Cardboard is the better default for most household belongings. It’s lighter, easier to label directly and stacks well once taped. Sealed plastic boxes are worth it for damp sensitive contents like photographs, documents and textiles. Either works, as long as everything is completely dry and the packed box stays within a sensible weight.
How Heavy Should a Packed Storage Box Be?
Keep a packed box to around 15 to 18kg, a weight one person can comfortably lift alone. The HSE’s manual handling guidance gives guideline figures of 25kg for men and 16kg for women for a load held close to the body in good conditions. Those aren’t legal limits, and they fall considerably once you’re bending, twisting or carrying up stairs.
What Shouldn’t Go in a Storage Box?
Nothing perishable, nothing damp and nothing flammable or hazardous. Food spoils and attracts pests. Damp items sealed in a box with no airflow will grow mould. Flammable liquids, aerosols, paint and gas canisters are a fire risk. If you’re unsure, give us a call on 0208 166 1665.
How Should I Label Boxes for Storage, and Does It Actually Matter?
It matters, and it’s far simpler than people expect. You don’t need a spreadsheet or an app. Number each box, give it a short specific name, and take one phone photo of the contents before you seal it. Since your belongings come back box by box, a clear label plus a photo is what tells you exactly which box to request back.
