How to Pack Shoes for Moving
Packing shoes is one tough task you must accomplish when moving. This is especially true if you own more than ten pairs. You must ensure that your favourite pair of heels and boots arrive unscathed and ready for wear. There’s nothing worse than unpacking in your new home only to discover that your favourite pair of shoes is damaged beyond repair.
Packing your shoes carefully while moving to another place will maintain them in their current state and protect them from damage. Moreover, careful wrapping will keep the shoes intact and ensures you won’t lose a pair while moving.
We’ve got some tips on packing shoes for moving, so you’ll have no problems when moving and unpacking day comes.
Packing Your Shoes for Moving
Prepare Your Packing Supplies
In order to pack your shoes properly, you would need the right packaging materials. You would need thick and large moving boxes, shoe boxes or storage boxes, lots of packing paper, bubble wrap, a marker for labelling, and rolls of packaging tape.
Avoid using plastic bags as these can tear easily. The plastic bags might tear during the move, and your shoes will get scattered all over the moving van causing more problems. Moreover, plastic bags trap moisture; hence, they can encourage mould to grow.
Be Organised
Before you go straight into packing, make sure you organise your shoes by category. Pack lighter shoes separately from heavier shoes. Start by sorting them into groups (i.e., dress shoes, sneakers, boots, slippers, etc.).
Moreover, you can store all your seasonal shoes in one box and the ones you usually use in another. This way, when you start unpacking, you won’t have to go through all your shoe boxes for the pair that you need.
Pack From Heaviest to Lightest
Always pack the heaviest items on the bottom. If you place them on top, they could crush the other shoes due to their weight. You also risk them damaging your more delicate shoes. Moreover, placing the heavier ones at the bottom would keep the box more stable when moving.
Clean the Shoes Before You Pack Them
Why would you pack dirty shoes in the first place? It’s unhygienic and can ruin other shoes in the box. The dirt can rub off and damage other shoes. If you have enough time, make sure to clean your shoes before packing them. Remove debris from the soles and ensure that it’s at least dust and dirt free before placing them in their respective boxes. Moreover, ensure that they are completely dry to avoid mould from growing.
You can use an anti-bacterial spray prior to placing them into boxes. You can also keep your shoes fresh by adding scented tea bags such as lavender or orange to the moving box.
Protect Your Shoes
Use a shoe box to protect your shoes. Shoes come in a box, so it’s common for you to store them in a box when moving. Moreover, it keeps the shoes intact and safe from being deformed while moving from one city to another. It works well if you have enough boxes or bags to store them. If not, use plastic bags instead.
Use original boxes if you have them. If your shoes are fragile or have accessories that might come off, it’s best to pack them in their original box.
Use Dust Bags
Moreover, use original dust bags if you have them. Dust bags can help protect your shoes from dirtying up other items (or even getting dirty themselves).
Wrap the shoes with fabric or wrapping paper so it’s secure but not tight around the shoe. You can use a cloth or paper. Just make sure it stays dry.
In addition, use the right size box for the shoes you’re packing – not too big or too small. A shoe box should be about half as wide as its height so that everything fits snugly into place without shifting around too much when packed away at the end of each step during loading time.
Further, put each pair of shoes into its individualised shoe bag. It makes unpacking much easier later on.
Use Elastic Bands
When packing sandals, flip-flops, and slippers, it’s best to keep them together. You can use elastic bands to secure each pair. If you have a lot of sandals and flip-flops, pack them first and the sneakers last.
In addition, place two rubber bands over each pair of shoes before packing them into their respective boxes. It will prevent movement when travelling on planes or trains, which may cause damage if left loose inside luggage compartments where they could be crushed against other items during transport.
Keep Sandals, Flip-Flops, and Slippers Together
When packing sandals, flip-flops, and slippers, it’s best to keep them together. It will ensure delicate shoes stay intact during the move. If you have a lot of sandals and flip-flops, pack them first.
Keep dress shoes together in their shoe bags or boxes. If you don’t have the original box, use a sturdy box with enough room for the size of your shoes.
Add More Protection for Delicate Stilettos
Wrapping your heels in bubble wrap will help protect the toes of your shoes. You can use bubble wrap to cover them and add a layer of protection to the shoes.
For stilettos, place paper or bubble wrap between each pair for extra protection. As you pack your shoes, keep them in shape by placing them in an additional layer of protection. It will help prevent damage to your shoes, whether you are using a moving company or doing it yourself.
If you’re using bubble wrap as cushioning between layers of clothing and shoes, be sure it’s at least two inches deep before adding anything else, it needs room. Moreover, use clean packing paper for storing shoes, heels, and stilettos.
Stuff Boots With Socks
When packing boots, stuff them with your socks to keep their shape and prevent damage to the material. Moreover, this will also save you some space since you are already packing your socks inside them.
If your shoes are made of leather or suede, ensure they are thoroughly dry before packing them to avoid damage to the material.
Things to Keep In Mind While Packing Shoes for Moving
Below are a few tips to keep in mind when moving:
Get Rid of the Ones You Don’t Wear
The first thing to do is remove shoes that are too small or too big in your shoe collection. If you’ve been wearing them for a long time, they may not be comfortable anymore and could cause blisters or foot pain.
Moreover, if your shoes are in good condition but no longer fit or feel right, consider donating them to charity rather than throwing them away. You’ll feel better knowing they’re being used instead of ending up in a landfill.
Chuck Damaged Shoes
Next on the list: Look at all your shoes and remove any damaged items. These include ripped soles and heels, stained uppers, cracked linings (unless you can have them repaired), rips along seams where the fabric meets leather uppers, etc.
These will take up space and will make moving more difficult later on down the line. Shoes take up space, and you will need more time packing everything into boxes and bags due to the high volume of footwear you don’t need.
Take Inventory of Your Shoes
If you have more than ten pairs of shoes, go through each pair and count the number of pairs on a piece of paper. The total will estimate how many pairs of shoes you have in your closet and where they are.
Moreover, label the boxes where you placed your shoes. It will be a great time-saver if you add markers or identifiers in case unexpected issues arise during moving. Also, putting a label allows you to keep track of your packages and know which box contains which items.
Keeping Shoes In Their Original Form While Moving
You can use a shoe box, bag, or bubble wrap to avoid crushing your shoes. A shoe box is the best option if you have many shoes to move. You will be able to store them nicely in this container, and they will not get any damage at all during transportation. Moreover, place the shoes heel-to-heel to ensure that they stay clean.
A bag with Velcro straps is another excellent option for storing your shoes without damaging them. The velcro ensures that they remain in place and do not move about.
Moreover, you can also save more space by stuffing each one with socks. Just do not overdo it to the point that the shoe loses its shape.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How to keep sneakers loose in the box?
If you want to keep sneakers loose in the box without losing one shoe from the pair, tie the laces of both shoes with each other. It will keep the pair of sneakers separate from each other.
2. How to avoid losing shoes while moving?
Make a list of pairs while packing and mark the shoe boxes. Open the list when you unpack the luggage and check for the pairs. It will ensure that you haven’t lost any pairs during transit.
3. Why should I prefer the original shoe box for moving?
Manufacturers have made the original shoe box according to the size and material of the shoe. It will protect your shoes from damage and from being deformed. Therefore, you should use the original shoe box to protect your shoe from damage.
You can also use bubble wrap around each pair to cushion their bottoms as well as prevent any damage from occurring during transportation (this is especially important if you plan on transporting multiple pairs).
4. What do I do if I run out of room in the box?
If there’s no more room in the box, consider adding more bubble wrap around another pair of shoes so that each one has its protective layer on all sides except where it meets other pairs of footwear inside the said container(s). These won’t add weight but will provide a bit more cushioning during transit.
Conclusion
Packing stuff, especially shoes, while moving is a tedious process. Different shoes require different packing materials or techniques. There are ways to pack your shoes, so they’ll be just as durable when they arrive at your new home as when you left. Following our guide, you can store shoes for moving more effectively.
Keeping your shoes in their original box would be the most common option. If you’re using a shoe storage box, make sure that it has enough room for the shoes. Place paper, foam, or bubble wrap for the more delicate shoes in your collection. You can also use a closet door shoe hanger for your most important collection and hang them in your car instead of packing them in boxes.
