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Wardrobe moving boxes: What they are, and why you might need them
Here's everything you need to know about keeping your clothes crisp and clean during transit with moving wardrobe boxes.
As you’re gearing up for a big move, chances are you’re buying lots of boxes. Among the standard moving boxes, you’ll likely come across several specialty varieties for different purposes. One of the most common? Wardrobe boxes.
As the name implies, wardrobe moving boxes are mainly for your clothes. However, they’re fairly expensive and probably unnecessary for all your garments. That said, you might wonder whether you need one at all.
Here’s everything you need to know about wardrobe boxes, whether you need one, and how to get the most out of them.
Recommended reading from Yahoo Local: Where to get free moving boxes
What is a wardrobe moving box?
The best wardrobe boxes for moving are designed to protect clothes you store on hangers in your closet, such as dress shirts, dresses, slacks, or other clothing you otherwise wouldn’t fold. They often come with hanging rods at the top of the box that you hang clothes from, like you would in a closet.
These boxes are also often sturdier than the other boxes you’ll use for your move, and they’re often made with durable cardboard. You can buy them in multi-packs if you have a large closet. There are also versions available without the hanging rod meant to lay flat during a move.
Do you need a wardrobe moving box?
If you have a lot of clothes you store in a closet and want to keep wrinkle-free during a move, you could benefit from moving wardrobe boxes. Transferring them this way ensures that you won’t have to iron or dry clean any of your garments after you unpack them. They’re also convenient, allowing you to directly move hangers from a closet to the box’s hanging bar.
If those aren’t major concerns, you could get away with delicately folding your clothes and packing them into much cheaper standard moving boxes. If you only have a few expensive or delicate pieces of clothing, you can transfer them separately from the rest of your stuff by draping a trash bag over them and hanging them from hooks in your car.
Ultimately, whether you need a wardrobe box or not depends on how many clothing items you own that need to be stored hanging and how concerned you are about wrinkles during your move.
How much do wardrobe moving boxes cost?
The price of a wardrobe moving box varies, but they typically cost between $12 and $30 each. There are several sizes and the cost relates to which you choose. Short wardrobe boxes are usually around 34 inches tall, while large wardrobe boxes are 40 inches and bigger.
A two-pack of 40-inch large wardrobe boxes costs $35 at Amazon, or a little more than $17 each. Another brand bundles three 45-inch boxes together for about $91 at Amazon, or a little over $30 each. Meanwhile, a pack of three 34-inch boxes goes for about $48 at Amazon, just under $16 each.
If you don’t need to hang your clothes, you can also get laydown wardrobe moving boxes that are meant to be wide enough for hangers to stay attached. Depending on the size of your car or truck, this might be a better option than standing boxes. U-Haul sells them for just under $8 each, which is significantly less than the standup versions.
If you need a little help, check out our guide to calculating how many moving boxes you need.
What else can you use wardrobe boxes for?
Wardrobe moving boxes are meant to move clothes on hangers, but they can do double duty. Given the amount of space left at the bottom of a wardrobe box after hanging your clothes, it can be handy to fill this space out with shoes, socks, or blankets, for example.
If you have other items that are oddly shaped, wardrobe boxes are a solid choice to store them. Given they’re taller than most moving boxes, they can also be a good place to pack things like curtain rods, brooms, mops, and lamps. Anything that’s tall and awkward will do well as long as your wardrobe box is big enough.
Some wardrobe box best practices
If you use wardrobe moving boxes, it’s a good idea to label them properly so unpacking is as simple as possible. If your boxes don’t have arrows to show their orientation, you can draw them on to avoid tipping them the wrong way. Lastly, if you use laydown wardrobe boxes, lay your clothes delicately inside to avoid unintended wrinkles during transport.
