How to Prepare and Pack Shoes for Moving Home

Shoes would seem like a fairly easy item to pack for your home move, they will not get broken or leak so invariably they just get thrown all together into a bag or box when moving home.

But shoes can represent a serious investment and the last thing you want is to unpack your shoes to find that they are scuffed, squashed, or have even gone moldy.

So whether you’re a serious shoe enthusiast with a vast collection or someone who just wants to ensure their footwear arrives at their new home in good condition, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to prepare your shoes for packing during a home move.

What You Need to Pack Shoes for Moving Home

These are the packing materials you will need to ensure that your shoes arrive in your new home in pristine condition:

• Shoe Cleaning Kit
• Packing paper
• Individual shoe boxes
• Medium-sized cardboard boxes or plastic totes
• Packing tape
• Marker pens or coloured tape

Step-By-Step Guide to Packing Shoes for Moving Home

Now that you have assembled your packing kit it is time to prepare and pack your shoes.

Step 1. Declutter Your Shoe Collection

The first stage of packing shoes is to decide which ones you actually want to keep.

It takes time and money to pack shoes so there is little point in wasting either taking shoes with you that you never wear.

So declutter your shoe collection.

Decide which shoes you really love and wear regularly, which ones can be cleaned and donated, and any that you could sell, and which ones are fit only for the bin.

You may also like to read: The Epic Guide to Decluttering for a Home Move. Nothing will make your home move easier and cheaper than decluttering. In this guide, we look at how to declutter every room in your home and also how to detach yourself emotionally from your possessions to make decluttering easier.

Step 2. Plan Ahead

If the weather is about to change and you are going to need your winter boots, or you have a function coming up and need your sequined high heels then obviously you do not want to be packing those and then having to sort through boxes to unpack them again.

So plan ahead for what shoes you will likely need soon and keep them out for the time being.

Remember that you will need a sturdy pair of shoes with good grips for moving day. You will be on your feet nearly all day so ensure that the pair you select is not only safe but comfortable.

You may also like to read: What to Wear on Moving Day. In this guide, we suggest the type of clothing and shoes that you should consider wearing on moving day to keep you both comfortable and safe.

Step 3. Clean Your Shoes

To prevent mold forming or grit on the soles from damaging other pairs, give your shoes a thorough cleaning before packing them.

Once cleaned, let them sit overnight to thoroughly dry, and give them a good airing before you start packing.

Step 4. Separate Into Seasonal Footwear

Most people have footwear for different seasons so separate your shoes into the ones you will wear now and the ones that will be stored until the next season.

This will save you from having to sort through your shoes again once you reach your new home.

You may also like to read: How to Pack Clothes for Moving Home. In this guide, we share some top tips to ensure that your clothes arrive at your new home in pristine condition and also some packing tips to save you time and money.

Step 5. Use Shoe Boxes

Nothing will protect your shoes better during your relocation than proper shoe boxes.

If you have kept the original boxes great, use those, if not you may be lucky and can get some from your local shoe store.

You can also buy shoe boxes cheaply from places such as Ikea.

You will need a medium-sized cardboard box or plastic tote in which you can then pack the individual shoe boxes.

Do not overpack the outer box or it will be too heavy and awkward to lift.

It is always better to use small and medium-sized boxes than large ones.

Step 6. Wrap Delicate Shoes

Delicate or expensive shoes should be stuffed with tissue paper so that they retain their shape.

You can even use bags of dried rice, bubble wrap, or paper to stuff your shoes to help them retain their shape.

The shoes should then be individually wrapped in tissue paper before placing them toe to heel in the shoe boxes.

Never wrap shoes in plastic as they will sweat and may damage the finish on your shoes or cause mold.

Step 7. Pack Heavy to Light

If you intend to pack the individual shoe boxes on top of one another within a larger box then place the heaviest shoes on the bottom layer working your way up to delicate and light shoes on the top layer.

Ensure there are no gaps around the boxes which would allow the shoe boxes to move about and the lids to come off and the contents to spill out.

Ensure that you mark the outer carton which way up it should be stacked so that the heaviest shoes remain at the bottom.

If you have a whole carton of delicate shoes be sure to mark it as fragile.

Step 8. Label Your Boxes

Clearly label each box with its contents and the room it belongs to.

Also, ensure that you clearly label the boxes which box contain winter shoes and those that contain summer shoes for example.

This will make unpacking much easier and will help you locate your shoes quickly should you need a particular pair.

You may also like to read: How to Label Moving Boxes – An Easy and Foolproof Way. In this guide, we show a quick and easy way to label your moving boxes to make unloading and unpacking so much easier.

Bonus Shoe Packing Tip

If you have flip flops, crocs, or slippers that you need to pack then use them as gap fillers in the boxes. They do not need individual boxing as they are unlikely to get damaged in any way.

Just wrap an elastic band around them so that they do not get separated and slip them into any gaps in the boxes so that the shoe boxes cannot move around.

Like most packing tasks, packing shoes is not difficult, packing them properly so that they do not get damaged is a crucial skill to learn when moving home though.

You can find packing instructions for every room and every item that you will find in the average home in our home moving blog, be sure to check them out to make your home move easier, cheaper, and safer.