Tips for Packing Shoes for your Residential Move

• September 19th, 2023
• Posted in Packing Tips

Shoes are some of the strangest shaped and bulkiest common items for moving. When thrown in with the rest of clothes, shoes can distort the shape of duffel bags and add incredible amounts of weight to them – not to mention taking up insane amounts of space. In this brief blog post by the Tri-State Area residential moving and packing experts at Noah’s Ark Moving and Storage, we’ll give you some fantastic tips for effectively packing up all of your shoes before your move.

Sorting Shoes

• Go through all of your shoes and decide which ones you want to keep. Choose whether to sell or donate the others.
• Recycle all worn out or damaged shoes.
• Set aside all shoes in good condition that you don’t want to wear in the future for sale or donation.
• Sort shoes according to season specific needs. Shoes inappropriate for the season should be kept separately.
• Group shoes according to type: boots, sneakers, formal shoes, stilettos, slippers, flip flops, and etc….
• Set aside shoes that are worn out that you want to have repaired.
• Choose the shoes that you want to wear the day of the move. Make sure they are comfortable, with good ankle support and traction.

Cleaning and Drying Shoes

Clean your shoes before your move so that you don’t track dirt or dust from your old home to your new one. Use a soft and slightly wet cloth to remove all debris from shoes. Then allow them to dry out before packing them in order to avoid the growth of mildew. This especially applies to sneakers and leather shoes – just allow them to air dry for a few hours.

Stuffing Shoes with Paper

Stuff shoes with crumpled up paper in order to retain their shape during the move. Paper crushed into an oval shape is best for helping stuff shoes, and boots should be packed all the way to the top to avoid creasing. DON’T, however, use newspapers, as the ink from newspapers can transfer onto your shoes. You can additionally use socks, as a great way to consolidate space when packing.

Find the Right Boxes for Packing Shoes

Examples of proper materials for packing shoes include medium or small boxes (ideally the original boxes that the shoes came in,) packing paper, bubble wrap, and a marker for labeling the boxes. We DO NOT recommend packing shoes into plastic bags, as these can be moisture and mold traps. We’d stick to soft but moisture resistant packing paper and cardboard boxes.

Additional Shoe Packing Tips

Make sure to always pack the heaviest shoes first at the bottom of a cardboard box, and place lighter footwear on top of heavier shoes. This way you avoid crushing more lightweight shoes. Don’t overload boxes by placing all of your shoes in one large box – instead use multiple medium size boxes. Use bubble wrap around metallic heels or heel taps of high heels or work boots before packing them with paper, which helps protect the cardboard box from being ripped apart.