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Posted in How-to, Moving Tips&Tricks on February 19, 2021
Jane Davis

Apart from being a freelance writer and moving expert, Jane is also an art and museum lover.

The Most Effective Tips on How to Pack Shoes For Moving

Learning how to pack shoes for moving isn’t hard, but it is essential. If you wish to keep your favorite shoes in the same condition they were before cross country moving, you’ll have to do a bit more than just throwing them in a suitcase. Spoiler alert – it’s a little different than wrapping and protecting your footwear for a trip.

Did you know that a woman in the US owns nineteen pairs of shoes on average but regularly wears only four? Your favorite footwear (all nineteen or just the four pairs) are definitely on your new apartment checklist, so if you’re looking for the best way to pack shoes when long-distance moving to another home, you’re in the right place. No matter how many pairs you have and what type of material they are made of, we have the most effective way to protect them.

Before Packing Shoes for Moving, Get Rid of Those You Won’t Wear Anymore

Have you found out what do you need to rent an apartment? Extra items that you have in your current home and that have no use certainly shouldn’t be on that moving to another state checklist. Decluttering is essential for any long distance moving, no matter what your reasons to move are. Every relocation is difficult in a way, and the fewer items you’re taking with you, the easier the move will be. Go to your shoe closet or any kind of storage you have for everything from boots to sandals. Be very strict when deciding what goes and what stays. If you have a forgotten pair that you bought and wore once or twice for a whole year, maybe it’s time to give them to someone else or to sell them online. The same goes for all the damaged pairs you own. Leave all the unwanted items, including all the footwear that you don’t like or want anymore.

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You Can Do This Way Ahead of Your Moving Day

If you’re currently living somewhere with all four seasons and you’re relocating to a different climate, you can wrap all of the stuff you won’t need anymore and give them away. For example, if you’re moving to Florida from any colder part of the country, all of the jackets and boots can stay behind. However, if you’re relocating to a similar climate, you’ll have to learn how to pack shoes for a move no matter what kind of weather they are for. If you’re wondering how long before moving should you start packing, keep in mind that all the off-season footwear can be packed even weeks before the relocation day. Think about which shoes you will travel in and set them aside. Make sure that they’re comfortable for the trip because you’ll spend a lot of time wearing them, and that they’re right for the weather.

Men’s sneakers
Leave your favorite footwear last when learning how to pack shoes

Get All the Supplies You Will Use for Protecting Your Shoes

While you’re learning how to pack shoes, you’re probably also checking out how to pack fragile items and how to pack glasses for moving. Our guide may be less complicated than learning how to move a piano and following all the steps on how to pack plates for moving, and how to pack dishes for moving, but it’s equally important. For the good covering of your shoes, you will need:

  • Packing paper (not colored, printed paper, or newspaper,)
  • Shoe boxes or regular moving boxes,
  • Plastic bags,
  • Plastic storage containers,
  • Duct tape,
  • Marker for labeling,
  • Supplies for cleaning – a clean brush, cloth, or some other soft material you find at home.

See which footwear needs extra care and which can just be placed in a package or a suitcase. After all, higher-end footwear requires higher-end care. Some of your expensive pairs might even require special shoe cream.

A man taping a cardboard package
Get high-quality duct tape so that the boxes do not open during the time of transport

Clean All the Pairs Before You Pack Them

This is one of the main packing tips for moving. It’s very important that you don’t put dirty boots or sneakers in your boxes or bags. Not only that your stuff can get dirty from them, but you can also carry all the germs with you. Wash the soles of your footwear and all the dirt on them. You can use a clean cloth and warm water with soap or toothpaste for all the white sneakers you own. After washing, leave them in the open air so that no moisture stays inside of any shoe and to eliminate all the odor. Another helpful tip for the odors is to put some baking soda inside of every shoe and let it stay overnight or some longer time. Tomorrow morning you can just throw the remnants.

Take a look at the following video to see how to properly clean your sneakers, both leather, and canvas.

YouTube video

If You Still Have the Shoe Box, Pack Your Nicer or New Footwear Inside of It

Take all the off-season footwear that requires some extra care and try to find their original packages. A bigger box from the boots you bought can fit more than just one pair of shoes in case you aren’t planning on taking those boots with you to another state. Stuff some crumpled paper or other soft material inside of every shoe, wrap each one in a piece of paper, and fill all the extra space in the package with crumpled paper. If you’re protecting your high heels that have a stiletto heel, make sure you wrap some paper around it for extra protection.

This Is Certainly the Best Way to Pack Shoes for Moving

Original packages are always the most desirable way of protecting your personal items for cross country moving. They will be in a hard cardboard package with enough space while being covered in packing paper. Nothing can scratch them, spill over them, or squash them. This is especially important for all delicate pairs, such as patent leather shoes or heels with a lot of details or glitter on them.

Red high heels
Some delicate shoes require more care if you want them to stay the same after the move to a new home

How Do You Pack Shoes Without a Box?

In case you threw out all the original shoe boxes, don’t worry – there are some alternatives. You can use plastic bags for the pairs that aren’t sensitive or plastic storage containers for those that require a sturdier package. Worn out or some low-maintenance footwear such as flip flops can just be put in a bag without any protection, while other pairs can go into a storage container, or suitcase.

One of the Tips on How to Pack Shoes for Moving Is to Start With the Bulkier Pairs

Make sure that you place all the heavier and bulkier footwear on the bottom, just like you would if you’re packing for a trip. The reason behind this is the fact that the heavier footwear can crush some of the delicate pairs, and they take a lot more space. Once you lay them on the bottom, create a cushioning layer between the bulky ones and the next pair that will go on top of them.

New sneakers on their original package
You don’t have to have a cardboard package if you want to move your footwear

One of the Ways on How to Pack Shoes for Moving Is to Stuff Them With Smaller Items

One of the great moving hacks for saving space and keeping your shoes in their shape is to take smaller items and pieces of clothing and stuff them inside of each shoe. While heels and shoes don’t necessarily need to be stuffed, sneakers require some sort of filling inside so that they can keep the same shape. There’s a lot of space inside of a shoe for items such as socks, underwear, or smaller electronic pieces. Don’t worry; it’s safe enough to keep even your watches or headphones inside during the trip. The main thing is to be completely sure that the inside of your sneaker is dried after washing and that you don’t have any baking soda left. After stuffing each pair you’re bringing with you, just wrap them in the paper, and they’re good to go.

Men’s leather shoes
Men’s leather shoes are great storages for any kind of smaller items

How Do You Pack Shoes Inside a Moving Cardboard Box?

If you’re still wondering what’s the best way to pack shoes when moving, we have another suggestion. You can simply treat them like any other item you’re relocating. If you hired cross country movers to do this for you, they would take a hard cardboard medium-sized box and make a soft cushion on the bottom of it and on the sides. Then, they would put all the bulky footwear, wrap each shoe individually in a layer of paper, and put them on the bottom. Cushioning would prevent them from moving once the box is sealed, and the paper around them would prevent the rubbing and any other kind of damage. After that, they will make separation on the top of the bulky footwear, and put another pair of shoes on as another layer. You can stack them to the top, and tape the box well on all sides and label it by writing with a marker what’s inside. Make sure that the box doesn’t get too heavy – in case you’re moving to another state alone, you will need help when carrying all of those packages, and it’s much easier to carry several smaller ones than one that’s extremely heavy.

Young man, relocating into a new house with boxes
Too many too heavy boxes will make the relocation harder, and you’ll require more help

Consider Getting Help from Professional Long-Distance Movers

When long-distance moving, there’s a lot of things going on at the same time. You have to keep an eye on everything and juggle with all kinds of tasks, from learning how to pack pots and pans to figuring out how to get a job in a new city. A reputable cross country moving company will mean a lot in this situation. If you choose to hire a long-distance moving company, you will have all the help you need from professionals that did this thousands of times. Having the right long-distance moving services also means that you’ll have someone to help you with other parts of your move, such as auto transport and moving insurance. Their packing service is impeccable, and they have all the high-quality boxes and packing supplies, as well as a storage unit for your stuff. Google what are the best long distance movers near me, and make your relocation a smooth and hassle-free experience.

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