When Do I use a Hanging Wardrobe Box for Packing? | Ask The easyStorage Experts

I’m planning ahead for putting my summer clothes into storage. When does it make sense to use a hanging wardrobe box, or is it just a way to get me to spend more?

Olivia, Gateshead

It’s not wrong to pack things properly into boxes, but a wardrobe box may just save you a little time and sanity, as well as offering extra protection for finer items of clothing.

Wardrobe boxes are sturdy cardboard boxes that have a rod for hanging clothing. They are an easy, wrinkle-free way to transport clothes.

All users need to do is take existing hanging items on their current hangers from the existing wardrobe and move them to hang in the moving box – a hanging wardrobe. It’s easy, quick and can save on the need for ironing at the other end if you’re moving or taking from storage.

(If putting things into storage, note that it’s vital that clothes are dry and clean before storing.) 

As long as you handle the box correctly, clothes in the wardrobe will remain on their hangers ready to put back into use once it’s time to open up the box.

If things are properly on the hanger, they are unlikely to dislodge – the pole for the hangers is usually ridged, with something to hold the hangers in place, like the easyStorage ones.

All wardrobe boxes, easyStorage included, have provision for being able to move the wardrobe easily – in the form of cut outs or handles.

So, when are wardrobe boxes ideal?

Wardrobe boxes really come into their own when talking about storing or moving clothes made in fabrics that you perhaps don’t want to fold, like suits or dinner jackets. Evening dresses are great candidates too, where fabrics may be damaged by folding and packing (for example sequins, which can catch) Summer dresses or blouses, which can be made of particularly lightweight or fine fabrics, are also worth protecting this way.  

Incidentally, a handy hack for long dresses (more than a metre long) is to feed the skirt hem of a dress already on a hanger though another one, sliding the second hanger to about 2/3 of the way up the dress. (Make sure the hanger is facing the same way as the main hanger.) As you raise the hanger to the bar, the dress will drape in half, and will not be touching the box at the bottom.

If you’re moving, having clean, ironed clothes hanging ready for any work or social obligations in the week after moving will lighten the moving stress, and stop you needing to hunt through endless boxes for what you need.

Note that most wardrobe moving boxes – including the easyStorage ones - come flat packed, are made of really sturdy cardboard and are easy to assemble. (Flat packing saves space and therefore money.) In fact you can probably fill the box in the same amount of time as it takes to build it. You’ll need to spend more time and care packing delicate items for packing than hanging. So if you want fast and easy packing and unpacking, a wardrobe box may work well for you. 

See: easyStorageBoxes Wardrobe Box. And for more tips on storing your clothes in self storage, you can click here.

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