Packing a Bedroom for a Move: Mattresses, Beds and Dressing Tables

On moving morning the bedroom is the room where everything goes wrong at once. The mattress will not turn on the landing, the dressing table mirror is still attached, and the drawers are full of the clothes you swore you had packed. Bedrooms hold the biggest items in the house and also the most personal ones, so a plan helps.

This guide takes one bedroom from start to finish, in the order that works.

Start two days before

Do the slow jobs early.

• Empty the bedside drawers and keep the contents in a labelled box.
• Take down curtains and rails if they are yours.
• Wash and dry bedding so it is clean for the first night.
• Decide what you are not taking. A mattress that is worn out or a wardrobe that does not fit the new room is cheaper to leave than to move.

Mark one bag as "first night": pillows, sheets, a change of clothes, chargers and a mosquito net. Do not let it go on the truck. Carry it with you.

Take the bed apart before the truck arrives

Most wooden and metal beds come apart in a few minutes.

1. Strip the bed and put the bedding in a clean bag.
2. Take off the slats, headboard and side rails.
3. Put every screw and bolt in a small bag and tape it to the headboard.
4. Wrap the frame pieces together in a blanket or old curtain.

A taken-apart bed fits through doors that a made-up bed will not. Our guide on taking furniture apart before a move covers the tools.

Mattresses need cover and care

A mattress is soft, heavy and easily stained. Wrap it in a clean sheet or a large plastic cover and tape it shut. Move it by the handles if it has them, or carry it with two people on each side. Keep it flat on the truck, with heavy items kept off it, and never let it ride on top of a pile in rainy weather. If the day looks wet, ask the driver about a tarpaulin.

Dressing tables, mirrors and drawers

Take the mirror off if it comes off, wrap it in blankets and carry it upright. Remove the drawers, or tape them shut with masking tape so they do not slide open when tipped. Do not leave valuables inside. Wrap the table corners with old towels. For a glass top or a loose mirror, see moving glass safely.

Wardrobes and clothes

If you have a wardrobe in the room, empty it first. Hanging clothes can travel in a wardrobe box or be folded into suitcases. Our wardrobe and clothes guide goes through it. Do not leave shoes inside; put them in a box or bag.

Label every box and carry the room's keys

Write "Bedroom 1" and a short list on two sides of each box. At the new house, tell your helpers which room is which before the first box goes in. If you have more than one bedroom, use a colour or a number. Labelling and numbering boxes explains why this matters.

Load and unload in order

Beds and mattresses are big and soft, so they usually go in after the heavy furniture and before the loose boxes. At the new house, put the bed together first. If the first night comes and the bed is made, the move feels finished, even with boxes everywhere. See the first night in your new home.

How to do this on Sphere

If you are moving a whole house, open the Sphere app, choose a truck or pickup van and add the pickup and drop-off. Describe the bedroom items in your load: "two double beds, two mattresses, one dressing table, one wardrobe, 15 boxes". Propose a price. Nearby verified drivers will accept or send counter-offers, and you choose between them. Agree loading and offloading help before you accept. For whole-house moves, see house moving in Lagos.