Wardrobe boxes for hanging clothes

Folding a closet into boxes takes hours, and unfolding it takes hours more, with wrinkles to show for it. A wardrobe box skips both steps. You lift the hangers off the closet rod and hang them on the rod inside the carton. This page covers what the carton is for, how to load it, and what to do with the shoes and accessories that go along with a closet.

At a glance

• Hanging clothes move on their hangers
• Suits, dresses, coats and uniforms stay unfolded
• Shoes and belts go in a separate small box
• Pick one up at the Sparks office, 2277 Glendale Ave

What a wardrobe box is for

A wardrobe box stands about as tall as a closet rod is high, with a metal or sturdy bar near the top. Its purpose is simple: to let you move a hanging wardrobe with no folding. Suits, dresses, long coats, work uniforms and anything else that lives on a hanger belongs here. Delicate formal wear and garments you have pressed for the first week in the new home are the best candidates, because they come out looking the way they went in.

Folded items such as sweaters, jeans and towels are a poor fit. They are better in a medium carton, where they cannot slide to the bottom and bunch up.

How to load a wardrobe box

Work one closet section at a time, and keep the clothes in the order they hang so unpacking is quick.

1. Set the box on its end and open the top so the bar is in place.
2. Take a small handful of hangers off the rod and hang them on the carton's bar, keeping the hooks turned the same way.
3. Leave a little room between garments so fabric does not crush. A box packed shoulder to shoulder wrinkles.
4. Put a sheet of packing paper between delicate garments, or lay a clean sheet over the top of the load.
5. Use the floor of the carton for shoes in a bag, belts and handbags, or leave it empty if the garments hang low.
6. Close the flaps, tape the seam, and label the box with the closet it came from, for example MASTER CLOSET.

Matching boxes to a closet

A full walk-in closet can fill several wardrobe boxes. The packing calculator includes wardrobe cartons in its estimate, so you can count them before you shop. Bedroom dressers are a different story: drawers of folded clothing go in medium and large boxes, and shoes, hats and small accessories do well in small cartons.

For the whole guide on clothing, including how to handle clothes you will wear before the boxes are unpacked, see how to pack clothes for moving.

Where to get them in Sparks

O'Brien's carries a full line of regular and specialty boxes at the office on Glendale Avenue in Sparks, along with packing wrap, padding and tape. The counter is open Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm, and the number is 775-359-6683. Ask for the standard or custom supply price sheet if you want to plan a budget.

An in-home estimate from O'Brien's is free and comes with 10 free heavy-duty boxes, yours to keep. They are a good start for the folded half of a closet while you buy wardrobe cartons for the hanging half.

When the crew handles the closets

If you would rather not pack at all, O'Brien's full packing service includes closets, and the crew brings what it needs. The estimate lists the choice you made at the kitchen table.