How to pack for an international removal to Poland

Start with the kit and a proper sort

Good packing for a move to Poland starts before the first box, with the kit in front of you and a clear plan for what is going. Once you pay the £99 registration we deliver a strong double-wall packing kit to your door, so you are not hunting for boxes at the last minute or buying weak ones that fail in transit. The kit arrives in advance and you pack at your own pace, which is the whole point of a fixed monthly run rather than a rushed same-week collection.

Before anything is taped, sort room by room into keep, donate and recycle. This matters more on an international move than a local one. Everything you pack travels hundreds of miles and is priced by the box, so a worn-out sofa or a box of things you will never unpack is paying to cross Europe for no reason. Be honest about what earns its place.

Then plan your box sizes against the kit. You have small, medium and large double-wall boxes, and each has a job. The discipline of matching contents to the right box is what keeps everything intact on the road and keeps your quote sensible. For the wider picture of how the corridor works from your door to Kraków and Stary Sącz, see our UK to Poland removals overview, and for the numbers behind it our cost of moving to Poland guide.

Pack each box size the right way

The core rule is the one most people get backwards: the heavier the contents, the smaller the box.

• Small boxes take the dense, heavy things: books, vinyl, tools, tins, jars and crockery. A full small box stays liftable by one person.
• Medium boxes take general household goods, kitchenware, toys and the bulk of what a home holds.
• Large boxes are for light and bulky items only: bedding, pillows, cushions, soft toys and lampshades. Never load a large box with books or tins, or it becomes too heavy to lift safely and is likely to split.

Build a strong base on every box. Tape the bottom seam, then tape across it in an H, and line the base with crumpled paper or a towel. Fill each box right to the top so it holds its shape when stacked, but stop at a weight you can carry comfortably across a room. A half-empty box crushes under the one above it; an overloaded box hurts to lift and is the one that gives way.

Wrap fragile items individually. Stand plates on edge rather than stacked flat, wrap glasses and ornaments in paper, and fill every gap so nothing rattles. Your clothes, towels and bedding are free padding, so wrap china in jumpers and cushion glassware with linen. That protects the fragile things and cuts your total box count at the same time, which feeds straight into a lower price.

Furniture, electronics, labelling and what not to pack

Furniture. Take it apart where you can. Remove table legs, bed slats and unit shelves, and bag every screw and fixing, then tape the bag to the piece it belongs to. Photograph any awkward assembly so it goes back together easily in Poland. Flat-packed furniture travels far better than whole pieces, and furniture and large items are priced at 25p per cubic metre per mile, so reducing their volume directly reduces their cost.

Electronics. Use original boxes if you kept them, since they were made for the item. Otherwise wrap each piece, coil and label its cables, and pad the sides so nothing presses on a screen. Back up your phones and laptops before they travel. Empty and fully dry kettles, washing machines and any water-holding appliance before packing.

Labelling and inventory. Number every box and write the room and rough contents on two sides, then record the same numbers on a written inventory. That inventory is not just for your own unpacking: it is one of the customs documents you upload for the outbound leg, alongside your passport and proof of residence. Doing it as you pack means the job is done once, not twice. Our customs documents guide sets out exactly what is needed, and most personal-effects moves qualify for Transfer of Residence relief, which we help you claim.

What not to pack. Leave out fuels, gas canisters, pressurised aerosols, fireworks and anything flammable or hazardous, plus perishable food, open liquids and anything illegal to move across a border. If an item is borderline, email hello@dudzikspeed.com before the run rather than risk it being refused at collection. The return leg from Poland through France and across to Ireland is entirely within the EU, so it carries no customs paperwork, but the outbound rules still apply to everything you load in the UK or Northern Ireland.