Packing is sometimes the toughest part of going on vacation – choosing what you should bring and then getting it all into one suitcase!
Of course, savvy travelers strike the perfect balance and bring just what they need – with a little help from the experts at MOLLY MAID, who provide the packing tips below.
When packing clothes, you don’t want to neatly fold them individually as you would in a dresser. If you do, they will crease when compressed in a suitcase. Here are a few alternatives:
Roll Clothes
Backpackers swear by this method. Rolling works well with pants, skirts and sports shirts. Lay the item face down, fold back the sleeves and then roll from the bottom up.
Fold Clothes Together
Take two or more garments, for example, two pairs of dress pants, and lay half of one pair on top of the other. Fold the one on the bottom over the pair on the top. Then take the other and fold it on the top. This gives each pair some cushion where you’ve folded it so it’s less likely to crease or wrinkle in the folds.
The Bundle Approach
This method of packing is a little more complicated when you first try – but it’s ingenious! You will need luggage that opens up and lies flat. You will also need a flat, soft, pouch-like rectangular ‘core’ with dimensions that are at least 1/2 to 3/4 the size of your luggage compartment. Use a pouch filled with underwear, socks, bathing suits or something similar.
- Start with your jacket or the longest, most wrinkle-prone item you have. With the collar or waistband flat, place it against the bottom edge of the bag and drape the rest of the garment over the opposite side of the bag.
- Take another garment and place it in the opposite direction, flattening and smoothing out both garments in the bag and draping the remainder over the side. If you have pants or other narrow items, do the same with them in the narrow direction of the bag.
- Keep alternating your items, ending up with the most wrinkle-resistant clothes you have.
- When you finish, place your “core” in the middle. Now start to fold the garments over the core and each other in the reverse order you put them in. If you fold something over and there’s excess draping over the sides of the bag, tuck it underneath the bundle you are creating. Continue until you are finished.
Use Tissue Paper
For delicate items, lay them face down and place tissue paper on top. Fold it up with the tissue paper inside. Use additional layers of paper as you fold the garment so it is completely wrapped in and around paper. This is easy enough the first time you pack, but becomes a pain if you have to keep repacking. It is recommended to only use this approach for evening clothes that you don’t want to crush.
For after-vacation unpacking tips, read MOLLY MAID’s article on “The Art of Unpacking in Five Simple Steps” and learn how to master the art of unpacking with ease. Just came from a vacation and cannot muster the energy to clean your apartment? Just submit a service inquiry with your local MOLLY MAID and we will visit your home to provide a free, no obligation estimate, at a time that is convenient for you!
