Bathrooms are small, but they hold a surprising number of bottles, tubes and sprays. One uncapped shampoo can coat a carton of towels in a minute. The method is to keep liquids upright, bag them, and put them where a spill does little harm.
Start with what you can remove
Take out medications, toiletries you use daily and any valuables, and set them in a bag to carry. A small bag holds your toothbrush, razor, prescriptions and a washcloth for the first morning.
Throw away expired medicines and old cosmetics now. Many pharmacies take back unwanted medications, and fewer items means fewer boxes.
Seal liquids and keep them upright
Check that every cap is tight, then run a strip of tape across the lid on any bottle that has a flip top. Wrap the neck in plastic wrap, and place each bottle in a zip bag.
Stand the bagged bottles upright in a small carton lined with a towel, and fill gaps with washcloths. Label the carton liquids and mark which way is up.
- Tighten each cap and tape the lid on flip-top bottles.
- Wrap the neck of each bottle with plastic wrap.
- Place each bottle in a zip bag, upright.
- Stand the bags in a small carton lined with a towel.
- Pad the gaps with washcloths and label the carton liquids, this side up.
Towels, linens and the shower curtain
Use towels as free padding for glass, mirrors and jars. A bath mat wrapped around a vanity mirror protects it far better than the same space filled with air.
Fold bath towels flat into a medium carton, and toss the shower curtain liner if it is old. Washing the curtain before packing keeps mildew off the other items.
Cleaning supplies and hazardous items
Bleach, drain cleaner and aerosols are chemicals that some movers cannot carry. Read what movers will not move, and use up or give away the products on that list.
The U.S. EPA's household hazardous waste page explains how to dispose of cleaners and other chemicals in your community.
Small appliances, hardware and the medicine cabinet
Hair dryers, electric razors and curling irons wrap in a towel and travel in the same carton. Take shelves out of the medicine cabinet or tape them in place.
Fragile items such as perfume bottles belong in a small carton with paper; the same method appears in how to pack glasses. After the bathroom, move on to the closet.