Are you planning a big move across the country? If so, then you’ll likely be bringing a lot of clothes with you, which means you’ll want to pack them as cleverly as possible.

Clothing is deceptively heavy, and it can take up a lot more space than you may realize. Before you start haphazardly cramming your entire wardrobe into a suitcase or the backseat of your car, you should check out these useful packing and moving tips.

1. Organize and Wash All Your Clothes

According to LifeStorage, the very first thing you should do is wash and declutter your entire wardrobe before you start packing. This gives you the perfect opportunity to assess all of your clothing, and discard any items you no longer wear or have any use for.

2. Leave Clothes in Drawers

If you plan on bringing a large dresser with you, you may want to consider leaving your clothes in the drawers. There is no sense in emptying the drawers, packing the clothes somewhere else, and then putting them back in the drawers when you arrive at your destination. That’s just doing more work for yourself.

3. Leave Clothes on Hangers

If you already have a closet full of clean clothes on hangers, you may want just to leave them on the hangers and hang them in the moving truck. Moving trucks are typically very tall, and they have rails on the inside upon which you can hang clothes. You can also hang your clothes in wardrobe boxes.

4. Vacuum Seal Your Clothes

If your clothes are taking up too much space, the best way to fix this problem is by vacuum sealing them. Vacuum sealing your clothes will also protect them from getting dirty or damaged during the move.

5. Use Clothing to Pad Other Items

Another way you can save space is by using some of your clothes as padding to protect other belongings you are packing in boxes. Why waste money on bubble wrap and foam peanuts when you can do the same job with a pair of jeans or a bathrobe? It’s a great way to kill two birds with one stone.

6. Pack Your Shoes Separately

If you still have the shoeboxes, your shoes came with, great! Simply pack your shoes in them, and then they will be compact and easy to stack. If you don’t have any shoeboxes, then you should still pack all of your shoes in a separate box or storage container. This will prevent your clothes from getting dirty and scuffed.

7. Set Aside Clothes for the Move

Last but not least, don’t forget to set aside enough clothes for you to wear during the move. You don’t want to be halfway through your move and then suddenly realize you’re out of clean clothes to wear because they are all packed away.

Not to mention, the more clothes you can wear on your body during the move, the fewer clothes you have to pack!