Last Updated: November 8, 2026
Quick Summary
Moving is a lot easier when you have enough containers to pack everything without scrambling for extra boxes at the last minute. But how many moving totes do you actually need?
The answer depends on more than the number of bedrooms in your home. A two-bedroom apartment with minimal belongings may need fewer totes than a one-bedroom apartment packed with books, kitchen equipment, seasonal decorations, and full closets.
This guide will help you estimate how many moving totes you may need and choose the right starting point for your move.
Table of Contents
- Quick Answer: How Many Moving Totes Do I Need?
- Don't Estimate Moving Totes by Bedrooms Alone
- Is 20 Moving Totes Enough?
- Should I Choose 40 Moving Totes?
- When Might I Need 60 Moving Totes?
- Room-by-Room Moving Tote Checklist
- What Shouldn't Go in a Moving Tote?
- Moving Totes vs. Cardboard Boxes
- What If I Don't Know Which Package to Choose?
- Why Rent Reusable Moving Totes?
- Moving in the Quad Cities? Skip the Cardboard Box Hunt
- Frequently Asked Questions
Quick Answer: How Many Moving Totes Do I Need?
As a general starting point:
- 20 moving totes: Smaller moves, apartments, dorm rooms, or partial-home moves
- 40 moving totes: Many one- to two-bedroom moves or households with more belongings
- 60 moving totes: Larger moves, multi-bedroom homes, or households with more items to pack
These are starting points, not guarantees. The best way to estimate your needs is to look at how much you actually need to pack, including closets, cabinets, storage areas, and the garage.
If you're moving in the Quad Cities, QC Tote Rental offers packages of 20, 40, and 60 reusable moving totes, making it easier to choose a package based on the size of your move.
Don't Estimate Moving Totes by Bedrooms Alone
It's tempting to say, "I have a two-bedroom house, so I need X number of totes."
Unfortunately, homes don't work that way.
One person may use a second bedroom as a sparsely furnished office. Another family may have the same room filled with clothing, toys, books, decorations, and other belongings.
Before deciding how many moving totes to rent, walk through your home and look at:
- Closets
- Kitchen cabinets
- Pantry
- Bathrooms
- Bookshelves
- Home office
- Children's rooms
- Basement
- Garage
- Laundry room
- Seasonal decorations
- Hobby supplies
- Items currently in storage
It's easy to forget these areas when estimating how much packing space you'll need.
Is 20 Moving Totes Enough?
A 20-tote package can be a good starting point for a smaller move or when you don't need containers for your entire household.
Examples might include:
- Studio or smaller apartment moves
- College moves
- A lightly furnished one-bedroom apartment
- Downsizing projects
- Home renovation projects
- Moving selected rooms rather than an entire house
- Temporary organization during home staging
The biggest question is how much is hiding inside your closets and cabinets.
A small apartment with a full kitchen, several bookcases, and multiple closets can require considerably more packing space than its square footage suggests.
Moving tip: Don't just look around the room. Open the cabinets, drawers, and closets when estimating how much you have to pack.
Should I Choose 40 Moving Totes?
A 40-tote package gives you considerably more packing capacity and may be a better starting point for a larger apartment, one- to two-bedroom household, or a move involving several fully packed rooms.
Walk through your home and imagine what will actually go inside a tote.
For example, in the kitchen you may need to pack:
- Cookware
- Dishes
- Pantry items
- Small appliances
- Food-storage containers
- Kitchen towels
- Utensils and miscellaneous items
Now do the same exercise with every bedroom, bathroom, closet, and living space.
It's usually the combined contents of all those smaller areas that make a move larger than expected.
If you're choosing between 20 and 40 totes, make your decision based on the amount of stuff you're packing, not simply the number of rooms.
When Might I Need 60 Moving Totes?
For a larger household or a move involving multiple bedrooms and storage spaces, a 60-tote package provides considerably more room for packing.
Pay particular attention to areas such as:
- Children's bedrooms
- Full closets
- Bookshelves
- Home offices
- Garages
- Basements
- Craft or hobby areas
- Seasonal storage
- Toys and games
- Linen closets
- Stored household supplies
These spaces can add a surprising amount to a move.
A three-bedroom house with relatively few belongings could require less packing space than a smaller home filled with books, hobbies, children's items, and stored possessions.
That's why a room-by-room inventory is more useful than choosing a package based solely on the number of bedrooms.
Room-by-Room Moving Tote Checklist
Here's an easy way to estimate your needs.
Kitchen
The kitchen can require more packing space than people expect.
Look at:
- Pots and pans
- Dishes
- Glassware
- Food-storage containers
- Pantry items
- Small appliances
- Baking supplies
- Kitchen linens
- Cookbooks
Large or fragile kitchen items may require different packing arrangements, so don't assume absolutely everything will go inside a tote.
Living Room
Think beyond the furniture.
Items that may need packing include:
- Books
- Electronics
- Games
- DVDs and media
- Blankets
- Decorations
- Lamps and accessories
- Picture frames
- Small household items
Books deserve special consideration because they become heavy quickly. Spread heavy items among several totes rather than trying to fit as many as possible into one container.
Bedrooms
Don't count just the items visible in the room.
Check:
- Clothing
- Shoes
- Linens
- Personal items
- Nightstand contents
- Decorations
- Books
- Closet storage
Closets can significantly increase how much needs to be packed.
Bathrooms
Bathrooms may be small, but their contents add up.
Consider:
- Towels
- Toiletries
- Hair-care items
- Cleaning supplies
- Extra linens
- Bathroom accessories
Take the opportunity to discard empty or unwanted products instead of moving them to your new home.
Home Office
A home office can contain a surprising amount of material:
- Files
- Books
- Office supplies
- Cables
- Small electronics
- Computer accessories
- Desk contents
Use appropriate protection for sensitive or fragile electronics rather than relying solely on the tote itself.
Children's Rooms
Kids' rooms can contain far more individual items than their size suggests.
Remember:
- Clothing
- Toys
- Games
- Books
- Bedding
- School supplies
- Collections
- Closet contents
Going through unwanted toys and clothing before packing can reduce the number of items you need to move.
Garage and Basement
This is the area people often underestimate.
Look for:
- Tools
- Holiday decorations
- Sports equipment
- Camping equipment
- Stored household goods
- Seasonal items
- Hobby supplies
Some garage and basement items may be oversized or unsuitable for a standard moving tote, so separate those from your tote estimate.
What Shouldn't Go in a Moving Tote?
Reusable moving totes are useful for a wide variety of household belongings, but they aren't meant to replace every type of moving container.
Don't assume a tote is appropriate for:
- Furniture
- Mattresses
- Large televisions
- Oversized objects
- Hazardous materials
- Items requiring specialized protection
Fragile belongings should also be properly wrapped and cushioned.
QC Tote Rental's reusable totes have a 75-pound capacity, but that doesn't mean you should try to make every tote weigh 75 pounds. Distributing heavy belongings among multiple totes can make them much easier to handle.
Moving Totes vs. Cardboard Boxes
Reusable plastic moving totes eliminate several chores associated with traditional cardboard boxes.
There's no need to assemble each tote before packing, and when your move is finished, reusable rental totes can be returned rather than leaving you with a pile of cardboard to break down.
Plastic totes also have a consistent size, which makes them easy to organize and stack.
Cardboard still has advantages in certain situations. You can purchase specialty sizes, keep boxes indefinitely, and use cardboard for some unusually shaped belongings.
Many moves don't have to be strictly one or the other. You can use reusable totes for much of your everyday household packing while using specialty boxes or other packaging where appropriate.
Want a more detailed comparison? Read Moving Boxes vs. Plastic Totes: Which Is Worth It?
What If I Don't Know Which Package to Choose?
Start with a quick inventory.
Walk through every room with your phone or a sheet of paper and count the storage areas rather than simply counting rooms.
A home with:
- Full closets
- Large book collections
- Children's belongings
- A stocked kitchen
- A home office
- Garage storage
- Basement storage
will generally require more packing capacity than a similarly sized home without those areas.
Also think about how you're moving.
If everything needs to be packed simultaneously, you'll need enough totes to hold all the belongings you're putting into them. If your circumstances allow you to unpack some totes before packing additional belongings, your needs could be different.
When in doubt, contact QC Tote Rental before reserving and talk through the size of your move.
Why Rent Reusable Moving Totes?
Renting moving totes solves a simple problem: you need containers during the move, but you probably don't want dozens of empty containers afterward.
Instead of buying cardboard boxes or purchasing plastic totes you'll need to store after the move, you rent the totes for the period you need them.
With QC Tote Rental, the process is designed around the move:
- Choose your tote package.
- Have your reusable moving totes delivered.
- Pack and move.
- Unpack at your new location.
- Have the empty totes picked up.
No stack of flattened boxes taking over the garage afterward.
Moving in the Quad Cities? Skip the Cardboard Box Hunt
If you're moving in Davenport, Bettendorf, Moline, Rock Island, East Moline, Silvis, Milan, Geneseo, or a nearby Quad Cities community, QC Tote Rental offers reusable plastic moving totes delivered locally.
Our 27-gallon reusable moving totes arrive ready to pack. There's no cardboard box assembly and no need to buy packing tape just to hold the containers together.
Choose from:
- 20 totes for $99
- 40 totes for $169
- 60 totes for $219
Each package includes a two-week rental period, giving you time to pack, move, and unpack before the totes are collected.
Not sure which package is right for you? Use the room-by-room guide above, compare our moving tote packages, and reserve the option that best fits your move.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many moving totes do I need for a one-bedroom apartment?
There isn't one number that works for every one-bedroom apartment. A minimally furnished apartment may require relatively few totes, while an apartment with full closets, books, kitchen equipment, and stored belongings will need considerably more packing space. A 20-tote package can be a starting point for a smaller move. Inventory your belongings room by room before choosing your package.
How many moving totes do I need for a two-bedroom home?
The answer depends on how much you own rather than the number of bedrooms alone. Check closets, kitchen cabinets, bathrooms, storage spaces, bookshelves, and children's belongings before estimating. Someone deciding between 20 and 40 totes should consider the volume of belongings that actually need to be packed.
Are plastic moving totes better than cardboard boxes?
Each has advantages. Reusable plastic totes require no assembly, are consistently sized, and are returned after your move. Cardboard boxes can be purchased in many specialty sizes and kept for as long as necessary. Many movers can use reusable totes for most household belongings while using specialty packaging for items that require it.
Do I need packing tape with plastic moving totes?
QC Tote Rental's reusable plastic moving totes don't require packing tape to assemble and close the container the way traditional cardboard moving boxes do. You may still need other packing materials to protect fragile belongings.
Can I put books in moving totes?
Yes, but books get heavy quickly. Rather than filling an entire tote exclusively with books, distribute heavier belongings across multiple totes and stay within the tote's weight limit.
Where can I rent plastic moving boxes in the Quad Cities?
QC Tote Rental provides reusable plastic moving totes for customers in the Quad Cities and surrounding service area. Customers select a package, receive their totes for packing and moving, then return the empty totes through the pickup process after unpacking. qctoterentals.com
Make Your Next Move Easier
The right number of moving totes isn't determined by a formula. It's determined by how much you actually have to move. Take a few minutes to walk through your house or apartment, check inside every closet and cabinet, and pay special attention to storage spaces. Then choose the QC Tote Rental package that gives you the packing capacity you need. Moving in the Quad Cities? Compare our 20-, 40-, and 60-tote packages and reserve reusable moving totes for your move.
