How many bins is the first question people ask, and the one they get most wrong. Too few and you are hunting for boxes the night before. Too many and you are paying for empty space. Here is how to land close.
Start with the home, not the box count
Bedroom count is the best starting point, because it is the one measurement everyone knows about their own place. Across Greater Montreal it comes down to four lines:
- Studio or one bedroom — around 25 bins
- Two bedrooms — around 35 bins
- Three bedrooms — around 50 bins
- Four bedrooms or more — 70 bins, often more
Those numbers match the GoBAC packages because they come from real moves, not from a formula.
Add what bedrooms do not count
This is where estimates and reality part ways. A two-bedroom with a finished basement is nothing like a two-bedroom with no storage. Count these separately:
- the basement, the shed and the garage
- deep closets and the back of cupboards
- the kitchen, which alone fills five to eight bins in a two-bedroom home
- books, which are heavy and fill fast
One room at a time, not one category at a time
Fill one bin per room and label it with the name of the room it is going to. A "kitchen" bin opened in the kitchen empties in five minutes; a "dishes and small appliances" bin opened in the middle of the living room takes three trips.
Keep a buffer, but a small one
Two or three bins beyond your estimate is enough. They prevent the pile of unprotected items on the last evening, and an unused bin costs nothing to put away: it stays clean and nests into the others.
And if you get it wrong
It is not a problem. Better to book the package that matches your home and adjust than to be stuck the night before. The calculator on the home page gives you an estimate in a minute, and you can add bins to your order before delivery.