Best Packing Tips for Moving in a Hurry

July 5, 2022 / Posted in Before the Move
Daisy Wilson

Daisy was born in Salt Lake City and in her free time, she writes about moving and watches Charmed.

There is no doubt that the most daunting part of cross-country moving is packing. What is more, when you need to do this in a couple of days, it can become overwhelming. But, if you implement our packing tips for moving in a hurry, this undertaking doesn’t have to be stressful and impossible. Keep reading and find out how to pack and move quickly.

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if you are well organized, you can do everything in a couple of days

Even the last-minute relocating can be stress-free if you are organized and (most importantly!) do not panic. Just think about professional cross-country movers dealing with the entire household in one day, so why you wouldn’t be capable of this as well? With a couple of tips for packing to move quickly, you will be able to get to your destination in time and without much sweat.

Start With Preparations Immediately

Getting organized to move is the most important part of every relocation. And if you only have a couple of days to deal with everything, an organization is a life saver. Also, in this situation, it is superfluous to think about how soon in advance should you start packing to move. After all, time is probably the only thing you don’t have, so start with all the preparations immediately.

Sit down and make a moving to-do list. This will keep you focused on the tasks ahead and will be an excellent reminder, so you don’t forget anything. Here you will put your relocation budget, packing schedule, and other arrangements you need to make, such as finding a moving company, a new house, and other things. And if you wonder how to pack a house to move in a week, here is how your schedule should look:

  • Day 1 – Declutter one room and create a working station,
  • Day 2 – Downsize for a move,
  • Day 3 – Buy supplies,
  • Day 4 – Start with rooms and items you do not use regularly,
  • Day 5 – Deal with bedrooms and clothing,
  • Day 6 – Kitchen and bathroom,
  • Day 7 – Wait for workers.

Before You Start With Packaging, Make a Working Station

In order to have efficient packaging, you must have a working station. Clear one area of your house and set up the table there, place all the boxes, and once you start decluttering each room, bring the belongings you must box up here. This way, you will have more space to maneuver with boxes and other supplies. And more importantly, packaging will not interfere with your daily routine.

Downsize Your House and Know What Not to Pack

Before you start downsizing for a move, you must declutter one room, where you will set up your working station. In this room, you will place all your belongings and decide what to keep and what to leave behind. The best relocation tip is to set up a working station in the garage or basement. But if you do not have a garage, use any room you do not use that frequently. Decluttering a garage by itself can be a scary thing, but once you start, you will see there are many things there not worth keeping. And if you’re relocating from house to apartment, you will not have enough space for most of those belongings.

Once you have a working station, you can start deciding what not to pack. Go room by room and create two piles, “keep” and “toss away.” The golden rule is to throw away all the things you haven’t used for more than two years. And if you wonder, “how do I pack and move in 2 days,” the answer is to throw away unnecessary junk you have been piling up for years. While you create “keep” piles, you can simultaneously start placing stuff in the boxes. This way, you will be able to label those boxes by the corresponding room. As we already mentioned, you have to start with the room you do not use that often, and with the belongings you do not currently need. For example, if you’re relocating in the winter, deal with the summer clothing first and vice versa.

You Will Need Supplies for Packing

To move efficiently, you will have to purchase useful and practical supplies. If you hire movers for packing services (in addition to the long-distance moving services,) you will not have to purchase anything – the company’s workers will bring supplies with them. But if this is not the case, you will have to visit a store. While you can use some stuff from your house, such as newspapers, towels, and socks for cushioning, some things are better to buy. And if you wonder how to pack fast for a move, the task will be much easier with proper supplies. Here are some supplies to purchase:

  • Medium-size boxes,
  • Sectioned boxes,
  • Bubble wrap,
  • Duct tape and duct tape gun,
  • Labels.

Set a Day for Packing and Call All the Help You Can Get

Even though you started with packaging room by room and decluttered most of your house, there will be a lot of belongings left in cabinets and dressers. So, set a day for packaging and call all your friends and family to come and help you out. You can downsize for a move by giving them some of your belongings. For example, if you’re relocating to a new home where you will have kitchen appliances, you don’t have to carry with you the ones you own. Give away anything you know you will not use or don’t have a need for. And if you wish to improve your future home, bringing a bunch of old furniture is not a way to do it.

Packing Tips for Moving in a Hurry – How to Pack a House Quickly?

So what is the fastest way to pack for a move? Well, there are several easy packing tips for moving. For example, if you want to know how do you pack for moving in one day, the answer is by simply putting and tossing. It is possible to do everything in one day, but your unpacking after a move will be a nightmare.

Deal With Your Clothing in a Snap

The best way to keep clothing from wrinkling while fast packaging is to place a bunch of hangers in one garbage bag and tie everything on top. In one garbage bag, you can fit five hangers with clothing at once. If you have folded clothing, just put them like that in the box. You can put underwear and socks in one bag as well. Pillows, blankets, and beddings can go in vacuum bags, as they will occupy less space and stay clean once you arrive at your destination. Also, you can use your clothing as cushioning when dealing with fragile items. You can use socks and t-shirts for wrapping glasses or mugs and save yourself time and space. If it is possible to leave some clothing in the dresser, you should leave it. Just tape the drawers and doors so it can be moved without anything falling out.

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What Is the Fastest Way to Pack for a Move? Don’t Clean, Just Pack

How can I pack my house in less than a week? Well, if you skip a cleaning part, it will be much faster. Even though move-out cleaning is an important part of every relocation, if you don’t have time, just skip it. But to make yourself less depressed after relocation, do not mix dirty with clean belongings you have. So if there is clothing in your laundry, just put it in the garbage bag and write “dirty” on it. Just ensure this clothing is not wet because it will become moldy fast. Also, do not bother with cleaning kitchen supplies. Box them up as they are and clean them once you relocate. This will save you a lot of time and energy.

Take One Box and Put All Your Bathroom Items Inside

The day before your long-distance movers arrive should be reserved for the bathroom, makeup, and cleaning supplies. Take zip lock bags and put all the bottles with liquid inside those bags. Buy one plastic container and place all the belongings from the bathroom inside. Ensure everything that can spill is placed in a separate bag. Thighs like dirty sponges, rugs, and shower curtains you can leave behind or throw away. Your makeup and other cosmetics should be protected with bubble wrap or paper and placed in the same container.

Take Contractors’ Bags and Deal With Your Books With Ease

The best and fastest way to pack your books is to put them in contractor bags. These bags are sturdy and can withstand heavy items. You can go shelf by shelf and place one shelf in one bag, and then label the bag as an A1 shelf or however you like. You shouldn’t put too many books in one bag, not because the bag will not withstand this weight, but because workers will not be able to carry them.

Prepare Your Car for Shipping

Last but not least, you will have to prepare your car for a car shipping company. When you hire an auto transport company, you will have to follow certain rules before auto transport. For starters, you should wash your car and take a picture of it. You will send these pictures to the long-distance moving company for insurance purposes. You also must check with your company if you can put any items in the car because not all companies allow this option. And those who are allowing this have a rule about how many boxes can be placed in the car and in what position. For example, boxes shouldn’t block any windows.

But if your company lets you place things in the trunk of a car, this can be a really useful and fast packaging solution. You can place most of the items from a garage there without worrying about how to protect and wrap them.

Don’t Forget About Essentials Items

It is crucial to remember to bring your relocation essentials while doing everything else. So while you’re dealing with other stuff and rooms, put aside items that will go with you and not on a truck. Have clothes, hygiene products, medicine, and other necessities as if you’re going on a short vacation. Chargers, electrical devices, and bedding should be included as well. Note you will wait for a while before your belongings arrive, and you will need at least some belongings to lead a normal life.

Woman with a bag of essentials
Ensure you have your necessities ready

What to Do if You Need to Move in a Hurry? Get Professional Help

As you can see, long-distance moving demands a lot of preparation, and if you are relocating in a hurry, this can be overwhelming even for most organized people. If the time is ticking and you know you can’t handle your entire household alone, you can ask for professional help. With professional packers, your home will be packed in one day with ease. So if you want to know, the fastest way to move is by hiring movers to do the packaging for you.

When picking movers, ensure to find the ones that can provide you with all the services you need, including storage. Because if you are relocating at the last minute, there is a huge chance you will not be able to find a place to live so fast or at least a place that is good and big enough for all your belongings. If you hire movers with storage, you will have free units at your disposal for a whole month, which should be enough time for you to make suitable living arrangements. And once you are all settled in, your belongings will be shipped to your address. And if you hire movers for packaging as well, your belongings will be sorted and classified, so your unpacking will be much easier as well.

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