Sometimes, life happens fast - which means you may find yourself with a tight deadline to up and move either across town or to a whole new city.
Maybe you found the perfect job 100 miles away, or maybe you decided to just shake things up a bit with a new apartment. Regardless of your reasoning, you have to move, and move fast.
Here are 8 moving tips for when you’re crunched for time and that move-out deadline is quickly approaching!
1. Make a packing list
The best place to start when you’re packing in a pinch is to make a list.
Start by walking through all of your large items and marking down whether you will either bring it with you, donate it, or trash it. When you’re short on time, you probably won’t have a chance to schedule a yard sale, so stick to either storing, moving or donating your larger items.
2. Pack your go-bag for moving day
When you’re moving in just a few days, it’s important to pack a go-bag with all of your essentials, that way you can just blast through your packing without worrying that you might need something that you just tossed in the bottom of a box.
Pack a suitcase with all your “must-have” items for the next couple of days, depending on how long it will take you from packing your home to unpacking in your new place.
Don’t forget toiletries, enough clothes for all of the places you’ll need to go in the next couple of days, snacks and maybe your coffee pot for your much-needed cup of joe in the mornings.
Packing a moving essentials bag is key to a stress-free, time-sensitive move.
3. Gather the essential moving supplies
Next, you’ll need to get your packing supplies in order:
- Boxes of various sizes
- Packing tape
- Bubble wrap and paper
- A dolley (or two)
Don’t delay in picking up this material: the sooner you have a few boxes put together, the sooner you can start packing up your home.
4. Pack room by room
If you’re moving in a hurry, there won’t be too much time to plan, so the easiest way to get started is to pack room by room. Start with the lesser-used areas, like guest rooms and home offices, then move on from there. As you go through your belongings, toss what you don’t need.
By simultaneously decluttering, you’re saving yourself time on your quick move!
5. Avoid making extra work for yourself
Don’t forget to utilize all of your duffel bags and suitcases before you move onto boxes: clothing is a great item to put into your suitcases, since that’s what they normally carry, anyway.
Don’t make packing difficult for yourself!
Think of your packing as a strategy: Larger items can hold smaller items, so if you’re able to, keep things in your dresser drawers and just move the whole dresser.
This won’t work with all furniture since it can get heavy, quickly, so keep that in mind on moving day. But, if you don’t want to bother emptying out drawers, simply remove them from the dresser, wrap them in plastic wrap, and use the drawers as a quasi-suitcase that can be simply piled in the back of the moving truck.
6. Dealing with your hanging clothes
Leave your clothes on the hangers, and simply slide a non-scented trash bag around the top of a bunch of hangers. We recommend zip-tying a clump of 5-10 hangers together, and then punching a hole in the bottom of the bags with the sharp ends of the hangers to ensure an easy move. Or, you can use the trash bags’ drawstrings to secure them around the hangers.
7. Enlist some helping hands
Packing is never fun, and when you only have a certain amount of time to do it, it can become very stressful.
So,enlist the help of your friends and family when you’re packing in a pinch. Throw a leftover party where you clean out all of your frozen food items before the move and ask your friends to help you pack while you hang out.
8. Call in the professionals
Hiring a moving company, like Highland Moving & Storage, is a great way to cut down on your packing time as well as the stress associated with the move. Our team of professionals will pack for you, meaning all you need to worry about is an overnight bag.
So, when moving day is here, you can supervise the packing process, ensure that all of your things are expertly organized and secure, and then head to your new place without having lifted a box.
For more info on our packing and moving services in Greater Vancouver BC, call us today at 604-581-2300!
