How to Pack for a Move Quickly
So you have just purchased a house or leased a new apartment. Just in the nick of time, because your other home sold already or your current lease is up next week! How can you pack in an organized way and pack everything that soon? It may seem impossible, but there are ways to get the job done and not lose your cool. Here are a few helpful tips on how to pack for a move quickly from Porta-Stor:
Gather All of Your Supplies
Before you start going crazy pulling everything out and throwing things around, take the time to gather all of your packing supplies first. Get a bunch of boxes, packing paper, and tape together and store them in an area that’s out of the way, like a spare bedroom or garage.
If you take the time to get these supplies sorted out first, you will find that it’s much easier to pack your belongings if you do not have to stop constantly to go out and get more packing materials. This saves you time and keeps you on a good schedule, so you can get moved when you need to and not get too stressed out.
Your Garage
As you start packing, you need to designate an area in your home to place the filled boxes as you pack them. That way they are not sitting in high traffic areas like your kitchen or hallway. A great place to stack the packed boxes is in the garage. From here, it will be easy to move them out to the moving truck or storage container.
If you are using the garage to stage your move, it means that the garage is the first area of your home that you need to pack. That way you have plenty of space to work with and are not packing up around all the other boxes. This tends to be an area that collects a lot of stuff anyway, so it would also be a good motivator to get it packed first and help you feel like you are really getting somewhere with the process.
What’s Up in the Attic?
For many people, the attic might be the last place you want to think about going through and packing up. As annoying as it may be, this should be the next area of your home that you tackle.
If you leave the attic for the end, you will be tired and worn out already, leaving you to just toss it all in a box and say you can go through it later. Think about it though: isn't that what you’ve done every time you moved? The attic often holds the stuff you said you would go through next time. Well, the next time is here now, and if you go through that stuff early and only keep what you really want, it will make packing up the rest of your home that much easier. A weight will be lifted from your shoulders, and the unpacking process (and all subsequent moves) will be much easier!
Pack Up One Room Each Day
After you have tackled the garage and the attic, packing up the rest of your house will seem like a breeze. If you are planning this with a good schedule, you should give yourself a couple of weeks to get packed up. If this is the case, you can pack a little bit each day.
If you have less time than that its okay, don’t panic! Think about your home and all of the rooms you need to pack up. Make a list of importance for the rooms and start packing one room a day. If you set your goal on a single room packed up each day instead of a certain number of boxes packed, it allows you to stay focused on that one area until it’s done. This also keeps you organized as you unload those boxes into your new home, because it was all packed together depending on where the items need to be located.
You will also have a great sense of accomplishment when you wake up to tackle the next room and see several rooms already empty. Think of it as motivation to tackle that next room on your list.
If you have even less time, the same organizational rule applies, but you might need to pack a couple of rooms each day. Hopefully you have some friends or family members willing to help you out. Offering the reward of pizza and drinks at the end is always a great motivator!
Wrap It Up
Even if it’s not the gift-wrapping season now, it’ll sure feel like it as you pack. When you pack up each room, go ahead and set aside those breakable items that need to be wrapped up for safe traveling. You can come back to those later so you won't break you rhythm of getting everything packed up in a particular room quickly.
Take a day after all of the rooms are packed and just go through your home and wrap up all those delicate items. Take the time to wrap the dishes, picture frames, lamps, and other fragile items. This may seem like a time waster, but you will be glad you took the time to do it properly when all of your items arrive at your new home in good condition.
If you want more information on packing breakables, check out Porta-Stor’s previous blog here. Also, no matter how carefully you pack, accidents may occur. This blog goes over what to do in the case of breakage.
The Kitchen – Your Final Frontier
Your kitchen is filled with all those gadgets, cabinets, and drawers. However, that’s not the only reason why it’s best to save it for last. The kitchen should be one of the last areas to pack because it is most likely an area you will still need to use most as you pack up your home. You will be using the cups and dishes, making dinner, and gathering there to talk about your day. It also probably contains the most fragile items that will need to be taken care of at the end of the process.
When you get down to the last couple of days before the big move, go ahead and pack up the kitchen. Swap out your plates and utensils for disposable ones. It would be a good idea though to keep out a few cooking basics with a couple of utensils just in case you want to cook one more meal in your old home.
Packing isn’t very fun, and there is bound to be some type of stress no matter how much you plan ahead and organize. Just go with the flow and try not to wait until the last minute to get it all done. Follow any or all of these tips that can help you stay on track and make your move as enjoyable as it can be. Now that you know how to pack for a move quickly, you can check out these tips from Porta-Stor that go over how to organize the unpacking process on the other side!