Moving In A Rush? Pro Tips For A Last-Minute Move
Moving is complicated, packing is chaotic, and organizing is a nuisance. In addition, loading and unloading your entire life into boxes is exhausting. The fact that you have to organize quickly just adds to the stress. Thankfully, there are many professional companies that can make the last-minute moving process a walk in the park. Let’s take a look at some of the things you need to consider when moving in a rush!
Moving is complicated, packing is chaotic, and organizing is a nuisance. In addition, loading and unloading your entire life into boxes is exhausting. The fact that you have to organize quickly just adds to the stress. Thankfully, there are many professional companies that can make the last-minute moving process a walk in the park.
Not having as much time as you would like to prepare for moving into a new home doesn’t mean it has to be a stressful, nerve-wracking experience. Keep reading for ten pro tips to make your last-minute moving a breeze.
1. Hire A Professional Moving Company
It’s very important to hire a reputable moving company to get the help you need as soon as you find out that you’re about to switch locations. Many moving companies offer their assistance when it comes to packing, loading, and unloading and provide transportation, three to five movers, as well as plenty of tools and boxes for safeguarding your belongings during the move.
Moreover, don’t hesitate to ask your friends or family members to help you pack everything. This can alleviate some of the stress, and you can even have fun and enjoy this special bonding time.
2. Draft a Checklist
You just got off the phone with the moving company, and they told you: We’re coming first thing in the morning. Time to think on your feet and put together a to-do list!
Think about labeling all items, delegating roles and assignments to your friends and family, etc. For example, your partner can cover the big furniture pieces. Some of your friends can do smaller tasks such as bubble wrapping fragile items and labeling boxes.
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3. Pack Your Essentials Separately
Once you’ve hired professional help, now’s the time to start following the checklist you previously created! Your first task should be separating your essentials, and overnight items that you want to keep close
Moving to a new apartment can take a toll on your mental health, leaving you with the desire to hit the sack early. When you get to the new apartment, if you have all your essentials, such as toothbrushes, clean clothes, soap, and similar overnight musts at hand, you’ll be able to get some shut-eye and unpack the following day.
Note that, apart from separating the overnight essentials, you should also keep important documents, such as IDs, passports, driver’s licenses, and medical records close to you at all times.
4. Create a Makeshift Packing Station
Clean out a corner of your home, for example, your kitchen countertop or your garage. Make sure to buy everything you need, such as bubble wrap for fragile items, lots of paper, labels and a marker, scissors, tape, and of course, boxes, boxes, and more boxes! If you have any old boxes lying around, you can reuse them or ask a local supermarket if they have extra empty boxes in the back, which you can usually get for free.
Here’s another idea: If you love traveling, you probably already own a couple of big suitcases. Utilize them when moving in a rush, and put the heavy items (such as books) inside to avoid injuring your back if you’re going to do the heavy lifting yourself.
5. Separate Your Belongings
Now that you have everything you may need for packing, it’s time to get strategic and group all your belonging.
For example, your clothes, kitchen utensils, bathroom bottles, and books should all be in separate piles, according to their use and the room they should adorn in your new home. This will make the unloading (and unpacking!) process a lot easier, which brings us to our next tip…
6. Make a Donation Pile
You might want to make room for a fresh start or get new furniture for your new place. Whatever your motivation, it’s a good idea to donate everything you don’t plan on keeping.
Getting rid of personal belongings with sentimental value is never easy.
However, it will help ease the moving process since you’ll need fewer boxes, helping hands, and time. Plus, the joy of helping those in need might lift some of the anxiety and emotional distress of your shoulders!
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7. Label Your Boxes
Once you’ve sorted everything and got rid of any unnecessary things, you can officially start packing up. Make sure to label each box with its contents. For example, if you packed your dinnerware and glasses together, you can label that box as ‘kitchen dinnerware.’ If necessary, put a special label that says ‘Fragile’ for items that need to be treated with some extra TLC.
If you want to take it a step further, you can label each box with the room it belongs in the new home (kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, etc.) to make unloading and unpacking easier for your movers and yourself.
8. Use Ziploc Bags for Small Items
You know those tiny essentials we usually pile up in our drawers, such as keys, receipts, and similar small items? Putting them in Ziploc bags will help you avoid overlooking or losing them when moving in a rush.
9. Hire Someone to Clean Up After You
While your last-minute move is probably skyrocketing your stress levels, it would also be stressful for the next tenant to move into a dirty apartment. If your time frame is limited, hiring professional cleaning services to clean up after you load everything into trucks is always an option.
Both your landlord and the next tenant will be thankful!
10. Make an Inventory
After successfully packing everything, take a step back. Write down the number of boxes, their contents, and which rooms they’re supposed to go in, in your new home. If this seems daunting, you can also take pictures of the boxes. It’s a simple step that will help you and your movers ensure nothing is overlooked or lost during your hasty, last-minute move.
Extra Tip: Don’t Stress!
Even if you have a checklist and follow it step-by-step, there’s always a chance that things will not go according to plan. Although you’re moving in haste, prioritizing your health (both mental and physical) is crucial.
Don’t stress if you can’t separate things into categories. It’s totally fine to put forks with bed linens. Last-minute moving can be one of the most emotionally draining moments of your life, so
the moment you feel yourself stressing out, take a step back. Play some of your favorite music in the background, include your friends and family in the moving process, and make it an adventure to remember.
Make Your Move a Breeze, Even When in a Hurry
When faced with a last-minute move, take a deep breath, sit down, organize everything and focus on the end goal. If you follow our tips carefully, moving to a new place might be the best thing that has ever happened to you.
Good luck!