You just got notice: the apartment you applied for (and were wait-listed on months ago) finally has an opening, but you have to move fast. We’re talking sign the lease on Friday, move in on Monday fast. While packing up your home in one weekend might seem daunting, we know you can do it – especially if you follow along with these helpful tips for how to pack up your home in a moment’s notice. Don’t worry, we’re here to help you make it happen.

Recruit Your Friends

Step one to packing your home quickly is to enlist the help of friends and family. Bribe them with pizza and drinks; we’re certain you’ll get a good turnout.

If you’re downsizing your home and plan to put some things into storage, StorQuest offers our exclusive FREE truck and driver program to qualified residents within 15 miles of select facilities. You schedule the time and we show up and transport your belongings back to your unit.

Think Outside the Box – Literally

Boxes, furniture pads, packaging tape – those things are all great, but when you have to pack quickly or on short notice, you might not have them all on hand. And that’s fine. You just have to think outside the box. Here are a few ideas for alternatives to traditional packing supplies:

• Use a garbage bag to cover your clothes while they are still on the hanger. Not only will they be easy to transport, but you also save yourself time unpacking when you reach your final destination.
• Didn’t have time to pick up packing peanuts or bubble wrap? Don’t worry about it. Blankets, sheets, dishtowels, and other linens are perfect for protecting your valuables during a move. Use them to cover art work, framed photographs, even furniture you don’t want scuffed.
• Do you have a dresser or wardrobe that needs to be moved? Instead of unpacking your drawers, simply tape those suckers shut. If that makes it too heavy to move, remove each drawer individually, but keep the contents intact. Then when you get to your new home or storage unit, you just pop them back in.

Choose the Rooms

Nothing motivates quite like a win – even a little win. That’s why we recommend you start any home packing project with the rooms you use the least and leave the rooms you use the most, like the kitchen and bathrooms, for last. The hall closet, den, or formal dining room are all great places to start. You can box up these rooms fast and then use them to store all the other items you have packed before the moving truck arrives.  

Say Goodbye

One of the great things about having to get packed fast? It helps you see what things you actually use and which items you can get rid of. For example, if you’re rooting around the garage and come across a box of old VHS tapes, that‘s something you can probably take to the thrift store. The same goes for more practical items, like a winter coat your child has outgrown. You can donate stuff like this to one of the many deserving charitable organizations in your neighborhood.

Start Small then Go Big

Remember what we said earlier about being buoyed by little victories? Packing up smaller items first gives you the same sense of satisfaction. When you start small, you’re actually making more progress than if you just tried to move the laundry machine and called it a day. Save those big-ticket items for last so you can load them in the moving truck first.

Get a Move On

What are you waiting for? It’s time to get moving. For more packing and moving tips, stay up-to-date with our blog. We are StorQuest. And whatever life has in store for you, we’re here to help you make room for it.