The Ultimate Guide To How To Pack For A Move In 3 Days

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Moving can be stressful, but if you do it right, you’ll be able to do the job in less than a week. If you’re curious about how to pack for a move in 3 days, keep reading. This post will cover packing tips that will make your move go smoothly and save you time. Ready? Let’s dive in!

Moving 101: How To Prepare To Move House?

Create A Timeline

It’s a great idea to create a timeline before you start packing. Act strategically, think about the size of your house and amount of things you’re taking with you. Is your house messy? Do you want to declutter while packing? Take everything into consideration.

Remember, set realistic goals that you’ll be able to achieve, otherwise you might get behind which will cause a lot of stress. You got this!

Don’t forget to include breaks and set aside some time between different tasks. This additional time might also save the day if you slip behind the schedule.

Getting enough sleep before the moving day is also very important. Make sure that your deadline is early in the evening so you’ll be able to finish packing early enough to get some sleep. Aim for a bedtime before midnight.

Get Packing Materials

To make sure the packing process will go smoothly, prepare all packing materials beforehand. Things you should most definitely stock up include:

Moving Boxes

These are my favourite ones that survived two moves across the country and are still like new. You might want to try out boxes like this, though. They don’t require tape to put them together, to make packing even easier than before!

Bubble Wrap

One of my must-haves. You can buy them in any shop like B&Q, Homebase, and of course on Amazon. Here’s the link to the bubble wrap I used.

Packing Paper

Packing paper is completely optional, as you can use bubble wrap, your clothes or towels instead. I’ve never used it, although I know some people that can’t imagine packing without it.

Stretch Wrap

Another must have. I always secure disassembled pieces of furniture with the stretch wrap to minimize the risk of getting them scratched. It also helps me to stay organized as there’s no way that pieces will go missing if they’re wrapped all together.

Tip: Tape bag with screws to your furniture to prevent losing them.

Packaging Tape With A Tape Gun

I don’t believe there’s a way to move without using packaging tape, even if you get boxes that don’t require it (or the plastic ones). Remember to buy a better quality tape and don’t even try to use the cheapest one from Poundland or Home Bargains. Otherwise, you might end up with damaged items and unnecessary mess to clean up.

Last time we moved, I had to buy tape from Home Bargains and it peeled from a box after a few hours. I didn’t notice that and lifted a box just to have everything falling out of it. Never again.

Trash Bags

You’ll need many, many trash bags. Choose ones that are stronger than usual so you won’t have to worry about ripping them by accident. Don’t use them to pack, but to throw away items, though.

Ziploc Bags

They’re great at keeping your jewellery, stationery, or even cables safe and organized. Buy them in two sizes, small and medium.

Mattress Bag

You need to transport your mattress somehow, don’t you? Choose a better quality bag that won’t get damaged easily. Here’s the one I used during the last two or three moves. Don’t be like me and don’t forget to close the bag and tape it. It’ll make your life much easier.

Vacuum Storage Bags

Trust me, you need them. You can use them for packing your clothes, towels, duvet, anything. These are the best ones I’ve found. I’ve been using them for years and they’re still like new. 

Moving Blankets, Furniture Pads, Trolley

Before you buy it, check with your moving company if they provide things like that. The only thing I’ve ever bought was a moving trolley. I didn’t bother with moving blankets when I was moving on my own, as I usually secure my furniture with stretch wrap, anyway.

Ask Your Friends And Family For Help

If you’re lucky enough to have friends and family living nearby, don’t forget to ask them for help. Throw a packing party, order pizza, make tea and spend a day with them while doing some packing.

Moving in a hurry or to a different city? This is also a great opportunity to spend more time with your loved ones and say goodbye.

Set Aside Your Essential Items

Think about the items you’ll need during your last days before the move, and straight after it. Set them aside to reduce the possibility of misplacing or losing them.

It’s always better to be prepared for any kind of emergency.

Make sure that you keep your bag with essential items hidden somewhere safe, like in your bedroom. Make sure that anyone who helps you to move knows about it and won’t pack it up by accident.

Things you might want to consider as essential are:

• Keys (both to your new and old house)
• Credit cards and cash
• Driver’s licence, ID card, passport
• Important contact phone numbers, for example, for a moving company
• Pen and paper
• Sheets and a pillow
• Extra clothing
• Toiletries
• Toilet paper, kitchen roll & tissues
• Basic cleaning supplies like multi-surface cleaner or antibacterial wipes
• A few plates, utensils, and cups
• Basic cookware
• Ready meals
• Snacks, beverages, instant coffee and tea bags
• A small portable tool kit
• Scissors and duct tape
• Food and dishes for pets
• Your kid’s favourite toys

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Go Through Your Items And Sort Them Out

If you know you might move soon, start going through your stuff immediately. Do you have a camera that you haven’t used for ages? Clothes that you’ve never worn (and you will not wear in the future either)?

Think about selling or donating everything that doesn’t bring you happiness anymore. Leave nothing “just in case” – if you haven’t used them in the last couple of months, the probability of using them ever again is very slim.

Don’t Rush

Don’t rush and pack every mug, plate, and fragile souvenir securely. It’s not worth to sacrifice safety for time. Do everything you can to make sure that all your belongings survive moving home in one piece.

Don’t Forget About Your Kids (And Pets)

Arrange for someone to take care of your kids during this time if you can. Moving home is a stressful process, especially for them, because they don’t understand what’s happening. Your friends and family might be thrilled to help you, so don’t forget to ask them for help.

Get Smart About Labelling Boxes

Print labels on adhesive paper beforehand might speed up the packing process, although it might be tricky because you need to think it through and decide what labels you’ll need.

If you’re like me, and the sole thought stresses you out, try using different colours of tape instead. This way, you’ll immediately know which box belongs where which will help you unpack in your new house.

Save Your Time And Energy By Hiring Professional Cleaners

Remember that your landlord can take money out of your deposit to cover the cleaning fee. To avoid that, read the moving-in inventory report and check if everything looks exactly the same as it looked when you were moving into the property. It should also give you a good idea of how clean it was.

For example, if the report says that the flat was cleaned to the professional standard, leave it as clean as it would be if you hire professional cleaners. Even though items can be worn and aged, they should be clean.

Cleaning can be expensive and take hours, therefore decide beforehand how you want to approach this. If you think it makes little sense to spend time on cleaning the flat, hire professionals to do it. If your budget is tight, do it yourself as best as you can.

Calculate pros and cons of each option and choose what suits you best.

Moving 101: How To Pack Quickly?

Decide What You Want To Leave Behind

Start by preparing a box for items you want to keep, sell and donate, and a trash bag for items you want to throw away. Forget about a “maybe” pile, as it will slow you a lot. If you keep anything just because you get sentimental every time you look at it, consider taking a picture before you throw it away.

Take Photos Of Your Belongings Before You Pack Them

It’s a smart idea to keep track of your belongings. You can do it by taking photos while packing. It might be helpful in case something goes wrong with your moving company and they lose some of your boxes or damage them. Make sure that serial numbers are visible in the photos.

Taking a photo of the content of the box can also help you locate items you might need after you move.

Don’t Rush While Packing

As I mentioned before, don’t sacrifice safety for time. Pack everything properly to avoid any unnecessary damage to your belongings. While you can replace most of the things, it’s usually better to take care of them. It will also save you money in the long run.

Label The Boxes

Everyone has a different way of labelling boxes. Some write the room or name of the person it belongs to, others list out items that are packed inside, or prepare labels beforehand and just stick them onto the box. Choose the option that’s the easiest and fastest for you.

Who knows, maybe using tape in different colours suits you best? If you do that, remember to let everyone know what colour belongs where to avoid confusion. A little map might help as well.

And if you’re running out of time, don’t label them at all. I prefer all my belongings packed securely into boxes without labels than half of stuff ending in the black bags because I spent too much time on less important things.

Have All Supplies Ready Before You Pack

Start stocking up on packing supplies as soon as you know that you’re moving. Having enough boxes, tape or bubble wrap will speed up the process. It will also prevent last-minute stress when you run out of boxes and you won’t be able to get more on time.

There’s nothing worse than ending up with tens of black bin bags full of random stuff – it happened to me once and I remember how difficult it was to find anything after the move. Last time I moved, I had everything packed just in clear plastic and cardboard boxes. It was a real game changer!

Leave Dressers And Chests Full Of Their Contents

Unless your chest of drawer is heavy or you keep something fragile in it, leave drawers full. It will save you time both before and after the move.

Use Wardrobe Boxes

Cardboard wardrobe boxes are very handy if you have lots of clothes hanging on the hangers. They will keep your clothes neat and organized, as well as will save your time.

Pack Books In Wheeled Suitcases

Books are very heavy so don’t put many of them in one box. Instead, pack them into a suitcase to make moving them around easier. Protect your back and avoid heavy boxes at all costs. You’ll need to lift many of them during those couple of days.

Pack One Room At The Time

My biggest tip on how to pack quickly for a move is to pack room by room, cupboard by cupboard. Stay in one room until you finish packing everything, take a break and move to another room. This way packing will go faster, and you’ll end up with similar items packed together. It will also make it easier to unpack and organize.

Stay Focused And Eliminate Distractions

Tempted to watch Netflix in the background? Forget about it! Pack your TV as one of the first things so you can’t even think about turning it on and ending up binging one of your favourite TV shows. Get rid of any distractions and focus on packing. You don’t have an infinite amount of time. The sooner you finish, the better.

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Moving 101: How Long Before A Move Should I Start Packing?

Start immediately after you learn you need to move. Packing takes hours and it’s better to start as soon as possible to make sure that you won’t run out of time.

Moving 101: What To Pack First When Moving?

It might be tricky to decide what to pack first when moving. It will also look differently for everyone.

Is your home a multi storey house with guest rooms, linen closet, attic, etc? If yes, then start packing rooms that are used the least often, like attic. It might also be the most cluttered room in the entire house, and you’ll need plenty of time and energy to manage this. Sometimes you can also find boxes or other packing supplies that might be useful later on.

If you live in a small flat, things are getting harder.

You might think everything is constantly in use and you’re probably right. It’s also way more difficult to pack in advance when you have no space to put boxes in. That’s the reason I pack for a move 2-3 days before almost every time.

Start in the bathroom, then move onto seasonal items, electronic gadgets, and everything else that you rarely use. If you have a home office and you don’t plan on using it anymore, you can also start from there.

Moving 101: How To Pack For A Move In 3 Days

Day 1

First day of packing is the one when you have the most energy. Start by making a plan and sorting out inventory. If the move happened suddenly, arrange packing materials and organize transport. Otherwise, move straight to packing and begin with rooms that aren’t constantly in use like the basement, attic, or garage.

You should cover all rarely used areas that would include anything from a linen closet, guest room to a library. It’s also the best time to pack specialized tools you won’t need while moving home, like sports gear, anything hobby-related, collectibles, etc.

I like to go through bedroom on the first day too. This way I have space to keep all my essential items, clothes I’ll need, documents, and child’s toys safe and sound.

Day 2

Second day of packing start from the living room. Pack all decorations, office supplies, books, and jewellery. This is also a perfect time to cover your wardrobe and shoes collection.

You should only leave a few pieces that you’ll wear during the next couple of days. Don’t forget to leave out some comfy clothes you can wear during the moving day.

You should also empty and clean furniture and appliances. Disassemble and pack cleaned furniture pieces. Don’t forget about the screws, and put them together with the furniture they belong to. This will make sure that you won’t lose them somewhere along the way.

Day 3

Third, and the last full day before you move will be stressful and chaotic. You might fall behind your schedule, but don’t panic. It happens very often, and it’s better to be prepared for it. Stay calm, assess your situation, amend your schedule and get going. You got this!

Spend this day on packing the kitchen, bedrooms and bathrooms. Pack all electronic devices, rugs, anything you’ve left until the very last moment. When you pack the bedrooms, leave nothing in the rooms apart from the mattress, mattress bag, duvet, pillows and vacuum storage bag to pack them up.

This is also the day you should finally pack all toys, books, and other child related equipment you have still lying around. Remember to leave some of them so your child can have some familiar items with them all the time.

Seal and label all the boxes. Cross verify everything and make sure that your documents are safe and essential items are packed and ready to go. Try to get to bed early enough to get plenty of sleep. You’ll need that energy tomorrow.

Moving Day

Hopefully, you got some sleep last night and you’re full of energy, ready to move! After you wake up, pack up your bedding into vacuum storage bags you prepared earlier.

Put your mattress in the mattress bag and don’t forget about closing it with tape. This will help you move it easily without worrying about getting it dirty. Leave the mattress protector and sheets on it, ready for the night.

Pack last toiletries, medicines, and kitchen essentials and put them in your essential items bag.

Moving 101: How To Pack For A Move In One Day

Packing for a move in three days is quite a challenge! I don’t believe that it’s impossible to pack a house in one day, unless you hire professionals to do it for you. If you’ve ever pulled it off, let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear your story.

How To Pack For A Move In 3 Days In A Nutshell

Day 1 In A Nutshell

• make a plan
• sort out inventory
• arrange packing materials and organize transport if move happened suddenly
• pack rooms and items that are used rarely
• pack bedroom (optional)

Day 2 In A Nutshell

• start packing from the living room
• pack decorations, office supplies, books, and jewellery
• pack most of the clothes and shoes
• empty and clean furniture and appliances
• disassemble and pack cleaned furniture pieces (with screws!)

Day 3 In A Nutshell

• pack the kitchen, bedrooms and bathrooms
• pack electronic devices, rugs, toys, and everything else you’ve left until the very last minute 
• seal and label the boxes
• cross verify everything
• make sure that your documents are safe and bag with essential items is ready to go
• go to bed early

Moving Day In A Nutshell

• pack up your bedding into vacuum storage bags
• put your mattress in the mattress bag
• pack last toiletries, medicines, and kitchen essentials

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How To Pack For A Move In 3 Days: Conclusion

Three days is quite enough to pack the house for a move. It’s great if you can prepare for it in advance because sorting through your things takes hours, if not days. Having friends and family to come over and help you makes packing easier, but know that you’re more than capable of doing it on your own.

Every time you move, you’ll gain experience, and the entire process won’t be so intimidating next time. Be smart, act strategically, and stay calm no matter what. Moving a house is very stressful and requires a lot of planning.

For me, every move was completely different. I moved with the help of family and friends, tried to start packing a month before the move, did everything alone and hired a man with a van, went to a firework display on the last day before the move instead of packing. Each of those experiences taught me something new and helped me realize that packing for a move in 3 days is the best option for me.

I’m not an organized person by any means and hate working under pressure, but somehow three days are a sweet spot to complete the task. Everyone is different, so make sure that you listen to yourself and do whatever suits you best.

Good luck!
M.