In the 14 years my ex-husband was home, we moved over 30 times. You most likely don’t know anyone else that can pack a Uhaul as good as me (if it didn’t fit, I didn’t get to keep it!) nor do you know someone who can put up a home as quick (because I’ve literally done it SO many times!)
Moving is hard and overwhelming. It’s a lot of work, you get tired, it’s physically and emotionally draining. Then you get to the new house, look around at all your stuff and have NO IDEA where to put it all. If you are planning your next move, these tips and strategies will drastically help you know exactly how to unpack a house in two days!
How to Unpack a House in Two Days
The very first thing you want to do is…
Layout furniture before you move
You have to go to the new house before you move, measure, and figure out where all your big furniture is going to go. Where will you put the couches? Where will the entertainment center fit? On what wall do you want your headboard for your bed? Where will the dresser go?
Related:
- How to Save on Moving
- A Complete Guide to Organizing Everything You Have
- 12 Habits of People Who Have Organized Homes
- How to Decorate a Home on a Budget with Fashion Accessories
- Bedroom Organization Tips
- Where to Find Budget Friendly Decor
- Budget Friendly Tips to Create a Larger Room
Don’t forget the garage. Where will your garage pantries go? Your shelves? Your lawn equipment, snow shovels, bikes, kids cars?
The more you have planned where it will go BEFORE you move, the EASIER it is ONCE you move.
If you want to put things away super quick after you move, plan out everything. On this move that I just made, I already had a lot lined up where it was all going to go, down to the dishes, bowls, plates, cups, silverware, etc.
You absolutely will get overwhelmed with decisions after you move, so the more decisions you’ve already made, the less stressed YOU will feel and the faster you can put it up, because you already know where it goes!
Take pictures before you pack
Over the years, there have been times where I’ve really needed to remember where I had certain things and I can’t.
A good example is my garage pantries. I have everything in a certain order, so that I know where everything is.
Taking a picture of it BEFORE you pack it with your phone, will greatly help you when you want to put everything back! This one tip alone has helped me SO many times and helps me put things back where they belong super quick!
Refrain yourself from organizing
It’s been three days since I’ve moved at the time that I’m writing this and everything is put up, including my garage. Is everything organized? No!
Here’s the trick. I KNOW that things will move. I had an end table in one spot, and it’s just more convenient in the office than the living room. So, I moved it. I put my glasses in one cabinet, but I find myself hoovering over another cabinet to get them — I will move them!
You don’t have to be set in stone on where things are. Throw all your food in the pantry. Don’t worry about organizing it. Just get all those dishes, cups, glasses, silverware, pots, and pans put up in SOME cabinet or drawer where you think they can fit in best. You can fiddle around with the layout of all that later when you’re settled in and find yourself drawn to one area more than another. It’ll all start coming together.
What you DON’T want to do, is have everything in boxes. You’ll never find ANYTHING like that. Seriously!
Then, as time goes on, start organizing the things how you want them, but at least you’ll know where everything is!!!
Do not pack early
I know this must sound so incredibly crazy, but I NEVER pack anything, at all, before 3 days before I move. Listen, even as a single mom, I can pack my whole house in that time-frame, and so can you.
You don’t want to pack early for several reasons…
1) You’ll forget which box you put something in.
2) You’ll need something you packed and never be able to find it. You’ll go out and buy one to replace it, wasting money and time.
3) You’ll pack wrong items with wrong items. There have been many times where I’ll start filling up a box and because I’ve packed early, can’t finish packing the room, so I go on to somewhere else. Then, the boxes are filled with a mish-mash of everything and nothing makes sense. I’ll lose something because I put that can opener with my kids stuff. LOL. I’ll end up buying a can opener because I can’t find the one and have no idea where it’s at.
Speaking of which…
Don’t let anyone else help you pack
Again, this may sound crazy, but goes along with the logic that YOU need to remember where everything is. Every time I’ve had helpers to pack, I’ve lost things, not known where they are and it’s just a mess. With good intentions, it’s literally sabotaging you.
Note: The only exception is if that same person is helping you put the same boxes they packed away in the new house.
Pack the things yourself, so you know where everything is.
Never take clothes off of hangers
A little known trick is that if you take about 10 articles of your clothing with the hangers in them and fold them in half, only the very middle clothing piece will even have a chance to get wrinkled.
I can get about 20-30 clothes in a 13-gallon trash bag and call it good. At the new house, throw the few wrinkled clothes in the dryer with a wet washcloth and bada-bing-bada-boom, you’re done! If you’re me, you just hang them up and they get the wrinkles out all by themselves…most of the time. Yeah, I’m not an ironer. 🙂
Do this with everyone’s clothes. Seriously, it saves SO much time.
The only thing I would say about this one, is that if you have stairs, roll the bags down the stairs, don’t throw them. It’s much easier to NOT have broken hangers. We always liked to have a soft landing for them like a pillow or something and they all rolled down like a snowball. This will help pack the Uhaul much faster and you will save some energy!
Label your boxes well
For pete’s sake, label those boxes. If you pack misc. items all together, make a list on the box lid. I’ve listed like 10 items on the outside of a box before. You want to know where everything is quickly!
If you’re using a moving company however (especially long distance), it may not be the wisest idea to list valuables on the box covers. You could use a spreadsheet and number the boxes instead. Be sure to always pack your valuables with YOU in YOUR car and not in a moving van. Things that are easily broken like a TV, I always pack in my car too and not in a moving van.
Pack a suitcase
One of the BIGGEST TIPS you need to know is to pack a suitcase for your entire family for 5 days. All clothes, socks, undies, toothbrush, toothpaste, shower stuff, hairbrush, etc. Anything you’d pack to take on a trip or vacation, have it all there in suitcases.
Don’t forget pets! They need a zipper baggy of food for 5 days too, along with two bowls, one for water and one for food. Anything else they may need, like a bed, leash, etc. have them all packed too.
This will ensure that you’re not scrambling after you move to get your kids to school on time or to bed at a decent hour.
Everything is there in the suitcases and you have FIVE days to unpack and find things! This one tip will literally change your moving experience and I can’t recommend any other tip higher than this one! It’s absolutely crucial!
Speaking of suitcases…
Super awesome packing tricks I’ve picked up along the years:
Pack your most fragile/important stuff in suitcases. Things like that $1k vase your great grandma left you. Wrap it up super well with bubble wrap of course, but I always pack my most fragile stuff in suitcases, not boxes. They tend to be taken care of better in transport and you can even put the suitcases in the car with you instead of in the moving van.
Every single zipper in that suitcase can be utilized for important stuff. Important papers, jewelry you don’t want knocked around, use all the space in that thing and wrap things well.
Use space saver bags, but if you’re out, use a garbage bag, put a vacuum hose in it and as long as they bag doesn’t have any holes, it’ll keep the air out and save space for a day or two (not a permanent solution).
Wrap your glass cups in clean socks. Just put the socks over your glasses and you’re saving space and it’s a much more Earth-friendly moving system! 🙂
When packing plates, get creative. You can use newspaper, paper towel, coffee filters, magazines, or even clothes. Think about your daughters clean shirts. They could easily go in between the dishes. One shirt can wrap 2 plates. Be creative when packing so you’re saving space. My ex-husband had a rule, whatever didn’t fit in the moving truck, didn’t go. I lost a lot of stuff that way and started getting super creative to get it all to fit!!! 🙂
To save space in the kitchen, put spices in stock pots. Fill up each and every thing you can to save as much space. Also, sometimes, I didn’t put stock pots and pots/pans in boxes at all. They won’t break, so you can put them in bags and get away with it. Maybe not the glass lids, but the actual pans you can.
Your big screen TV. Put this in a car, not the moving van and cover it well with one of your kids blankets. No need to buy the packing blankets when you have some already. 🙂
If you don’t have a knife block, you can put knives in an oven mitt and label it knives. Make sure everyone in your home knows the knives are in there, for safety and put it with other kitchen stuff or in your designated “important stuff” suitcase.
Here’s one of my favorite tricks! Everyone takes their clothes OFF the hangers to move them. They put them in boxes or bags but when you unpack those clothes, they are all gonna be wrinkled!!! Wanna avoid that? Fold your clothes in a big bunch (think: 10-20 so it’s not a crease) in half and put inside garbage bags. When you have stairs, you can literally throw those down and not have to climb so much stairs. Just make sure there’s no one down there as you throw them down. 🙂
You WILL break a few hangers. Lost: 50¢ to save you a good 15 mins going up and down those stairs for all your clothes. Worth it! 🙂 Best of all, they will NOT get wrinkled that way. Just be sure if you throw them down, you are using quality bags. The cheap-o bags will split as you drop them.
Avoid boxes from falling out from the bottom. When collecting boxes (from shipments you get, etc.), leave the boxes taped. It’ll save you on supplies and be sturdier in the move. Double tape all boxes that you’ll put heavy stuff in it. And here’s the thing…most people tape the box again at the seam. When double taping it, make a cross symbol. Go vertically and horizontally. It’ll hold up better. Be sure not to overstuff boxes with heavy things, like books. Use smaller boxes for those kinds of things.
Likewise, if you have too heavy of furniture, consider selling it on Craigslist or Facebook groups before you move. Replace it when you get there with a gently used piece of furniture. It’s a great excuse to “buy something new” too. 😉 Something that matches your new decor better.
To keep mirrors from breaking in a move, here’s a cool trick. Tape with masking tape each corner to corner (ONE piece of tape) diagonally and press the tape down good. Then tape side to side and vertically in the middle. You should have 4 pieces of tape running through the mirror. This will help the glass NOT break, but if it is bad and it does break, it will keep all the shards together instead of bitty pieces everywhere.
Zipper bags are your best friend. Blow them up and seal for an instant air pouch protector as needed.
Moving in the winter? Be sure to have someone snow shovel the driveway and put salt down if needed. Don’t try to move with snow on the ground. You can slip and fall. Also, wear snow boots in such cases and they have traction on the bottom of the shoes to help.
Moving with pets? I like to use a wire pet crate and put it in the back of the SUV for our dog. It gives him plenty of room and he has his soft bed, a rawhide, and a couple toys so he’s comfortable. Be sure to keep a leash, a bowl for water (and a couple water bottles), plus treats, a food bowl, and a little zipper bag of food as needed that you can easily access. Animals need breaks too! 🙂
I hope all these tips and hacks are beneficial for you one day!
Angela says
This is perfect! I did not think any single mom moved like me. We have moved 21 times soon to be 22 in 13 years….
Sarah Titus says
That is definitely a lot. Now that I am single, I do not move near as much, and I am very thankful of that! lol
Leigh says
I’m so glad I found this post. I will be moving in a few months, and these tips will definitely help me plan and unpack swiftly. Thanks!
Sarah Titus says
Yes, that’s awesome. Perfect timing. 🙂
Debbi says
Brilliant moving tips! Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom 🙂
Sarah Titus says
Absolutely. Glad you like it Debbi. 🙂
Sarah says
This is great! Now I need the “how to pack in three days” article! Lol
Sarah Titus says
Easy…pack a suitcase with 5 days worth of all the stuff you’ll need (as if you’re taking a trip with your family). Then, throw EVERYTHING else in boxes the day before and just label them by what room they go in! It’s what I do every time. Works like a charm! 🙂 Handy hint: pack clothes STILL ON the hangers (just fold them over in half and put in garbage bags- they won’t get wrinkled if you do it right!)
Emily says
This is a really fantastic article. Such a good idea to list everything on the box. Also, you’re amazing for being able to pack in 3 days.
Sarah Titus says
Glad you liked the article Emily. 🙂 Packing in a short amount of time helps me remember which boxes everything is in. lol.
Lina says
Thank you so much. Hope it will ease my entire process soon!
Sarah Titus says
Absolutely Lina…all the best in your move. 🙂
Shirley says
Thank you for putting this together Sarah! We are moving to another state in a couple months and it is getting overwhelming. I will follow your tips for sure!
Sarah Titus says
Absolutely Shirley. All the best in your move. I moved over 30 times within a 14 year period of time. I got REAL good at it. lol. Here’s how to unpack a house in two days!
Ashley c. says
Some good tips, but I do not agree with the don’t pack early part. I begin packing from the moment we anticipate moving. However, I label every box with a number and I have a notebook that has everything that is in that box listed.
Sarah Titus says
Definitely you want to do what works best for you and your family. For me personally, even though I write down ALL the contents of each box/bag as I’m packing early, there’s always SOMEthing I need and have to go back through everything and it’s just such a huge time suck. So, it works better for me to write what’s on the box on the outside of it and what room it goes in, so I’m not scrounging around looking for that one item I packed and need. Usually, it’s more than one item and it just becomes a hassle. I can pack a whole house in a day and unpack completely in two days. The garage is super simple. I have pantry shelves in there and take pictures of how I have it before with all the stuff in it on my phone. Then, I label each shelf with masking tape with a number and each box has those corresponding numbers on them. So simple. I’m not reinventing the wheel each time I move, just putting stuff back where it’s supposed to go. Kitchen is the same way. BEFORE I move or pack, in my head I’m figuring out where cups will go, where plates will go, etc. Once you have everything “mapped” out in your head (put notes on walls where couch goes, etc. for movers), then it’s just about putting things where they go right from the get-go. Less moving stuff around. Put the couch here, where it’s going to go…put the ET center here, where it’s going to go as they are unloading. A little prep works makes things so much easier. 🙂
Sue says
I can’t imagine how hard that must be with kids! I’ve only moved three times as an adult, and that was nightmarish with NO kids at the time! You’re amazing & this will help so many people! May I ask WHY you moved so often?
Sarah Titus says
Sue, at the time (my ex-husband) was just very discontent with everything and he had us move a LOT! Different states, different cities, just always on the go. Now that he is gone (he abandoned us), I have been in one house. I love not moving. 🙂
Sue says
I’m so sorry to hear that, Sarah, and I hope that you know that, as hard as it may be, you are better off without him in your lives. I’m sure that there are times that you question that, because being a single parent is a VERY hard job, it is, in fact, the hardest job you can do. But a poor example of a husband and father would never be a positive influence on your children.
Congratulations on moving on and doing what you do! You’re really helping other people and setting a great example for your kids!
Jenn says
Thanks for sharing, in the middle of moving myself and your tips will come in handy! Good luck with everything, and good for you in rising above the lemons you were handed and turning that into something positive!!! Very inspiring
Sarah Titus says
Jenn, thank you so much for your kind and encouraging words. Moving can be overwhelming, and I’m glad you found tips in the article to help you with your most recent move. Good luck to you as well in your new house! Enjoy it! <3
Kimberley says
Thanks for this! I have to move in a little over 3 weeks time. We have been in our current house since I was 19, I’m now 31! I moved out of my parents house that I had lived in my entire life, in with my husband and then into the home we are in now so I have no real idea how to move and pack! Last time I moved I had a 9 week old baby and my mother and mother in law basically packed my house for us! I’ve only moved twice before.
Sarah Titus says
This will definitely help. 🙂 All the best in your move. Praying it’s an easy one! <3
Tara says
Lots of great info. I haven’t moved much and have always had issues getting everything unpacked. I like the idea to unpack and organize later. I in no way could do all our packing in 3 days though. I’ve been de cluttering and packing for a couple weeks. We have a lot of stuff we don’t need regularly. We are moving this summer, so I’m looking for every tip I can find. To make it complicated on ourselves, we’re downsizing, likely an apartment for a few months while we find land and build our house. So some of our stuff will be in storage.
Sarah Titus says
Downsizing is rough, but if you have the time, definitely getting rid of stuff NOW (selling it if at all possible) is the best way. If the downsize is permanent, consider how much you’d pay for a storage unit ($30/month x 12 months = $360) and if the stuff is REALLY worth it. Can you just replace some, things like a couch, etc.? Better to have cash in your pocket than stuff in a storage unit. I know it can be hard to let go and definitely depends if the downsize is permanent too. Definitely just do what you can before the move. Sounds like you’re doing great! <3
Katherine says
The best thing we’ve done is use the Uhaul service called “helping hands” or something like that. It’s 2 (really strong!) guys for 2 hours for $200. And they will have the truck emptied and carried up two floors (with no attitude!) in less than that time, but they are yours for two hours, so if you need help repositioning, putting together the bed or bookcases- they’ll do it till the time’s up. Our experience was so good we’ll never move without them!
Sarah Titus says
Wow, really?! That’s so awesome!!! If I move again, I’ll definitely keep that in mind for sure! Thank you for sharing. 🙂 <3
Crystal C Suarez says
We’re moving in April. You better believe I’ve pinned this so I can reference it again closer to move time!! I am the worst at organizing a move – thanks for the tips and advice!!!
Sarah Titus says
Glad to help. I’ve moved so many times, it’s not even funny. Now that my ex-husband is gone, I’m not moving so much. 🙂 I’ve been in this house now for 4 years. It’s literally a record. haha.
Miriam says
This is such good advice, I wish I’d read it when we moved. It literally took 3 years to unpack everything.
Sarah Titus says
Oh my gosh. Yeah, three years is a lot. Usually it’s always that ONE box (or a few) that get stuck into the garage or something. Glad you’re all unpacked now though. 🙂 Sometimes though it’s an emotional thing too. Like, I have lived in my home for over four years now. The first three years, I rented, then a year-ish ago, I bought. I don’t have any curtains hung, no decorating (except my video studio), no wall hangings. Nothing. Just bare walls. I know I’ll be moving back to my home state in a year or so and just never felt like this was where I wanted to end up. I did unpack all the decorations, but just sold them.
Courtney says
This is perfect because I will be moving in just a couple of weeks! I never let anyone pack up the stuff…ever! I also like to write what room the boxes will be going in so people helping me move don’t have to ask every time — something I learned the hard way. 🙂
Sarah Titus says
Yes, those are GREAT ideas. I do the same thing. 🙂 All the best on your move, Courtney!
Amanda says
Great post. I love that you recommended packing 5 days in a suitcase for the dog, kids, etc. we’re moving next weekend for the first time since our son was born and I’m a nervous wreck. We’ll have 3 days before going back to work.
Sarah Titus says
Yes, that one trick always helps me SOOO much and makes the transition so much smoother! 🙂 All the best in your move. <3
Shaelee says
Yes! This will be so much help when we move! We’ve move at least once a year for the past 6 years (usually for financial reasons) and it gets very messy and tedious! Thank you!
Shakti Lima says
This article was really hepful.As recently we shifted our house and it took a weeks time to pack and unpack.
BUt this article gives some practical points .
Thanks
Sarah Titus says
A week is still great timing. You should be very proud of yourself 🙂 and I’m so glad you found the article helpful! <3