Unpacking

 

If you thought packing for your move was fun (Come on! You know you did! Right?), then you’ll really love unpacking!

Actually, we expect you’re dreading it. But unpacking doesn’t have to be the tedious, time-consuming, troublesome chore you imagine it to be – or that it all too often is. There are all sorts of ways to make unpacking a little easier, a little less annoying, and a lot more pleasant. Let’s explore them.

It should come as no surprise that simpler, speedier unpacking can best be assured by how well you organize your packing in the first place. Planning ahead – always a good idea – means in this instance that you should …

  • Pack only what’s essential. Sort through your belongings and separate them into three categories:
    1. Items you want or need to keep – these you’ll bring with you or have shipped
    2. Items you can sell or donate,
    3. Items you can throw out.
  • Pack a bag of temporary provisions for each family member. This should contain toiletries, medicine, snacks, bottles of water, a few changes of clothing – whatever you think you might need for travel to your new home and to navigate the first few days of settling into it.
  • Develop an unpacking timeline. Just as you (should have) scheduled your packing activity before the move, you should divvy up tasks for unpacking and create a timeline for its completion. Sticking to this timeline will help make the process go much more smoothly.
  • See that your boxes are placed in the right rooms. If you properly labeled your boxes when packing them, that won’t be much of a problem. Make sure you indicate clearly on each box its contents and the room of your new home in which it should be placed.

Once you’ve arrived at your new home …

  • Figure out where you want things placed before you unpack them. Create room plans that designate where furniture, décor, and other items meant for a particular room should go in that room. That’ll really speed things up – and keep you calm throughout the unpacking process.
  • Know what you’re unpacking. Labeling your boxes properly as you pack them will help with that. But, if you yourself didn’t also prepare an inventory list of your possessions, your mover will have done so, and you should bring a copy of it with you on Move Day.
  • Get the big stuff in place. As eager as you may be to rip into your boxes and start unpacking all the little goodies, you’re better off assembling and positioning your major furniture pieces – sofas, chairs, tables, bookcases, dining room sets, beds, TVs, pianos, chests of drawers, and the like – first.
  • Next, unpack the things you need right away. In every room, locate the boxes containing your most important, immediately useful items, unpack them, and put their contents where you want them. What constitutes “important”? That’s up to you. But one thing you shouldn’t overlook is the hanging of artwork and the placement of framed family photos as well as other, personal décor items. These add an immediate touch of warmth and familiarity to your new home, helping you and your family get acclimated to it quicker.
  • Unpack rooms systematically, one by one. A helter-skelter approach can only confuse what, for most people moving, is an already hectic, confusing situation. After you’ve unpacked and put away the most important items from each room, go back and finish unpacking one room at a time. You’ll find yourself calmer and much more focused. In fact, you may feel like concentrating on setting up a particular room completely, painting it, decorating it, placing everything in it “just so,” before you move on to another. Go ahead! You set the schedule, after all!
  • Start in the kitchen. Hook up all your major appliances – stove, fridge, dishwasher, etc. – before you unpack anything else. Then unpack your food and get it in the cupboards and pantry. You’ll also want to unpack and put away at least a smattering of pots, pans, and cooking utensils, whatever you might find useful the first few days in your new home.
  • Next, do the bedrooms. Assemble the bed frames first and get the mattresses, covers, sheets, blankets, and pillows on them. That way, you and your family members will have ready-made places to “crash” at the end of a frenetic Move Day.
  • Then take care of the bathrooms. Unpack and shelve toiletries, make sure all necessary medications are placed where you want them, hang shower curtains, and put towels out soon after you arrive at your new home so you and your family can clean up before hitting the beds.
  • Last of all, unpack garage, storage, and patio items. Face it, most garage items aren’t necessities. Nor are the things you plan on keeping in an attic or storage closet. And the patio? You’ll have plenty of time to fix that up the way you want it, once you’ve settled in and gotten the rest of your home organized. Now, it’s true that if you’re moving in the summer and have an outdoor grill, you may want to set it up fast. After all, what better way to prepare tasty meals those first few days in your new home without having to unpack everything you’d typically use in your kitchen?
  • Set small goals. Unless there’s some inescapable reason to hurry, unpacking doesn’t have to be a horse race. Yes, you’ll find it helpful to get big furniture pieces and some immediately useful small items unpacked first. After that, though, you can slow the pace down a bit. Take it easy. Unpack the rest of your belongings at your leisure. At the same time, you can better get to know your new home … and your new community.
  • Ask for help. There are some things, certainly, you might prefer to unpack by yourself. But, in general, it’s no fun to unpack alone. And it does take more time. So why set yourself up for misery? Get your whole family involved. Call on your friends. Consider having an Unpacking Party. The more the merrier, right?

Follow these tips, and there’s no reason why unpacking your belongings at your new home shouldn’t be a smoother, simpler, and far more gratifying experience than you might ever have thought possible.