Moving to a new home is stressful for most of us. There is so much to do in a very short timeframe. You have to have your household packed by your moving company after you have spent weeks changing your mailing address, transferring or canceling utilities, and making other transitional arrangements. But unpacking does not have to add stress to your life. Instead, we show you how to unpack after your move with no stress and maybe even a little bit of fun.
Get Organized
Do not just jump into unpacking. That is precisely how to unpack after your move with loads of stress! Instead, develop some knowledge of what you are unpacking before you begin. Use a copy of your inventory list to organize boxes in the right rooms and areas of each room where you expect to place the items. If you do not have an inventory list, review the box labels, or open each one to determine what is inside and which room those items belong in.
Start with the Basic Necessities
Start with the everyday essentials to unpack after your move. These are the things you need to operate your home on a daily basis. If you did not arrange for organized packing of essentials before your move, finding these may take a little time. But you should locate what you need to get by comfortably for several nights. Locate your toiletries, linens, medications, important paperwork, cleaning supplies, and basic food prep items. When considering how to unpack these, simply remember to take them to the appropriate room where you typically keep such items.
How to Unpack Your Kitchen
Considering how to unpack your kitchen is important because doing so will help you avoid the high costs of having to eat out or buy fast food for every meal. Start with locating these boxes and unpacking them near where you will store the items in your kitchen. Many people prefer to first line the kitchen shelves and cabinets with liner paper. If you are running out of daylight and need to organize other rooms for sleeping and dressing the next day, unpack only what you need before moving on. Focus on finding pots and pans, small appliances like the coffee pot, utensils, plates, cups, and bowls.
How to Unpack Your Bedrooms
After you find what you need for the next several days in the kitchen, proceed to the bedrooms. Put your beds together if the moving company did not do this for you. Unpack your bed linens and either prepare your bed for sleeping or place the linens where you can easily find them later. If possible, move furniture into place for easy unpacking and storage of clothing items. If you have a walk-in closet, move boxes or bags of hanging clothes into those spaces for easy coordination.
How to Unpack Your Bathrooms
Luckily, the bathroom is usually ready for use right away if you have turned the water on through your community utilities. You just need to find and unpack your towels, a shower curtain, and toiletries to take advantage of having a functional bathroom.
Arranging Furniture after Your Move
Hopefully, arranging your furniture is made easier by the images you have in your head. Or maybe you have made some of your own floorplan sketches. Either way, try to arrange furniture for permanence so you do not have to move these pieces again. Place pieces you must assemble where they will remain, too. You can put these together after you are certain of the room’s setup and once you have your essentials unpacked for each room.
How to Unpack Utility Areas
Leave your utility areas for unpacking last. These spaces include your garage, utility rooms, and basement. You need good organization in these spaces and the items they contain, so do this when you have time to focus on functionality. You possibly need to install shelving units, storage containers, or other systems first.
How to Unpack Outdoor Areas
After your move, you likely look forward to relaxation. But that cannot happen until you have most of your home unpacked and organized for comfortable daily living. It is a good idea to place your patio table and chairs if you have such a set. You can use these for peaceful dining during the unpacking phase if your kitchen is still chaotic. You can also use your barbecue grill for cooking if you do not yet have your kitchen set up.
Other Tips for How to Unpack After Your Move
Some additional tips for how to unpack after your move include:
- Work with a reputable moving company that provides an array of services to make your move easier
- Unpack your essentials for comfort first and focus on everything else over the next few days
- Plan your rooms and organize which boxes go in each, to avoid making too many trips across your house
- Line shelves and install shelving now, before you have more objects to move around
- When you tire of unpacking and want to make more visible progress that uplifts you, consider hanging some pictures to make the place your own
- Let older children and teens unpack their own rooms
- Take some time after your move and once you have most boxes unpacked to enjoy your new home, such as through a barbecue or house-warming party
If you need more help with moving and how to unpack efficiently after your move, call the local moving company more Triangle Area families trust. Branch Out Moving & Delivery provides a wide range of services to make things easier on you during your transition from one home to the next. We also move our customers throughout the state of North Carolina and as part of out-of-state relocation.