Unpacking is SO MUCH FUN!… If you do it right. Smart planning and packing will make your unpacking job SO much easier. So let’s assume you’ve:
- Decluttered.
- Audited your new house.
- Named or numbered each room in your new house.
- Planned furniture placement.
- Assigned a smart spot for boxes in each room.
- Prioritised your boxes.
- And made arrangements to make your life easier during the move.
For a bit more detail on these steps click the link below to Part 1. Planning. To learn some smart tips and tricks for a better unpacking experience, without The Dread & Horror, keep reading below.
Unpack your moving day kit.
The things in your your moving day kit will make your first few hours and nights so much more pleasant, it should be your priority.
Do a quick clean.
If you’re lucky the place will be just fine and the last people cleaned the place beautifully. If not and you can arrange access, getting a cleaner in to give the place a spring clean will save you hours of work and make moving in that much easier. Or if you had access, the time and energy, you can always clean it yourself before moving day.
Put the big things in first.
If you’re working with an experienced moving company, this should happen automatically. They know how to load their truck safely, and how to unload efficiently. If you’re doing it yourself you’d be wise to follow the basic concept of biggest, heaviest things near the cab and on the bottom.
When you unpack the truck, all the small boxes and light things will come out first. Don’t be tempted to put them inside just yet. It will be a complete pain in the neck to climb over and around piles of boxes. Unload everything and group your labeled boxes together out of the way.
Move the big pieces of furniture into the rooms first. Put them in the place you’ve already decided on, so you don’t have to move them again. Then bring in the boxes and put them in the smart place you’ve chosen so they are out of the way.
Use your box labels.
Don’t start unpacking until every box for a particular room has been put in that room. It’ll save moving everything again when you find the other missing boxes and start trying to fit everything in.
Unpack The Essentials.
If you prioritised your boxes, you’ll be able to identify the things that you really need right now or in the next few days. I recommend just unpacking the essentials in each room so you house is liveable (even if it’s still a bit like camping.) Your kids can then unpack their own things into a room that’s already set up with the sensible basics.
Decide which rooms are the most important and start unpacking The Essentials. You might decide that getting the beds ready for a completely exhausted family is most important. The kitchen is often the most crucial and also the messiest and most complicated, but once you can make tea, coffee, toast and find a plate and a mug you can work on the rest later.
Unpack Important Stuff.
Next would be the boxes of Important stuff. Resist decorating! It’ll slow you down, so look forward to this fun bit, it’ll happen soon enough and you can take your time to get it just right. Do your best to find Smart Places for everything, but don’t fret about it. There’ll be time to make tweaks later on.
Then finally the Not Important. Often these boxes NEVER get unpacked. That’s a sign. A sign that that the contents of those boxes could be decluttered! You can also pop potential donations into a box as you go. Often we see things differently when we’re in our new home.
Get your empty boxes out of your living space asap. Talk about clutter! You don’t need them getting in your way, so flatten them as you go and keep them moving, out of the main pathways and spaces where you’re currently working, and away from places where you will soon be working.
The Big Unpack.
You could focus on completely unpacking one whole room at a time. A complete room unpack is a big job and will likely either take quite some time or a few helpers. Either way, it’s work. If you unpack over time or unpack in one massive binge, it’s smart to schedule the time to do it. If you can, do it when your kids aren’t there, unless they can be helpful.
Give yourself time, if you possibly can. Rushing it will just mean doing it all over again, or more commonly, just living with an annoying muddle or inefficient set up that annoys the heck out of you! Be kind to yourself, perfection takes time.
If you can’t find a place for something, pop it back in the box. You can consolidate into one box, and keep moving to the next box and the next room. When you’re done you have another look at the contents of the left over boxes, they might be another decluttering opportunity!
Go shopping!
Or not. It’s best to resist buying extra storage when you first move in, unless it’s something super simple like an under-sink caddy. You might find you have exactly what you need when you think about it and swap a few things around.
But when you’ve unpacked pretty much everything, now’s the time to start looking for the perfect thing. And now decorating is a must! Now you know the wall space and surfaces you have, you can bring out your beautiful things and arrange them, hang them and know they’ll be safe.
X
Liz.
PS. If you’ve ever moved with a box that you haven’t unpacked since your last move, it’s another good opportunity to have a look at the contents. Could it be donated, or is it so loved that you MUST keep it? Then put it on display, or preserve it for posterity, make sure it’s stored appropriately, so it will stay in good condition.
If ONLY there was a simple guide to decluttering! You know, just the essentials, but with tips only the professionals know.
Wouldn’t it be great if there was an all-in-one, short, easy to read decluttering book with no Woo-Woo stuff in it!?
Tah dah! Here it is!
Click this link Do It Yourself or the photo on the left to read more about it.
