Tips on Unpacking After a Big Move

There’s nothing quite like moving to a new home in a brand-new city or state. Emotions can run high as you leave behind family, friends, jobs, and other things you’ve been accustomed to. The entire process of moving can be stressful and filled with anxiety and uncertainty. Once you arrive at your destination, you can breathe a sigh of relief that you have made it safe and sound. But in some ways, more challenges lie ahead.

Unloading the moving truck and unpacking in your new house may not seem like as big a task as everything that led up to this event in the move. However, for some people, this is the most difficult part of all. Staring at rooms filled with boxes can be daunting, especially when you’re already feeling emotionally and physically spent.

Before you throw your arms up in frustration, know that there are effective ways to make the unpacking process easier. If you follow these tips, you can organize your home faster and start to settle into your new environment.

Get Organized Beforehand

The unpacking process starts before you ever load the truck and leave your previous place. It starts as you’re packing up your belongings. If you want to cut down the time it takes to unpack, practice some organizational skills. One of the best ways to do this is to label your boxes.

Instead of randomly throwing items in boxes and containers, group them together similarly. Fill one box only with clothes and another only with dishes and another only with books, and so on. Once you have filled a box, label it. Write down the contents of the box so you will know precisely what is inside when you unpack in your new place. This can save time and effort.

Even better, write down on the box the room in which the contents will go. For example, you can write, “Toys: boys’ bedroom” or “Sheets and blankets, master bedroom.” Doing this allows you or the professional movers you hire to take the boxes directly to that room.

Unpack the Most Important Things First

It can be overwhelming to unpack after a move. You’ll likely be exhausted and feel stressed out, so the last thing you probably want to do on day one is to sort through scores of boxes. Instead of pawing through box after box, wearing yourself out, start with the essentials first.

When you arrive at your home and the professional movers have brought everything inside, unpack those things you need most; worry about everything else the next day, if possible. This might mean you begin by unpacking food and items for the kitchen. It probably means unpacking your clothes and linens. But you can probably hold off on sorting through entertainment items and books.

Make a Schedule

When you arrive at your new home, or even before, it’s helpful to write down a schedule of when you’re going to unpack. Take a look at your calendar and responsibilities over the next few days. When you move into a new home in a new place, you’ll have other tasks such as setting up your utilities, going grocery shopping, and getting kids settled in school. You may have to start a new job right after your move.

As you plan around these activities, you can be organized and efficient. This will also eliminate frustrations. Making a schedule can also set realistic expectations for when you can finish unpacking.

Go at a Steady Pace

You may be able to unpack everything in a day; it depends on how many belongings you have. But if you have a large load, it may not be feasible to unpack and get your home all set up in a single day. Don’t think you have to accomplish this goal.

Instead, be consistent with your unpacking. Set aside a few hours a day during the first few days after you arrive. Working from room to room steadily will help things go faster.

Get Some Help

This can be a difficult one, but if you can pull it off, your unpacking job can go so much more quickly. If possible, invite a family member or close friend on your move and enlist their unpacking assistance. If you have older children, put them to work.

Check with the professional moving company you hire and see whether it offers unpacking services. And you likely won’t know your new neighbors upon arrival, but you may get lucky and find some willing hands while you’re unpacking.

Don’t let the task of unpacking be too much to handle. Though this can be a difficult assignment, you can successfully unpack within a few days and enjoy a tidy, organized new home. Put these ideas into practice and see how much more smoothly your move will go!