After a household move, when all of your belongings are unloaded, it’s time to unpack. However, with each room adorned with stacks of boxes, the task can seem overwhelming. Each room serves a different purpose, so it is important to determine the areas that are the most vital to you and your family returning to normal, day-to-day life. The first obstacle to overcome is finding the time. Often this means taking off work or, at the very least, splitting tasks on nights and weekends. Once you have free time, you have to systematically set up your new home.
With some exceptions, it’s easiest to fully unpack one room before starting on another. This allows you to completely empty out boxes, room by room. If you don’t, your home will be full of half-packed boxes, and you’ll have to cycle through the whole unpacking process again. Or, if you’re anything like me, you will just end up taking a nice, 3-month unpacking break, until family comes to visit, and you’re forced to deal with the situation by hiding boxes in all the closets you don’t have. Just finish each room. Trust me.
Some more suggestions:
- Essentials: You packed that open-first box for a reason. That’s definitely what you should unpack first.
- Kitchen: After assembling and making the beds, start unpacking the kitchen supplies. The quicker you unpack the kitchen, the less you’ll have to stress over trying to figure out when you have time to get to the gym after ordering pizza for the 5th night in a row. You have enough boxes to deal with; pizza boxes don’t need to be added to the pile.
- Bathrooms: Bathrooms are relatively easy to unpack, but necessary for daily living.
- Bedroom Closets and Wardrobes: After that warm shower, you’ll want something clean to put on. After unpacking your bathroom and clothes, you will, at least, appear like you have recovered from moving day.
- Office: Time to get back to work.
- Family Room: This probably doesn’t even need to be listed if you are, or live with, a man. If you are/do, the television was probably set up before the open-first box was even touched. If not, unpack the family room.
- Dining Room: Dining rooms aren’t used as often as other areas of the house. Unless you’re already throwing a house warming/dinner party, the dining room can be unpacked after more trafficked rooms.
- Garage/Basement/Storage: By unpacking these last, you’ll know what boxes and items you definitely do not need in the immediate future, and you can confidently store them away.
While moving can be stressful, there are things you can do to make it as hassle-free as possible. If you have any comments or different unpacking tips, please leave us a comment!
