Are you moving soon? Moving involves a lot of planning and physical work, and most people have a hard deadline to meet, which means that they must somehow pack and organize everything they own in time for moving day.
However, not many people plan for after the big move. What do you do when you finally reach your new home? It’s easy to be overwhelmed when you’re surrounded by piles of boxes. Where do you get started?
Many people will begin unpacking but at some point, they get distracted and put off completing the job. In fact, according to recent statistics, it takes the average American nearly half a year to finally unpack the last box after they move to a new home. The silver lining is that having a plan can take some of the stress out of unpacking.
To begin, if you hire movers, make sure to check your moving inventory to ensure that everything has arrived safely to your new address.
Next, move the boxes to their appropriate rooms — if the movers didn’t do so already. Labeling boxes with their contents and which room they belong in are essential to this process.
The order you unpack your belongings may depend on when they arrive in your new home. If they arrive earlier in the day, you may want to start unpacking the kitchen.
However, if your boxes arrive in the evening, you may want to start unpacking a bathroom and your bedroom, so that you have what you need for bedtime.
Start with the essentials, such as soap, shampoo, towels, toothbrushes and toothpaste, toilet paper, and other necessary toiletries.
This helps so you can use the bathroom and shower before bed. Then you can tackle unpacking everything else in the morning.
Then, focus on the kitchen. Hook up large appliances first, and then focus on unpacking smaller appliances such as the microwave, coffee maker, blender and toaster. Unpack any dishes, cutlery, glassware and cooking tools next.
Once the kitchen and bathroom are unpacked, you can tackle your bedroom. Labeling a box with your bed sheets and blankets will make it easier to find and unpack these first.
If your bed needs to be assembled, you may want to wait and assemble it the following day. You can always sleep on a mattress on the floor and leave furniture construction for a later time.
After you handle these highly used rooms, move on to the living room. Arrange furniture first, then set up your television, stereo, gaming system and other entertainment devices.
If you have one, tackle your home office next, and leave the garage and basement areas for last.
Find out more about organized unpacking by checking out the accompanying resource by Moving of America.
This infographic was created by Moving of America, moving services in NJ
