How to Unpack After Your Move

You’ll find loads of information on how to pack for your move from moving companies, home magazines and consumer websites. But this is only the first half of the process. Unpacking, which almost nobody talks about, is just as important. Because until your new home is fixed up, you won’t truly feel settled in. The following tips show you how to unpack efficiently and safely.

1. Keep your pets safe. Keep free-roaming pets like cats and dogs safe by confining them away from the moving area. A fenced-in backyard is the best area for them, but only after you’ve unpacked any outdoor furniture, playground equipment, or planters that belong there. If you don’t have a backyard, leave them in an empty room or a locked bathroom.
2. Start with the bathrooms. After a hard day of moving, you’ll probably want to take a bath and clean up. So make your bathrooms the first rooms that you unpack. Set out soap, shampoo, toiletries, toilet paper, towels and bathrobes. If anybody in your family requires prescription medications, put these in the medicine cabinets as well.
3. Hide the kids. You don’t want your kids getting in the way of the professional movers, their vehicles, and heavy furniture and boxes going into the house. So unpack their rooms next, and they can remain hidden in their private worlds all day long. To keep them busy, make sure their favorite toys or electronic devices are out. You can also ask older children to start decorating their rooms, or they may be able to move small boxes.
4. Figure out where furniture goes, and set up storage systems. Do this as early as you can, and it’ll give you the framework for getting smaller things out of boxes later. Remember that it doesn’t have to be perfect, and things can — and will — still move around as you keep on unpacking.
5. Do the master bedroom. There’s no question that even the smoothest moves can be stressful, so you’ll need a safe place to retire to at the end of the day — and an organized area from which you can continue unpacking the next day. Your master bedroom can fill both needs, so fix it up with your bed, linens, curtains, clothes, and dresser accessories. You’ll start to feel at home when the room in which you spend at least eight hours a day is unpacked!
6. Do the kitchen later. One of the first things you may want to do as a family is to eat in your new space, but you can do this without ever setting foot in the kitchen. The kitchen is often one of the more difficult and time-consuming rooms to unpack, due to the number and types of things it contains, so save it for later. Consider ordering pizza or bring home take-out food from a restaurant for the first meal or so. All you need to unpack for this gathering is a table and a few chairs, plates, silverware and glasses. Don’t forget the dishwashing detergent for cleaning up after.
7. Save the garage for last. It’s okay to use the garage to store unpacked boxes. The only consideration is if you live in a harsh climate and winter is coming, because then you’ll want the garage to store your vehicle — unless you’re willing to spend your mornings clearing snow off the car.

Student Movers is here to help you with all of your packing and unpacking moving needs. If you need a free moving quote give us a call today at 877.336.6838.