Moving into a new home is one of the most exciting things you can do. When it’s time to unpack, however, the game quickly changes. Unpacking is a chore almost as tedious as packing, but slightly more exciting because unpacking allows you to make your new home your own. The best way to make your move as seamless as possible is to take great care in packing and unpacking. You can set up your new home and get settled in a day if you do it right.
Organization is key when you start to unpack in your new home, and that organization begins when you pack up your old home. There are thousands of tips you can take into consideration when you move, but these tips are all designed to keep you organized so you can unpack easily and without the stress you experienced when packing. Here’s what you should do, the order in which you should do it, and the tips you need to get unpacked and situated into your new home in one weekend.
START WITH THE ESSENTIALS
Start by packing correctly. Go through each room of your house and donate, sell, or throw away anything you no longer want, don’t need, haven’t used, or is broken. This means you don’t have to pack those things, which makes your job easier when it’s time to move. Now, get organized as you pack. The best way to do this is to pack a room at a time, and don’t mix and match boxes. For example, just because you have some room left over in a master bedroom box does not mean you should put stuff from the living room in that box. Leave it half-full. Label each box you pack with the name of the room it belongs in.
ORGANIZE BOXES DURING THE MOVE
Now that all your boxes are marked with the name of the room in which they belong, you can empty them faster. Ask whoever is helping you move to stack all boxes in the room matching the label on the box in your new home. This means all your boxes will be in the correct rooms when you begin the unpacking process. Don’t just set them down in the garage or the living area and let it go. Now you’re moving twice.
THE ESSENTIALS
There are certain things you need before you need others. Your sheets for your beds are important, but the extra sheets you keep in the linen closet as backups are not that important. While every family is different, these are some of the most important essentials you might decide to set up as soon as you move into your new home.
These include:
One easy way to ensure your essentials are unpacked first is to pack the essentials in one box per room. Your master bedroom essentials go in one master bedroom box, and you’ll label that box “Master Bedroom Essentials” so you don’t need to look for the things you need first when it’s time to get situated for your first night in your new home. The same goes for the bathrooms and the kitchen. Keep those boxes with their rooms, but label them with the name of the room and the word “Essentials” so you know that box is the first to empty when you begin that job.
An overnight bag is a great solution to your essentials problem. Pack yourself and everyone in your family an overnight bag like you would if you were going away for the weekend. This provides your family with everything they need to get through the first night or two in the new house without frantically searching for all you need to get by for the night.
SET UP ONE ROOM AT A TIME
Your move is made much easier when you tackle one room at a time. There are several reasons for this. The first reason is that you stay more organized when you unpack a room at a time. It helps you cross things off your checklist and move on without wondering if you’ll ever finish unpacking. Here’s where you should begin when you first move into your new home.
THE KITCHEN FIRST
Set up your kitchen first. This is not nearly as daunting as it sounds. It’s easy to find new locations for your dishes and food items, and you can have the entire room unpacked in a few hours. Doing this allows your family to have a little normalcy while the rest of the house is still in disarray. You can eat dinner, wake up and have breakfast, and feel somewhat normal in your new home when you organize your kitchen first.
BATHROOMS SECOND
The kitchen might be the most important room in your new home, but your bathrooms are a close second. These rooms are easy to set up, which is also going to help you feel more accomplished a lot faster. It shouldn’t take you more than an hour to set up your bathrooms. Your towels should already be folded in boxes, your toiletries organized, and your toilet paper labeled and ready to go. Things like shower curtains and rugs should go in a box together, too. You can set up all of them in a matter of minutes.
BEDROOMS NEXT
You need a place to sleep, but you’re more comfortable sleeping when you feel at home. The good news is bedroom furniture is easily moved and placed, and it can be put back together quickly. To unpack your closets, don’t pack your clothing in suitcases or boxes. Instead, cut a small hole in the bottom of large trash bags, and place the bag over a selection of clothing like a garment bag. All your clothes are covered and safe, but they remain on your hangers for easy storage. Simply remove the bags and hang up your clothes in your new closets. The best bedrooms to begin with are those that belong to any children you have. Their comfort and security are more important than anyone else's.
LIVING AREAS NEXT
The dining room is a great place to start. It’s a room that traditionally has very little furniture and extras, and the living areas are after that. Arrange your furniture as you see fit, arrange your décor on your mantel and tables, and call it a day.
THE FINAL DETAILS
Once all your furniture and items are unpacked and your new home feels more like home, hang your décor on the walls. Save this for last as it’s the least important thing you have to do. Get all your furniture set up, set up décor, and then worry about hanging things on the walls. Hanging art and photos takes time because you want everything hung correctly and evenly. Save this job for when you have the time to do it correctly.
ORGANIZE CORDS AND ELECTRONICS
Now that you know how to move in and how to stay organized, it’s time to discuss cords and electronics. These are important things to unpack right away. You want your electronics set up quickly, so designate someone to do this for you while you unpack your home.
It’s easiest to pack cords together, but be sure to label them so you know where they go and to what items they belong. One way to easily label cords is by wrapping them with a small piece of tape and labeling the tape around each cord. Cell phones, televisions, appliances, and other items that have removable chargers are more easily tracked when they are kept together.
Create a cord drawer. It’s better than a junk drawer, and it allows you to keep all your unused cords together. Keep them labeled in the drawer, though. It’s easier if you know immediately which cords go to which household items you have.
Finally, it’s best to set up electronics such as computers and laptops quickly. You don’t want them in boxes for long, and unpacking them takes very little time. It’s important you remember that these items cannot be stored in the garage or any other hot room in the house. Have the air conditioner turned on, and do not leave your electronics where they might overheat.
CONCLUSION
It is entirely possible to set up your new home on a weekend when you move. The trick is to pack correctly so that you can empty your moving boxes and set up your new home as quickly as possible. By getting rid of items you don’t want or need anymore, you have less to pack and set up in your new home.
Labeling boxes and keeping rooms together is helpful, too. These tips allow you to become situated a lot faster, and there’s one more tip that might also help.
Designate jobs while you move. If you hire movers or have people helping, assign them to load and unload moving trucks while you work on unpacking one room at a time. If you have additional help, allow people to start unpacking rooms for you by showing them where you want things. You can always move things around if you don’t like them, but you cannot always find help to get settled into your new home if you put it off.
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