The Best Way to Unpack When Moving into Your New Home

There’s only one thing worse than having to pack up your house for a move and that’s getting to your new house and being faced with stacks of unopened boxes. But don’t worry about that—there’s actually a way to get yourself organized so that the process won’t be as bad as you imagine.

Here are steps you need to take so you don’t end up finding unopened boxes months after your move:

1. Organize Before Your Move — The first thing you need to do is get organized before you even move. When you pack up your house, be sure to label every box. It should include the room (kitchen, master bedroom, guest bathroom, etc.), the number of the box (Box 5 out of 6), and whether or not the items are essential. This last one is important. Prioritize what boxes you know need to be opened and unpacked immediately so you have a starting point when you arrive.
2. Clean Your New House — Before you get started unpacking, clean everything in your new house. Once you unpack everything, it will be harder to get down into the nooks and crannies and get things cleaned up. Also, do anything you would like to start off with like lining your cabinets and cupboards for easier clean up later.
3. Open the Priority Boxes — Before you tackle specific rooms, make sure that you open up those boxes you deemed as essentials. This should include anything that you know you will absolutely, positively have to have in the first day or two. Then, you can move on room-by-room.
4. Start in the Kitchen — You’ll hear a lot of different debates about which area you need to start with. We believe the best bet is the kitchen. Let’s face it—you can live out of boxes for a day or two, even going so far as to sleep on the floor in sleeping bags if you have to. But at some point, you’ve got to eat so having that kitchen unpacked is your best bet. Chances are, this is also your biggest challenge since you will have so many boxes filled with heavy items and appliances. Get these items in place and (most importantly) get that coffee maker going so you can have the energy to conquer the rest!
5. Move on to the Bedroom and Bathroom — Next, you need to move to your master bedroom and bathroom. Get the bed assembled and in place and then arrange your other furniture. (One big tip for getting clothes unpacked easily is to leave them in the drawers when you move. Just put plastic wrap around the drawers with the clothes inside and then you don’t have to use boxes or unpack them when you arrive.)
6. Other General Tips — There are a few things that will help you out with this process. If you have kids that are old enough, have them unpack their own bedrooms and bathrooms. This will give them a sense of ownership of the new place. Also, save the utility rooms like laundry and the garage for last. These will be important but not right away.

Once you’ve got the essentials unpacked and set up, take a break. You don’t have to have this all done in one day (or even one weekend). No, you don’t want to leave it for months, but enjoy yourself and your new home before you tackle your other boxes.

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