apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I just moved and the key to our sanity was that we pushed through our normal procrastination and got as much unpacked the first weekend as possible. As soon as everything was moved, our first priority was the bedroom and getting it as set as possible. We made the bed up nice and we were able to relax.

As exhausted as we were, we were so happy we did this.

We were also ruthless about what we were willing to part with so we didn't have to move it at all. That, of course, made for less to move!

Since I am small and weak (and therefore not much help during the actual moving bits), I organized the boxes as they came in, unpacking them when possible. The kitchen stuff was especially easy, and by the time all the boxes were up, we had the kitchen set up to make dinner for the crew.

Also, the moving helpers were able to carry down the empty boxes as they returned to the truck, which really, really helped make the unpacking seem more controlled.

Sounds like a simple idea, but labeling boxes will save you much time and sanity while unpacking (and during the moving process). Knowing what's in a box can help you gauge its weight (prior to lifting) and also where to place the box in your new place. Plus, you will be able to have easy access to supplies that are a must on day one (like toiletries).

Last, I have to disagree about length of move-in. I've done it both ways (once over a month and once in just one day) and I have to say I MUCH preferred the luxury of being able to move things slowly and steadily when I wanted, rather than forcing the entire move in one sweaty, stressful day!

Curses! This post is less than 2weeks too late. Oh well- good for next time. Thanks!

When my mom was a kid, whenever they'd have to move (which was often since she was an Army brat), they wouldn't go to bed until everything was in its place, including the art on the walls. It was their family's way of making a space their own as quickly as possible, which was important for young children constantly moving from place to place. It was a comfort for everyone.

I'm a firm believer in powering through a move, and getting everything done as quickly as possible. I generally organize my move the same way every time...

Step 1: get a functional bathroom going before anything else comes into the house, including a set of towels so I'll be able to take a shower on my first night in the new place without searching through boxes.

Step 2: get the beer into the fridge so it stays cold
Step 3: when bringing the living room furniture into the house, I try to set it up in a way that I don't have to climb over boxes to sit down, even if this means I'll need to adjust the placement later
Step 4: once everything is in the house, sit down, drink beer and water, have something to eat. Sometimes I'll go get something to eat - go sit somewhere else for an hour.
Step 5: make the bed
Step 6: set up a stereo system so you can play music
Step 7: unpack the kitchen. don't stop til it's done.

At this point, I have a functional bathroom, bedroom, and kitchen, can sit in the living room without climbing over boxes, and can listen to music while unpacking the rest of my things. If it's not too late, I'll keep going with unpacking. If I'm too tired, I'll take a long, hot shower and go to bed, then get up early the next day to continue unpacking. Generally by the end of the second day, everything is pretty much where it belongs, and I can assess if I need more or less storage, etc. Works every time!

Oh...one more thing.

If you ask friends to help you move, PLEASE have everything packed, labeled, and ready to go before they arrive. And feed them right when they get there, have water and snacks available all day long, and plan to feed them again at the end of the day.

When I went into labor the night before moving and couldn't be there for the move (not the way I'd planned things!), the thing that saved the day was ...

... every box was labeled with:
1. Came from _________ .
2. Contains ____________ .
3. GOES TO _________ .

and every piece of furniture was labeled with:
Goes to ________ .

This made excellent use of our movers who got every item to the appropriate room and left us with only unpacking -- and no more moving -- to do when we got home.

I agree with stylehound, especially about the having things packed and ready to go for when friends arrive to help. On more than one occasion I helped the same friend move and both times (!!) I was throwing things like toiletries and curling irons and random vases, etc into laundry baskets to get it all out of there. Nothing is more annoying than that. I mean moving is bad enough as it is. Moving someone else: worse. Moving someone that isn't packed: grounds for "divorce". In the meantime, for this friend, I'd do it again:-)

Labelling the boxes? A must!

Also, I always pack a necessities box (or 2) of towels, sheets, cleaning products (including a vaccuum, swiffer and spray cleaner/paper towels), 2 place settings (or whatever is enough dishes to eat a meal and have coffee in the morning, plus a bodum and ground coffee), and I leave it at the very back of the truck so I can do a quick clean before I start unloading. This is especially useful for moving out of one's current town, when the possibility of arriving a few days early to clean isn't really possible.

1. Came from _________ .
2. Contains ____________ .
3. GOES TO _________ .

is great advice! but at least 2 & 3 for sure.

i read somewhere that when decorating or remodeling a home, one should start in the room where you spend most of your time. That being said, bed & bath & closet get handled first because in the middle of unpacking, I still have to get up and get to work the next morning. Not having everything in place for the morning get-ready get-set lift-off means that it's more like get-ready go-bananas.

If possible- i like to to go to the new place, do a thorough cleaning and paint before we move anything.

I just finished a move last weekend and learned a couple of things:

1) Definitely Label EVERYTHING. After the movers left, we found ourselves going through 10 different boxes just to look for a certain item. The apartment then became a mess as we threw boxes aside to get to the ones below.

2) Unpack as soon as you can and don't stop! The first two days we didn't unpack much, only necessities. But I forced myself to unpack every single box the first week because I wanted it to feel like a home and I didn't want to live out of boxes. If I didn't do it the first week, I'd probably be living out of the boxes for the whole month of September.

I agree about tips for labelling and unpacking that have been given so far.

But one thing you should do before and while you pack is sort through your stuff and get rid of anything you no longer want or need BEFORE you move, so you dont move things for nothing.

I havent moved often but one thing I liked about moving is that it gave me the incentive and the motivation to go through all my stuff (you have to go through it anyway when you're packing it) and i felt relieved to move to a new place with less.

If you know you are going to be moving in the next few weeks or months (maybe even before you find a new place) and you have a lot of clutter I would advise to go through it even before you start packing. That way you'll have enough time and can bring things to goodwill ect. well before the actuall stress of moving begins.

Thanks Rachael and others. I needed this....

I'm in the category as wait wait there's (prays she got that right) - I can't carry heavy stuff well so I'm usually assigned inside as the person to say where things go and then unpacking kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom things. Sometimes just having someone do that helps get things were they were meant to be so there is no moving things over and over.

I learned the value of the "open first" box from an awesome mover who packed me just such a box. It had a stool, a utility knife, a power cord, a roll of TP, and a lamp. LIFESAVER!

Also- something I did not know at 25... have a tip ready in cash for your pro movers, and offer to buy lunch if they are great. Pros are expensive, but if you hire them, tip them if they rock.

We just moved. And because we were spending all of the final moments trying to prepare the new house so that it was fit to live in (and we still didn't get it totally done--the kitchen was filthy from scraping and retexturing the ceilings and painting the whole house), we did ALL of our packing at the last minute. Two weeks later, my clothes are in a huge heap in the guest room, with dirty and clean casually intermingling like singles at a mixer. And the bathroom situation is dire. Everything is out on the counter or sitting on the floor in a box. What this has taught me is:

1. Just make sure the house you're moving to is going to be ready for stuff to be put away IMMEDIATELY--you will be in no humor to be scrubbing out cabinets and cutting shelf liner after moving and cleaning out your old place.

2. Label--or at least pack in a logical way and move stuff to the room it goes in right away.

3. Have a realistic idea of your new storage situation in the most-used rooms (kitchen, bathroom & closet--this is to blame for our dire bathroom situation)--if you're downsizing, prepare to put up shelves/cabinets right away--or have it done before you move if you can.

4. Put your clothes away and get your clothes-wearing system (closet/dresser/hamper) in order ASAP.

The end.

I label EVERYTHING with black marker and color-coded stickers for each room. First thing we do at the new house is put matching stickers on each door frame so moving friends will know where stuff belongs.

We (or I, at least) always spend the entire first day cleaning the house from top to bottom, sterilizing everything possible.

About a week before the actual move we pack up all the kitchenware (including dishes and glasses) and buy a large package of paper plates and cups. On moving day, they go with us in the first move along with the beer and boombox.

I do pack a "first night" box with bathing supplies, towels and clean clothes.

As a side note, we have a tradition of ordering chinese takeout and sleeping on the floor in the living room on our first night in a new place. It feels like camping! Then we wake up the next morning and play SEGA Genesis for a while before starting to unpack. hahaha

I've always done the label everything with a number, and on a notepad I write down the number and contents as I pack the boxes.

Also label which room it goes to, so it can be put there as we unload.