The last box has been lugged into your new apartment and it's time to start digging in and putting things in order. Now, where to start? Here are a few tips to make unpacking a little easier:
• Clean before you start — Before you start digging into those boxes, give your new home a good cleaning. Oh, sure, the landlord may have cleaned it after the old tenant moved out (if you're lucky) but it still wouldn't hurt to give everything a little wipe down with some hot soapy water.
• Set up your sleeping quarters — The first thing I always do when moving into a new home is set up the bed and dress it up with fresh linens. At the end of a long day of unpacking, having a bed to collapse into is a godsend.
• Start with the necessities — After my bed is together, I usually start unpacking in the kitchen. I mean, you gotta eat, right? Besides, in my experience all the kitchenware take up the lion's share of the boxes. Getting it all unpacked (and the boxes cleared away) will go a long way in helping you feel like you're making headway.
• Move in to the bathroom — You'll feel instantly at-home if you get yourself settled into the bathroom. Hang a shower curtain, fill the medicine cabinet, and hang your towels. See, it's starting to feel like your place already!
• Get your clothes out — Getting your clothing out of boxes and suitcases and into the closet or dresser will help you feel settled in, too. If will also help you discover what you may need to add to the closet to fit your wardrobe.
• Open every box — I am of the opinion that while unpacking it is best to go through every box. Now, there are those who say that you can push the boxes full of stuff you don't want to unpack into a closet and forget about them for awhile. I suggest it's easier to go through every box, consolidating those that will go into storage as you pull out things you need.
• Reorganize as you go — As you empty boxes, you may run across things that will go into a storage unit or attic. Create a few dedicated boxes and organize as you go.
• Wait to set up the television — You'll be much more likely to unpack and organize your home if you wait to hook up the television. I know, it seems like you can watch a marathon of Design Star while unpacking but, really, does that ever work?
MORE UNPACKING TIPS ON APARTMENT THERAPY
• The Unpacking Order: What Rooms to Unpack First
• Moving Limbo: Tips & Tricks to Unpacking a Home
• Survey: What Do You Procrastinate Unpacking?
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I always have a 'starter' box that comes with me in the car, bus or whatever when moving. It has bedding, toiletries (don't forget the TP!), tea things, basic edibles, change of clothes and whatever else is needed right away so you don't need to start digging around until you're ready. Pet supplies would definitely be in that box!
I did "OPEN ME FIRST" boxes for each room in the house...
Kitchen: mug, coffee, french press, a pot, oatmeal, dried fruit. (breakfast without finding the boxopener!)
Bath: Shower Curtain, toothbrush, bathmat, couple of towels, toothbrush, shampoo, soap.
Luggage: I always pack a weekender bag with 2 days prior and 2 days after the move changes of clothes.
I also labeled each box with the room/#, Ie. Living Room Box #1 was "LR1". And in a small notebook wrote down in detail what was inside... That way everything was accounted for onto and off of the truck, and I was able to find things with a flip through my trusty notebook!
The pressure if off using this technique, and the unpacking process was super organized.
But i'm also told i'm an organizational crazy person, so this might not help those pack the day of movers!!!
I am in moving hell right now. I feel like I will never get everything packed, and everything is in chaos. And we don't move for three weeks. I'm just so burnt out and exhausted. And I am not one of those hyper organized people. Nothing is labeled. But as long as the bed is set up, I'll be fine. I actually like unpacking and getting settled in a new place. It's the packing that slays me.
I've moved almost every year of my life...sometimes twice. I remember being a kid in charge of packing my room and I packed my trash can...full of trash. Anyway...I agree with what has been said. The first two things I set up are the bathroom and the bed. After a hot sweaty day of moving, I want to shower and go to bed. I pack a bag with necessities for a couple days with clothes and toiletries.
Also I tend to over organize on packing so that unpacking is not so horrible i.e. color coding and diagraming. I color code the boxes to the rooms I want those boxes to go in. Then I put the color on a print out of the apartment floor plan. I work on unpacking from public areas (living room) to private areas.
Oh one more point, as far as cleaning....if at all possible I try and get the keys to my new apartment a couple days before the movers will arrive. It is much easier to clean an empty apartment rather than tripping over boxes.
State Farm has an awesome iPad app that lets you list the contents of each box and then print out labels that have the room name, box name and QR code that you can scan with your smart phone to see what's in each box! I'm using it right now and it's pretty great!
We are moving this month and I have to tell you I am a bit stressed out. I am away the entire week before for work... this is definitely going to push the limits for me!
This is a great, realistic post. Before my latest move last month, I combed through tons of articles (many on AT) about labeling boxes and such, and it was such a waste. I spent so much time and effort organizing on the packing side, and then the professional movers ignored my directions! Now I'm in full procrastination mode on the other end. I think narrowing your focus down to how you will live once you get to the new place is much more important - these tips are great.
And I absolutely second opening every box and holding off on TV.
Open me first boxes are a great idea. A starter box is a great idea, too, sort of like a carry-on bag on a trip. Thanks.
Great tips! Especially about setting up in the bathroom first. I'd have some cleaning supplies in the starter box so I could disinfect the bathroom(s) first thing.
Yeah, open all your boxes soon. We left a ton of boxes unopened in the garage for about a month. It's amazing how the fatigue and stress of moving will make you forget all about the stuff that's still packed away.
For hanging clothes, I often just tie a bunch of hangers together and then make a 'garment bag' out of trash bags. When I get to the new place I hang up the pack, rip off the plastic, and done! Clothes unpacked :)
We just moved and everything is a wreck. It's a row house and fairly narrow and we've just realized that the sofa and love seat are not going to get along in the same room. Add to that a dresser that broke en route up the stairs, no closets except in the bedrooms, and a very necessary kitchen island (for storage) that we don't have yet, and I feel like there is not a single place to put *anything*. So for now I'm just going to built a fort out of boxes and hide in there, k?
I have a storage unit with stuff I haven't seen in over 4 years, plus all the bags I had sent to my mothers in the course of my relocation from overseas. I move in to my new place this weekend and CAN NOT WAIT! I'm completely in nesting mode, only it's frustrating to have the time now to go to stores, but at the same time, have no clue as to what will prove missing when the unpacking is done! Timely article. Thanks!
Empty the boxes that contain things than can be put AWAY first, so you can get those boxes out of the middle of the room. Hang up your clothes and ditch the wardrobes. But the books in the bookshelves. Put the dishes in the cupboards. All this so you can get the boxes out of your house and have more room to move.
how funny! we just moved into our new apartment and so far did all of the above in that order. still have oodles of boxes and have found that most of them are full of books and...um...kitsch.
Just moved . . . all in one week. While working my 9-5... and coordinating times with a new roommate . . . I did everything on this list, but there are times when even the best advice isn't going to make things much better.
I like to unpack my books before almost anything else. They take up a lot of boxes (yeah, I have a lot of books), they go up fast, and they make me feel more at home. They're easy and the boost of seeing the empty boxes and the filled shelves makes the rest of the more monotonous unpacking a little bit easier.
First - YAY, Bichon! He's precious! :D
Second - my family has set me in my moving rut over the years. TV first (I think originally to keep us kids occupied while Mom figured things out, but I like the noise as I get settled), then kitchen (all of it - down to the junk drawers), then bedrooms (the important stuff, usually that was carried in the suitcases). But it usually just took us a day, maybe two, to get settled - we were old hands, and if we liked the place, we could feel where things belonged. Oh, and whenever possible (in-town moves), we cleaned before the boxes moved, or (out-of-town) arranged for it to be cleaned. Nothing worse than moving into a dirty house. *Nothing.*
Oh, also @Declan's Mom: I've had an app for that for a long time - it's called a Sharpie and the side of the box ;)
(No real snark intended - I can just scribble a lot faster than I can type. Definitely speaks to the organizer in me, though!)
Wow, I just figured out that I have moved 12 times in the last 10 years. I have become a pro at it. I totally agree with the starter box. I pack one with miscellaneous necessities such as soap, towels, shampoo, toilet paper, etc. Another thing I have found helpful is to keep all the cords, tv cables, computer cords, phone chargers, etc. in my overnight bag with my changes of clothes so that they don't get lost and I know right where they are.
I also have to agree about opening all the boxes right away. I just moved three months ago and toward the end of the move we were getting tired so we just stuck some stuff in the garage to get to it later. It's still there. lol
Another thing I would highly recommend if you can afford it is to hire movers, even if it's just to load and unload the truck. On my last move I packed everything myself and hired Two Men and a Truck. It cost me $345 and the move was done in less than three hours.