Packing up for a move is no joke, but unpacking can be just as much of a headache. If you’ve just moved into your new place and you’re staring at a mountain of boxes that need to be unpacked, hold off on panicking just yet.
Here are some tips that will help you successfully unpack after your move!
Clean first, unpack second
In order to settle into your new home comfortably, you’ll need to unpack all of your belongings that will make the space a home in the first place! However, it’s essential that you take advantage of your new place while it’s nice and empty because that’s the perfect opportunity for a deep clean.
Mop and dust flooring, baseboards, light fixtures, scrub bathrooms, and vacuum all the nooks and crannies in your bedrooms and closets. Before you know it, those easily accessible places will become hard-to-reach once filled to the brim with your personal items. So, it’s agreed: starting with a good clean is a must!
Get organized
The best way to get started is by organizing your moving boxes. Hopefully, you’ll have had all of your boxes labeled and placed into the correct rooms upon arrival of your new place, but if that’s not the case then you’ve got some reorganizing to do.
Pro tip: Don’t even attempt to unpack before placing your moving boxes in their respective rooms.
Once you have everything in the right location, start with the most important items first: the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. Areas that are primarily meant for storage, such as your basement that holds your summer camping equipment, can wait for another day!
Tackle the essentials first
You may have high hopes, but chances are you won’t get everything unpacked in one day, so make sure to start with the most important rooms first. Unpack your “go bag” containing a shower towel, set of sheets, clothes to change into and toiletries first. That way, you’re ready to crash when you feel like it! Then, head to the kitchen to unpack items like your coffee maker, and anything you’ll need for dinner on moving day or breakfast the next morning.
Then it’s on to the bathroom to get everything sorted and to your liking in there. As you travel through your new house, you will be able to cross off full rooms from your to-do list which helps keep you mentally motivated and there will be little room for confusion as to where everything is supposed to go.
Make furniture assembly a priority
It’s important to assemble or reassemble your furniture before you get too serious about unpacking, especially if some of your things will eventually need to be stored in that furniture!
Avoid unpacking one box at a time
When you’re working on unpacking a room, like your office, open up all of the boxes so that you can see where everything is. Avoid the mindset that you need to completely unpack one box at a time, because ultimately, there might be something in the next box that you’d put in the same place as what you’re unpacking right now. So, try to have all of your boxes in front of you and sort your items into categories that will make it easier to put everything away.
Pro tip: Don’t worry about breaking boxes down until you start to make some actual unpacking progress.
Purge if necessary—and trust us, it will be necessary
If you’ve followed our packing tips, then you probably went through all of your belongings before you packed up and rid yourself of the stuff you don’t need. However, that doesn’t mean that you won’t have a random box of junk like paper clips and old binders that got moved to your new place. If you can’t find a place to unpack an item, and you don’t think you’ll need it, get rid of it! There’s no rule saying you can’t declutter after you move into your new place.
Unpacking can be stressful, so why not keep it relaxing and maybe even a bit fun?
>Unpacking can be a mindless task that takes up many hours, days and even weeks. To make it a little less strenuous on you, mentally, be sure to take a few breaks and ask a few friends to hang out while you unpack. If you manage to unpack the kitchen, just cook a quick dinner and catch up with your friends while you sort through paperwork and set up your new filing cabinet.
Having a couple of friends or family members around can make the unpacking process much less awful—even if they are not necessarily there to help the unpacking process. Sometimes good company is all you need!
Also, as a good rule of thumb, wait a few days to hook up the TV — that way you won’t be tempted by your very full DVR.
The only way you can ensure a successful unpacking, is if you pack responsibly and intelligently with the end in mind. Highland Moving & Storage Vancouver has you covered. We are ready to pack your belongings safely and efficiently so that unpacking will be a breeze. For all of your moving, packing, and shipping needs in the Great Vancouver area, give us a call at 604-581-2300!
