From Boxes to Home Sweet Home: A Guide to Unpacking After Moving

By: ROS Team

Moving may be incredibly difficult and stressful. However, you don’t want the stress of unpacking to last too long; instead, you should be organized as soon as you can (and before your packing boxes begin to accumulate).

Try doing some simple organization tasks like these ones as soon as you move into your new place:

Clean Before Anything Else

Cleaning should be your first priority when you arrive at your new home. The reason for this is simple: cleaning gives you a sense of accomplishment and makes the rest of unpacking much easier.

You’ll be able to discard everything that is no longer necessary or significant while also seeing what needs to be unpacked.

Clean Before Anything Else — Photo Credit: Canva

It’s also essential not to become swamped by all of this stuff! Remember that after a big move, everything is going to feel overwhelming for a while. That’s just how it goes when life changes so drastically in such short order.

Once things have settled down (and assuming there isn’t another big move planned anytime soon), then it’ll be easier for us humans again!

Plan Out When You’re Going To Unpack

Although you might be tempted to start unpacking right away, doing so would only cause confusion and stress.

Instead, you should plan the unpacking to the time when you are mentally and physically relaxed and can devote proper time (let’s say a few hours or days) to full concentration.

If possible, try not to rush through it – take your time so that nothing gets damaged or lost in transit!

Keep A Checklist Of Everything You’ve Packed

When it comes time to unpack, having a list of everything you brought might be really useful. If you don’t keep track of what’s in which box while packing, it’s easy to forget. Therefore, keep a spreadsheet or notebook handy while moving.

Make columns for each room and then add the box number at the top of each column (this will make it easier when unpacking).

Then list out items by room and write down:

Room name/number
Item name/description (ex: “Dishes,” “Clothes,” etc.)
Quantity

Unpack Room By Room

Trying to unpack everything at once when moving is one of the biggest blunders people make. The best thing you can do is to divide the unpacking process into small chunks because doing it all at once can be time-consuming and unpleasant.

Start with the room where you spend most of your time–your bedroom or living room.

Unpack Room By Room — Photo Credit: Canva

For example – and unpack only those boxes that contain items for this space first.

Then move on to another room until all of them are unpacked and organized. If there isn’t enough room in one place to hold all of your stuff at once. Separate them into smaller piles so they won’t take over your home when they’re heaped up against walls or furniture rather than neatly packed away in dressers or cabinets like they were supposed to be!

Get Rid Of What You Don’t Need

Your new home, if it’s anything like the majority of people’s, will be smaller than the one you had before. This signifies that it’s time to get go of certain items unless you want to spend the rest of your life in a tent and only consume ramen noodles.

Don’t feel bad about this – it’s not like anyone will miss those old video games or textbooks from college (and if they do, then maybe they should come over and visit).

Furthermore, just because something was expensive doesn’t imply you should keep it forever. If something no longer serves a purpose or has sentimental significance, let it go.

You’ll feel better once everything is out of sight and mind – and trust us: once that happens, there will still be plenty left over for another move someday!

Moving Is Stressful, But It Doesn’t Have To Be

Packing a few days before your move is the best way to prepare for a big relocation. This provides you time to consider what things are essential as well as what can be donated or left behind.

It also gives you something positive and productive to do during those last few days in your old home.

After all of your belongings are packed up into boxes and storage bins (and maybe even loaded onto moving trucks), take some time on a moving day – or even after – to sit down with each box in turn and go through its contents one by one with pen in hand: write down everything inside each box so that when it comes time for unpacking later on, there won’t be any surprises!

Final Thoughts

If you’re moving to a new home, it’s exciting to start unpacking and decorating. But if you’ve just moved cross-country and brought all your stuff with you, the task can seem overwhelming. Our tips will help make unpacking a little easier for you – and maybe even fun!