It’s common to misplace a few things when you’re moving house. If you don’t have the right box to hand, it’s easy to throw the kitchen cutlery into the bathroom box and the spare pillows in with the towels and toilet rolls!
However, when it comes to unpacking, decorating, and furnishing your new home, this can cause a lot of stress. Don’t get frustrated; stay organised instead.
We recommend that you start with the bathroom, move to the kitchen, finish the bedroom, and then any other rooms can be unpacked as you like. However, no matter what room you’re in the middle of unpacking right now, a checklist like this is going to help you get the job done in record time.
Get Each Box into Each Room First
You might be tempted to tell the Removals and Storage team that it’s OK to pile everything up in one corner, but this can make the job of unpacking far more overwhelming than it needs to be. Instead, ask them to unload each box into the room it’s actually assigned to.
This way you won’t need to move it all yourself and end up exhausted just dragging boxes around. You can then use that energy to focus on unpacking – just make sure you’ve made yourself a nice cup of tea or coffee first!
You should also open each box and take a look at what’s inside. The items you need immediately need to come out first, whilst more decorative pieces or anything that can’t be immediately popped into place can wait until later.
Draw Up a Layout
A proper layout gives you something to follow – you’re not just manoeuvring furniture against the walls and into the corners just to make things feel ‘put away’. If nothing else, doing this will help you to slow down and actually think about what you want your new home to look like.
It’s also super easy to get some layout drawings done! You can download an app to your phone that’ll allow you to draw up the dimensions of your room and use stock images of furniture, or you can do it the old fashioned way with pencil, paper, and a tape measure.
Carry a Rubbish Bag Around with You
You’re going to be throwing things out left right and centre, so why not make it easier and actually carry a rubbish bag or spare bin with you? This way the rubbish won’t pile up in each room and you’ll feel a lot tidier, if not organised.
If you want to, you can also carry around a donation bag/bin for things to take to the nearest charity shop; not everything needs to be thrown away, especially if it can still be used. Yes, you give yourself a bit more work, but you also start off life in your newly decorated home with a bit of good karma.
Move Furniture Where You Really Want it
Get your layout drawings out! If you didn’t draw one up on the second step, head back there and draw one up for each room right now. Once this is done, you can move furniture where you really want it without feeling like you’re making a rushed decision.
It’s common to want to move everything again within a week of settling in, but doing this first will cut down on that impulse. You can still make tweaks, but things are mostly where they need to be and you don’t have more work to do later.
Don’t Do it All Yourself
You can be far more organised by involving other people, whether it’s someone you live with, a new roommate, or friends who are willing to lend a hand. If you try to take on the task of unpacking a house all by yourself, you’re probably going to put it off and off and only do a bit every now and then.
If you want to live in a space that makes you happy, this just won’t do! So rope a couple of people in and work together to come up with your dream layout. If need be, buy pizza for everyone and then go from there.
Staying organised while unpacking a house is one of the hardest tasks on earth. However, if you take things on in a systematic manner, it’s going to be much easier! It’ll still be a slightly annoying – yet hugely satisfying – task, but it won’t be a weight on your shoulders anymore.