How to Organize When Moving
Today, I am happy to welcome Ronnie Marshall from OmniKey Realty as my guest blogger! Together we can help you get settled into your new home! Let’s see what tips Ronnie has for us!
If you are like most people, you dread moving house. Not because you don’t want to move into a bigger home or apartment in a more beautiful part of town, but because of the hassle of moving. Sometimes, leaving your old home for a new one is inevitable and you have to do it, which makes it even harder.
When you get into the new apartment or home, what do you do with your belongings once they get offloaded from the moving truck? Most people just load the boxes into their respective rooms or some storage space and promptly forget about them.
For many people, unpacking in a new home is as stressful as the packing up of the old home, explains OmniKey Realty in McKinney. As a result, it is not uncommon for people to still have some of their packing boxes intact, two years after they move house. (** side note, as an organizer who goes into homes daily, this is a true statement, and most of the time it’s been longer than two years**)
If you are on the verge of moving house or have already moved but are wrestling with the prospect of unpacking in your new home, this post is for you. We present this short guide to help you unpack with minimal fuss and let you stay organized after your move.
1. Offload systematically
Hopefully, when you were packing (which is a good time to purge what you don’t need or use), you organized your belongings according to the rooms they belong to. Sticking to that system when you unpack is the first key to helping you stay organized. Items should be taken directly to the rooms that coincide with their labeling. This is step one.
2. Make time and have a plan
Plan in advance, give yourself plenty of time and take things one-step-at-a-time. This is the golden rule for packing, as well as unpacking. If you attempt to do everything at once, you will feel overwhelmed and give up. Give yourself time and create a plan based on the rules below.
3. Get help, if you can
Asking other people to help you, or hiring a professional organizer to help with the work makes it more enjoyable, and it helps you work faster. You can get help with the children, meals, cleaning, or whatever else needs to be done. If you do not feel yourself being pulled in many directions, you will work better.
4. Purge a second time
Ideally, you should have purged your stuff of any unwanted items before you packed them up. You can use this time of unpacking to do a second round of purging. Separate things you are unlikely to use and set them aside for donating, selling, or trashing.
5. Unpack the most essential room first
Making up your mind about which room to begin with is probably going to be hard. But this is the most critical question to answer before you start to unpack. The most essential room in your home should be made livable first. For most people, this is going to be the bedrooms, family room and kitchen.
6. Set up children's spaces
If you have small children, unpacking their nursery or bedroom is the best way to start. Little children need constant care, and you don’t want to be caught off-guard when you need something urgently. Secondly, setting up their nursery or bedroom first will create a safe space for the children while the rest of the house is being unpacked.
7. Function before aesthetics
After unpacking the most important rooms, choose the next rooms to unpack based on their function. The kitchen, bedrooms, and bathrooms should come before any other rooms. Additionally, when unpacking a room, focus on the most functional contents. After the house is unpacked, you can turn your mind to decorating.
8. Start with larger items
When unpacking a room, always begin with the large items. Once the larger items like beds, tables, and furniture pieces are in place, it is easier to sort through the smaller ones. Do not be tempted to start unpacking large boxes that are filled with small items first.
9. Tidy up the entryway
Some things will inevitably be dumped around the main entryway of the house. And given that people are always going through that part of the house, this is not ideal or safe. Use hooks, small benches, or baskets to arrange the clutter until you can organize them accurately.
10. Clean as you go
Do not wait to clean the whole house in one major effort after you have finished unpacking. Do it in bits; as soon as you finish unpacking a room, clean it. This does not have to be a deep clean; wiping down counters, vacuuming, and mopping the floor should be enough.
11. Stowaway empty boxes
Find some space in the house where you will store all the empty boxes. Before you put them away, flatten all the boxes, and separate stuff that can be recycled. If there is any box that cannot be flattened, use it to store your other packing supplies.
And that is it! If you follow this plan, adjusting it where necessary, you should have a far easier time unpacking than you have ever had in the past. Cheers!
If you need help finding a new home contact us here.
Sincerely,
Ronnie
Thanks for all the great tips Ronnie! If you need help moving or organizing your new home, I can help you too! Message me here for more details.
I’m ready to help you today,
Lisa