unpacking after a move

After the Move: Unpacking to Make Your New House a Home

Want to make moving easier by packing and unpacking like a pro? Follow these relocating tips.

While moving gets a bad rep for being stressful, it’s the packing and unpacking that can feel impossible.

Think about it: you pack your entire house, put it on a truck, move it, and then have to unpack it. The catch is that, by this time, you’re exhausted. All you want to do is order a pizza and crawl into bed. Unfortunately, you can’t even do that because all your bedding is in a box. As if that weren’t enough, you’ve got to go back to work tomorrow! Try to cram it all in, and you risk a big moving mistake!

So, what’s the secret?

How do you motivate yourself to unpack your home when you’re tired? How do you make sure that relocating doesn’t mean living amid boxes for a year?

Here’s your complete guide.

Making Your New House a Home: Your Guide to Unpacking

Maybe you’re the kind of person who loves unpacking and putting everything in its rightful place. If so, though, you probably wouldn’t be here, reading this article. For everyone else – here’s a guide to getting the job done with less stress:

  1. Unpack the Most Essential Items First

While this may seem obvious, you’ll want to unpack your most essential items first. This hierarchy looks a bit different for every household, but it generally includes your kitchen items, bathroom accessories, bedroom, and clothing. Things like guest room furnishings, seasonal clothing, and decorative items can wait for a later date.

Not only does unpacking your essential items first allow your household to continue functioning when you move it, but it allows you to experience less stress as you try to sleep, eat, and bathe in your new space.

  1. Make the Kitchen Functional

The kitchen is arguably the most important room in the house. With this in mind, invest some effort into getting it working properly as soon as you move in. Take a moment to line your cupboards, unpack mugs, pots, pans, and other items, and plug in major and minor appliances. If you don’t have time to organize the spice rack just yet, that’s fine. Just be sure to create a space you can cook in.

  1. Unpack Bedroom & Bathroom Items

Next come your bedrooms and bathrooms. Start by putting all the beds together and unpacking the linens for each bedroom. If you have additional furniture that should go into the bedroom, arrange it before you start in on the beds. You’ll also want to organize your closets before you put the beds together.

Once you’ve created a place to sleep, get to work on your bathrooms. Start with the essential items, like medication, shower curtains, and towels, and work out from there.

  1. Make it Your Own

Moving can be a jarring experience. Streamline the transition and make your new house feel more comfortable faster by adding pictures, personal mementos, and similar items to the home as you unpack.

  1. Banish Clutter

What do you do if all your belongings don’t fit into your new space? Maybe you downsized, and you realize your floor plan isn’t big enough to accommodate that armoire? Storage is an excellent option for these times and will keep your items safe and secure until you need them again.

Get Organized With Less Stress

Relocating in and around Portland, Oregon can be a doozy. Luckily, these tips can help you make your house a home and settle in in no time. If you need additional help during the process, don’t hesitate to contact our team! We’re here for you.