Buying a new house brings lots of excitement and plenty of stress. Then once you’ve closed on that house, another round of stress ensues when you have to start packing for your move. There are many different schools of thought when it comes to the best ways to pack and unpack for your move. Therefore, we are going to provide you with some suggestions for packing in a way that will make unpacking a breeze. These unpacking tips will make getting settled into your new house a quick and easy process.
Many people will suggest unpacking one room at a time; however, that’s really not practical, because you’re not going to function out of one room once you arrive at your new home. Therefore, you should consider using the following unpacking tips to help avoid having to open and go through every box because you don’t know what’s in them. By using these unpacking tips, you will know exactly which boxes to unpack first and therefore won’t have to endlessly search through boxes looking for that one thing you need.
1. Make an Inventory List
Before you begin packing, you should make an inventory list of all your things. This will help ensurenothing is lost in the move because your inventory list will enable you to count the exact number of pieces and the exact number of boxes once you arrive. And if the numbers don’t match up, you will be able to tell your movers what’s missing so they know exactly what to look for.
2. Pack an Essentials Box
When we say pack an essentials box, that doesn’t mean just one box full of necessities. Each member of your family should have their own essentials box that contains the items they will need immediately. For example, a change of clothes, toothbrush, medicines, toiletries, phone, tablet, chargers and so on. To make this easier you can begin by making notes of the things you use in your daily routine and be sure to include those in your essentials box.
Of course you will still need to pack one essentials box for items that don’t personally relate to each family member. For example, toilet paper, paper towels, wipes, snacks, bottled water, pet food and pet bowls, box cutters, first aid kit, flashlights, trash bags and your important document file that contains medical records, passports, pet shot records and other pertinent financial information.
3. Clean and Have the Utilities Turned On the Day Before Your Move
You should, whenever possible, clean your new place the day before you arrive so you can begin unpacking as soon as your belongings get there. Additionally, you should also have your utilities, especially your internet and cable, turned on the day before you get to your new home. You should have the technicians test your services to make sure everything’s working properly because the first thing you are going to want to do once you arrive is to hop on the internet and turn onthe TV.
4. Take Pictures of Your Electronics
Before you dismantle your TV and other electronics, take a picture of them front and back. Once you are ready to re-install them, you can refer to the pictures, which will make them easier to reassemble because you won’t have to wonder where everything goes. Additionally, if you label each cord before you unhook them, you will know exactly what each cord is and the pictures will show you where each one goes.
5. Color Code and Organize Your Empty Boxes
If you pack your boxes the right way, unpacking will be a breeze. Gather all the boxes you need, then you will need to color code them, which means each member of your family will have their own color. You can do this by purchasing some smart move tape and/or color coded moving labels. But before you have each person begin loading their boxes, you should instruct them to number each box, then fill those boxes in the order of the things they will need first. For example, box one should contain bed sheets and anything else that person will need immediately.
6. Color Code and Number The Boxes for Each Room
While your family is packing their boxes, you will need to do the same for the other rooms in your house. For example, your kitchen boxes could all be labeled green and each green labeled box should be numbered. Then you can pack each box in its order of necessity. Let’s say, you will need your dishes first, so you will pack them in the green box that’s numbered one. You might need your food next, so your food will be packed in the green box that’s numbered two and so on. This will prevent you from having to dig through boxes, because you will know exactly which boxes to unpack first.
7. Pack Your Boxes in Layers
Packing your boxes in layers will help you put up everything in the exact order as it was placed in your old home. For example, if you have your plates on the bottom shelf and your bowls on the second shelf, you should pack the bowls on the first layer of the box and the plates on the second layer of the box. Therefore, when you unpack that box, you will be able to put everything away in the exact place it was in your old house, which means you won’t have to re-think about how to organize everything because you already have it organized in a way that worked best for you in your other house.
8. Pack Using Glad Press ‘n Seal
One of the best packing tips we could ever give you is to use Press ‘n Seal to make your unpacking easier. You can place Press ‘n Seal over your silverware holder to keep everything from falling out. The same goes for your jewelry, cosmetics, craft or office supplies and so on. Another great trick is to put small loose jewelry or other small items into an ice cube tray and place Press ‘n Seal over it to keep any small pieces from getting lost in the move.
9. Pack an Electronics Carry Along Box
When packing your electronics, you should take a Ziploc baggie and label it with the room and equipment it belongs to. Then you will put each remote and the accompanying cords and so on in its designated baggie. You should then put them all in a small box that you will carry along with you in your vehicle. This will prevent small items from being lost while making sure each piece can be quickly reassembled in its rightful place once you arrive.
10. Setup a Staging Area in Your Garage for All Non-Essential Boxes
Since you will have already color coded, labeled and numbered all your boxes, you will know exactly which ones will need to be accessed immediately and which ones can wait. It could be weeks, if you’re a busy person, before you will have time to unpack everything. Therefore, you should set aside a staging area in your garage for all your non-essential boxes and anything else you don’t initially know what to do with. You can mark off squares, one for each member of your family, and put each color coded box in its designated square. Therefore, if anyone needs something from a non-essential box, they will be able to access their boxes easilybecause they will all be in their designated square in your designated staging area.
Can You Give Me Any Other Packing and Unpacking Tips?
Absolutely! Here are some other quick tips and tricks you can use to help make your move easier. For example, you can place foam plates between your breakable dishes. You can use Easy Pack Boxes. Try packing the heavy items in your luggage. Assign a designated area for all your empty boxes so you can break them down later and all at one time. Then you can sell your used boxes online for some extra cash. Or you can advertise them on Craigslist for free and get rid of them that way. Put all bedding in your number one boxes because you will probably need them before anything else. You should also consider putting all shower curtains in your number two boxbecause those are something you will probably need immediately as well. Pack your clothes for easy unpacking by tying them together and enclosing them in a large trash bag. And last but not least, if you want to keep your kids occupied while you’re trying to unpack, why not have them build a maze out of your old boxes. This should keep them busy for hours.
2 Point Highlight
1.There are many different schools of thought when it comes to the best ways to pack and unpack for your move.
2.Many people will suggest unpacking one room at a time; however, that’s really not practical, because you’re not going to function out of one room once you arrive at your new home.
