We all know that moving house is one of the most stressful things you can do. There are a million decisions to make and a million delays and problems to deal with along the way. By the time it comes to unpacking and settling in, it’s no wonder that most of us have very little enthusiasm and energy left.
We’ve unpacked a lot of homes and there are some things we’ve learnt which can make a big difference when it comes to a stress free unpack.
- Be realistic about move-day timings
Typically your movers will pack up most things in the days before move-day, but will leave the essentials unpacked for you to sleep and have breakfast in the morning. They may be scheduled to arrive at 8am, but don’t assume they’ll be loading the vans until much later. They’ll need to disassemble beds and box up the remaining items which can only then be put onto the moving van. Even with a smallish move, this can take a while, add to that traffic and parking, plus any access issues you might have at the new house, and they might not start unloading until after lunch.
If your movers are reassembling any furniture for you, it’s also likely that they’ll do this first before any boxes get moved in. How much furniture you have will determine how long it is before you can grab your scissors and rip open that first box.
The more you can find out about your movers’ expected timetable in advance, the more prepared you can be for what you might need to pack separately.
- Don’t assume “unpacking to a clear surface” is the easiest option
It sounds like a great solution – your movers will take everything out of boxes and get rid of all of the cardboard within a day or two of you landing in the new house. Great in theory, but not always great in practice.
If you’re not going to be living in the house for the first few days or so, it really can be a time-saving service. Everything is easily accessible and you, or professional organisers, can get everything put away quickly without the fuss and time needed for unboxing and unwrapping.
However, if you’re planning to be there on the first night, and especially if you have kids, you may want to rethink. Unboxing creates a LOT of mess and it can be overwhelming to try to live amongst everything you own on the floors around you. Often it’s much better for your sanity to clearly label the boxes you’ll need for the first few days or week, and empty the boxes little by little.
- Prepare for the packers
Packers will pack everything and anything they see, and typically will box things as they find them. By preparing your current home for when the packers arrive, you can potentially save yourself a lot of time during the unpacking process.
Take the time to consider the layout of your new home and loosely group your belongings according to the rooms they’ll be going into. If the kids currently share a room, but will be in separate rooms in the new place, divide up the toys, clothes and books so they can be dropped straight into their new rooms. It’s much easier to do that before you go than when you’re faced with 100 mixed boxes and just want to get the kids dressed.
And get rid of anything you don’t want to move into the new house. It’s not uncommon for us to unbox and unwrap a bin with rubbish still in it!
- Create a cheat sheet
Before packing, walk through your current home and create a basic inventory of what’s going where in your new space. Take photos of how you’ve organised things that work well – like your spice rack or linen closet – so you can recreate these systems quickly. This also helps you identify what storage solutions you’ll need to buy ahead of time.
- Pack for camping out
Even with a crack team of organisers, you’ll likely need at least a few days to unpack and organise your new home. Assume you’ll need to live out of suitcases for a good week to 10 days before you get the basics of the house set up so you don’t have the extra stress of trying to find school uniform or clothes for work.
- Consider Getting a Helping Hand
While all of the above will set you up for success, you might also want to bring in a professional organiser for even just a day or two. An extra pair of very experienced hands can not only help you unpack more quickly, but set up your home in an intelligent way that will feel easy to live in from day one.
Whether you tackle it solo or with professional support, preparing for the unpack will mean you’ll be relaxing in your new home with a glass of wine before you know it.
Happy unpacking!
