Given the stressful nature of a big move, it’s only natural to simply want the process to be over with. Once the movers have been paid, the boxes have been delivered, and you and your belongings are all in their new home, your natural instinct will be to celebrate the end of a successful move.
But there’s still one more important step to take before you can truly say your move is completed: you need to unpack! While having a few pieces of furniture is enough to sit down and relax, your home won’t truly be your own as long as there’s a pile of packed boxes everywhere you look.
At first glance, unpacking can look like an endless task, especially if you’ve made a big move and there are half a dozen rooms or more to work through. It’s important to remember that the unpacking process doesn’t have to be completed quickly, though; think of it instead as a large number of smaller jobs, some of which should be done right away, and others that can wait for a later day.
The first boxes to unpack are those that contain items that are essential to the daily routines of you and your family. For instance, you’ll want to quickly unpack mattresses and blankets so that everyone will have a place to sleep on your first night in the new home. Note that this doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll have a complete bed to sleep in on that first night; if your beds need assembly and there just isn’t the time or space necessary to complete this right after a long and tiring move, just having a comfortable mattress and some pillows can be enough to give you a good night’s sleep.
Another critical area to unpack early on is your bathroom. Again, you don’t need every single item in your bathroom right away, but toiletries and essentials like toothbrushes and soaps should be among the very first items out of the boxes.
One often overlooked area is the kitchen. Unpacking just a few basic items so that a few staples can be cooked is a great idea, and the kitchen table might be one of the first areas you clear out. Having a place where everyone can sit together and eat or talk will help make the whole process go a lot more smoothly – even if you just order a pizza for dinner on that first night.
Once the essentials are unpacked, you can have fun choosing how to unpack the rest of your belongings over the next few days. You’ll have the freedom to lay out your new home in the manner you prefer and at your own pace, without any pressure to unpack the important items that you took care of on the first day.
