How to tackle unpacking after you reach a new home

Having survived daunting packing and moving process, unpacking may seem like a breeze to you. Truth be told, compared to packing, de-cluttering and hauling heavy boxes, unpacking and settling into a new home is a huge relief. Except it’s not! Unless you have an efficient unpacking strategy in place, you will realize the hard way that you’ve actually underestimated the complexity of unpacking.

Settling into a new home also takes time and patience, especially if you have no idea where to start. Here at Dumbo moving and storage we perfectly understand a blend of emotions you might be experiencing after reaching your new home. Chances are moving day has bought upon you large amounts of stress and physical and mental exhaustion, so you may feel rather disoriented now that the moving hassle is finally over. Considering what you’ve been through, we’ve put together a helpful list of tips on how to keep you sanity during the moving process.

While your first thought may be to get everything done as soon as possible, we suggest that you think twice. Hopefully the following tips will help you be better prepared for what you may encounter down the road.

When it comes to unpacking, by now you should’ve probably heard several times that essential box should be unpacked first as there are items you will most likely need during the first couple of days in your new home. The moment you reach your new home you may get the idea that you are ready for a break or at least to slow down. However, bear in mind that postponing unpacking means co-habiting with moving boxes for weeks if not months.

Unpacking strategy in a nutshell

You may think that the sooner you dive into the unpacking activity, the sooner you will get to enjoy your new home. Which is mostly true, except that there are some activities you should tackle first.

-Examine your possessions by checking them against the inventory list. Inspect your moving boxes so as to figure out if your movers have delivered them all. In case of any physical damage, make sure to report it to your movers immediately. At that point you can either use your moving insurance policy or file a claim against the moving company. If you happen to be satisfied with their performance make sure to tip your movers accordingly. Also, you may want to take some time to write a moving review so as to share your entire experience with other people.

-Check if utility services are working properly. If you weren’t able to arrange the set-up of utility services in advance, make sure to contact utility providers as soon as you reach your new home and schedule a technician’s intervention.

-Have an efficient floor plan on hand as well as an unpacking strategy. It’s always a good idea to know where each moving box belongs. Furthermore, with properly labelled moving boxes there won’t be misunderstandings with your movers.

Clean, clean and clean

Take advantage of an empty space to give it a nice, deep scrub. It will be a lot easier to clean windows, scrub floors and vacuum carpets while your possessions are still in the boxes.

Let’s be honest, once everything’s unpacked, it’s highly unlikely you will  take everything out again just in order to clean. After all, you don’t know if previous renters or homeowners were as accurate as you are when it comes to cleaning and maintenance tasks.

How to get your new home sparkling clean

Clean each room from top to bottom as you don’t want any dirty surprises to come out later on. Stock up on cleaning supplies and tackle all those often overlooked and not-so-commonly cleaned corners and surfaces.

If the former residents shared a home with a furry friend, you may want to pay closer attention to cleaning those carpets and floors. Furthermore, baking soda and vinegar proved to be great at neutralizing pet odors.

As it turns out, air vents, curtains and upholstery may hide lots of bacteria, dust and mold, so wash and wipe down those objects as soon as possible. Also, dust out and wipe down all cupboards, closets, drawers and shelves.

Cleaning kitchen appliances may require more time and patience. Tackle dishwasher, microwave, fridge and oven with the utmost care making sure there are no greasy stains.

If all these activities take too much time, consider hiring professional cleaning service providers to get things in order in no time. With an additional fee, you will be able to take care of other post-move responsibilities and have a spotless place at the same time. Also, in order to get your security deposit back, you may want to make your previous place look better than it did when you first moved in.

Applying your unpacking strategy – where to start?

There are many different opinions on which room to unpack first when moving into a new home. But the truth is that the final decision comes down to your personal needs and specific set of circumstances on moving day. So, if you reach your new home late at night, chances are that the only thing you can think about is a hot shower and a nice, comfortable bed.

If you are moving with kids, arranging their room would be your top priority. That way you will help them settle into a new home faster and provide a place where they can play while you are unpacking the rest of the house.

Provided that you’ve hired full service movers, you can count on quick and efficient unpacking service. Not only will you have your items organized in no time, but also your movers will dispose of all remaining cardboard boxes properly. As we all know, cardboard boxes typically end up as a large amount of waste once the move is over. So, by conducting an eco-friendly move, you will reduce negative effects of your relocation on the environment.