Moving can be stressful and sometimes life puts a halt to the dauntless tasks correlating to unpacking after a big move. Often those boxes can pile up collecting dust for what seems to be a lifetime. I have broken down some tips for unpacking to create a space which you and your family will love and utilize properly!

Start with the Essentials

The essential boxes will be easy because well they are essential! Start with the boxes which have designated rooms and deliver all those boxes to their place in the home. Typically these are items for the kitchen, bedrooms and bathrooms. When unpacking, you should try to keep in mind that more will be coming; organize the room to its full potential!

Rooms by Importance:

• Bedrooms
• Kitchen
• Bathroom
• Textiles – Curtains, Blankets, Bedding, Towels
• Livingroom
• Office
• Garage – Storage Spaces / Attic / Basement / Shed

Large Projects

Floor Planning

Planning where big furniture will be arranged should be done with a near empty house so boxes and clutter do not interfere. If you planned ahead and made a list of all your furniture with measurement details; use a measuring tape to create a floor plan for where each piece of furniture will go. If you do not have your furniture measurements, imagine each room and aim to utilize the most space for the room.

Install televisions, computers and wall decor only after all the larger furniture has been arranged to preference. If necessary, ask for the input of your spouse so as to not waste time rearranging the room again later.

Large Projects by Importance:

• Furniture
• Commercial Shelving
• Installing Television, Internet & Computers
• Hanging Art

Organize Boxes by Room

For those whose move was a little unorganized, unpacking storage boxes or if these boxes are from a previous move; you will have to open each box and reorganize as necessary. By organizing your boxes it prevents back tracking. Our unpacking and organizing experts recommend against starting to unpack a box with multiple items for multiple rooms, as it can distract you from completely emptying the box and can create an even bigger mess all over the house. It also makes decluttering easier to know how much of each room category and product you own.

The goal is to place every box in its designated room before unpacking. No box left behind! 

To start organizing your boxes; grab an empty box. Label that box with its desired room. Open each storage box and move the items for that room into the labeled box. When you are absolutely certain you cannot find any more items for this room, carry the box to that room or separate them to another storage area if possible to not create confusion. Repeat until all the boxes have been accounted for.

Start One Room at a Time

When each box is labeled with the desired room, take all the boxes for that room to the space. If you have a surplus of organizing systems go get them and bring them into that space. Once each box is dispersed into its assigned room you should work together with the other house members to unpack everything. Before finding a home for each item, lay every item out onto the floor; this may give you some anxiety depending on how many items you’ve accumulated over the years but in a way – it’s supposed to!

Organize what you can with the organizing systems you already own. Try best to create a working map of the room to best utilize space and functionality of the room. There may be a container solution for certain belongings which work better than your last organizational system!

Grab a donation box for items which are salvageable for donation. You can also take pictures of things you’d like to sell online and post them – don’t prolong doing this as today is the day!

Recycle old and unsalvageable items using the recycling tip below or purchase a mail in programs which accepts your old items!

Recycling Tip:  Go to Earth911.com click “Where to Recycle” here you can search “clothing” and “your zip code” to find free local recycling programs near you!

Paid Mail in Recycling Programs:

• ForDays.com – Recycling Clothing / Take Back Bag
• Terracycle.com – Hard to Recycle Items / All-In-One Zero Waste Box
  • Receive 20% off any ZERO WASTE BOX using discount code: ALEC20

Buy New Organizing Systems

Now that you have decluttered, sort the items you do not currently have an organizing system for. Since it’s a new space, some of the systems you used in your last home may not fit. The best thing to do in this case is to unpack the items from that storage solution and try to utilize it in another part of your home and purchase a system which fits in that space. Before running off to the store, taking pictures of the space, be sure to measure length by width by height. Note that measuring the height of a drawer may seem mundane but some systems do not work in all drawers due to the height.

Create a checklist of all the items you have to buy organizing systems for. In my opinion, listed below are stores suggestions from most expensive to most economical.

• The Container Store
• Target
• Home Goods
• Walmart
• Big Lots

Work Incrementally

Work slowly but hold yourself accountable to finishing by blocking out time from your calendar! Depending on how many boxes you have this may take a couple of days. Unpacking may take longer than expected and become overwhelming; if you find yourself running in circles there is no harm in stopping for the day.

The best part of any move is creating a new space you love. Find a place for all your belongings with a system that works for your family!

Hire a Home Organizer

Is your home completely unorganized? If the clutter has become too much for just you, consider hiring a home organizer to help.

For virtual services contact us on our Contact page for assistance on your home organizing project! The Home Upcycle unpacking and organizing experts in Manhattan consult you about your project and creates a specific plan of action to declutter and organize your space in the most sustainable way possible!