Have you ever tried to unpack your house in two days? If you’re new here, you’ll learn that Mac and move. A lot. We’ve just finished move #6 in 9 years. We’re also both military children, so we each moved a few times when we’re were growing up. Since we move so much, I like to unpack everything immediately. I don’t like having boxes in the way or have to dig to find what I need. It’s taken me a few moves to master, but I’ve figured out how to unpack everything that quickly. Here are my tips to unpack your house in two days.
Make unpacking your main priority
To me, this is the hardest part. We move so much that I want to have everything unpacked as quickly as possible. If we don’t unpack and use it, we really don’t need it. Unpacking the moving truck can be a long and tedious process, even if you aren’t doing the unloading yourself. I start unpacking as soon as I possibly can, and I don’t stop (aside from breaks) until I’m done. Honestly, I work on opening and breaking down boxes for several hours at a time. Yes, it can really suck. But once it’s done, it’s done (until the next move). For those of you who are making one big move, you may not need or want to unpack so quickly.
Arrange the big stuff first
Before you move, measure your furniture. Walk through your new place and make a mental picture of where you want your furniture to go. Double check your furniture measurements to see what fits where in your new place. Once your furniture arrives, unload it first and arrange it. You can move stuff around before you bring anything else inside if furniture doesn’t fit or if you don’t like the layout.
Unpack your boxes first
Once you get your furniture in its place, bring in the boxes and put them in their rooms (master bedroom linens in the master bedroom, for example). If you run out of room, try to keep boxes as close to where they go as possible.
Start unpacking the big boxes first. I unpack my wardrobe boxes (clothes that hang in my closet and shoes) because those are the biggest and bulkiest boxes. I also break down each box as I empty it and move the empty boxes out of the rooms. From there, I work on other boxes and stage things where they go. As I unwrap, I fold up the packing paper (roughly in quarters) and stack it in a box. It keeps the paper out of the way and allows more space for unpacking.
Organize second
Unless I need more space for boxes, I don’t organize until all the boxes in a room are gone. I empty each box and move things to where they belong. I have particular ways I like to organize (like my bookshelves or the china cabinet), so I organize those areas first. Smaller decorative touches take more time, so I tend to do those last.
How do you unpack? Share your favorite unpacking tips in the comments!
