Moving can be chaotic. Knowing how to organize a move makes the entire process, from packing the first box to unpacking the last item, easier. Sorting while you pack is critical for any unpacking guide. The team at Expert Movers knows the importance of moving organization, and we’re sharing our knowledge with all our customers.
Downsizing Your Stuff
Sorting while packing makes unpacking after your move much easier, but it also helps to avoid moving items you don’t even need. Going through clothes and donating items that no longer fit or you never wear, getting rid of extra kitchenware you never use, or recycling the pile of phone cables from a decade-old phone means you’ll have fewer things to pack. The less you have to pack, the less unpacking help you’ll need.
Room by Room
If you search “how to organize a move,” the experts, including us at Expert Movers, will agree that packing room by room is critical for moving organization. Loading boxes room by room makes unloading them much easier. Knowing exactly where each box needs to go when it comes off the moving truck avoids a chaotic mess of all the boxes being placed in one room.
Label Everything
It’s common sense to label boxes with the room they belong in. That’s why professional moving boxes have checkboxes to label the room. However, in addition to the general room, adding your own notes on the box or a piece of paper on the inside of the box with more details on the contents can prevent the chaotic digging through every box labeled “kitchen” to find the coffee supplies the first morning in your new home. These notes make the unpacking process more manageable.
Remember that boxes are often stacked in a moving truck and on the floor of your new home. Taking your handy dandy permanent marker (one of the most essential moving tools) and labeling all the sides of a box ensures you can read the label no matter what side of the box is visible. Labeled boxes make for a smoother moving day for you and your moving team.
For expert-level moving organization, label each box with a number and have a notebook, or more realistically, use the notes app on your phone to detail the contents of each box. An inventory list is an unpacking help you might not think you’ll need while packing everything.
Unpacking Guide
Unpacking in a new space is a great opportunity to start with a clean, organized home. Start with the essentials and the items you’ll need first. These are usually toiletries, towels, sheets, pillows, and basic kitchen supplies. The moving organization includes packing essential boxes or bags with the items you’ll need immediately. The essentials include a change of clothes, medications, sheets for each bed, phone chargers, pillows, and toiletries, including the often-forgotten hand soap and toilet paper. Don’t forget the toolkit (for furniture assembly) and cleaning products (to give your new space a wipe-down). These items, as well as food items and important documents, should be transported with you and not loaded onto the moving truck.
Kitchen and Bathrooms
You packed room by room, so as far as unpacking help goes, moving room by room just makes sense. Some rooms are easier to unpack than others. Kitchens and bathrooms require less, or no, thought for furniture placement. Where bedrooms and living areas are more of a blank slate, kitchens and bathrooms generally involve simply deciding which drawer or cabinet to put items in and where on the counter the coffee maker and toaster will live.
Bedrooms
For the first night, make sure the bed itself is assembled and made, that you have a pillow, and that a phone charger is the minimum. Even the bed being assembled can be put off until tomorrow if the mattress on the floor works for you. When it comes time to unpack the bedrooms, deciding furniture placement and closet organization before you start ripping open boxes makes things easier in the long run.
Dining and Living Areas
Dining rooms often have little to unpack besides a dining room table. Once the movers carry that in, the room is basically done. For other living spaces, determining the layout before any furniture arrives is the unpacking help the movers need. Knowing where large items such as couches need to be placed makes unpacking the rest of the space that much easier.
Furniture
For every room in your new home, assembling the furniture is the first step in moving organization. Assembling and placing bed frames, couches, chairs, desks, bookcases, and TV stands first provides the space to put smaller items as you unpack. A bookshelf needs to be together and in place, before you unload all the books, and the desk is set up before items in the box labeled “desk/office” have a place to go. Hiring full-service movers such as Expert Movers ensures your furniture is handled with care, placed where you want it, and assembled. All you’ll need to do is unpack the smaller stuff.
Utility Areas
Areas such as garages or basements are the last priority of any unpacking guide. Items that end up in these spaces are often not essential or everyday items. You could even unpack them as you need them, and eventually, the last box will be empty.
Artwork, Mirrors, and Decor
Artwork, mirrors, and decor may seem like the last things to be unpacked. You’ll need rooms laid out and set up before determining where you hang your artwork and what spaced decor fits. Setting all artwork and decor aside in a safe area, out of the way from the rest of the unpacking, lowers the risk of damage after the move. While art prints may need to wait until the end of the unpacking to find their place, mirrors often have more set locations. Hanging door or wall mirrors, once you know where they’ll go, ensures their safety and avoids broken glass.
Expert Movers Organize Your Move
Expert Movers does more than just loading and unloading trucks. We can also provide guidance, labor help, and partial or full-packing services. Our team cares about the safety and organization of all your belongings. Let us be your partner in your move.
