It’s hard to dedicate time to unpacking after you arrive at your new home. New responsibilities, people, and places can be constant distractions. Coupled with the stress of simply sorting through your items, you may find you’re not fully unpacked for weeks. It’s important to have a strategy. Incorporate the following tips into your relocation plans, so you get settled in.

How to Unpack Efficiently

1. Create an Inventory & Deadline

Your unpacking plan should begin weeks before your relocation. When you start packing, carefully label boxes and keep a detailed inventory—using a numbering or colored sticker system—of what’s where. When you arrive at your new home, you’ll find it’s much easier to organize and locate everything.

If you have a clear picture of the future, you can also establish an unpacking deadline. Use the first day of work, the return to school, or a neighborhood event to motivate you to get unpacked.

2. Start With Your Essentials

Having an essentials box is an important part of relocation planning, and it’s the first box you should unpack. This often has dishes, cookware, toiletries, a first aid kit, tools, and other must-have items.

Set these aside and move on to larger items. You’ll find having them on-hand makes it much easier to handle general needs while you tackle the smaller stuff.

3. Unpack the Bedroom or Kitchen

Kitchens and bedrooms have the most immediate needs, and you can do either. If you have children, you may want to do the kitchen first, so you can cook and feed everyone.

Kitchens usually have a lot of items, so you’ll put a dent in your overall box load when you unpack. However, if you’re staying in a hotel while you unpack, the kitchen can wait.

You may want to do the bedroom first if you’re starting a new job. Set up the bed, fill out your closet with clothing, and get things organized in the master bath so you can dive comfortably back into your routine.

If you know ahead of time that you’ll be starting a job quickly, consider packing a must-have clothing box, so you don’t have to unpack and organize your entire closet right away.

4. Arrange Furniture

You may be tempted to arrange furniture right away, but you’ll find it’s not easy while you have boxes everywhere. Many homeowners end up changing the arrangement to move around more easily and discover a better long-term setup once everything is out of the way.

Take care of the kitchen, bedrooms, and bathrooms first so you’ll have open, unobstructed space to explore furniture layout.

Turning to the professionals is a fantastic way to remove the stress of relocation. Smooth Move Relocation Services LLC of Cincinnati, OH, offers both local and long-distance moving services. They’ve served customers since 2000 and work within 100 miles of Queen City. They also provide packing services, which you can explore on their website. Call (513) 481-1316 to schedule movers and connect on Facebook for more relocation tips.