Once your movers are all wrapped up, your moving story isn’t quite done – here’s how to estimate how long your unpacking process might take.
Moving is no easy task. There are so many things to coordinate, and you’ve successfully pulled it off.
So, what now?
The journey isn’t quite over. You’re only halfway there. The fun part is about to ensue.
Unpacking.
What Impacts Unpacking?
Let’s be honest: No one wants to unpack, but no one wants to live out of boxes six months after the move. Sure, you’re exhausted from the stress of the move, but imagine how much better you’ll feel once you’ve unpacked in your new home.
People often wonder what a reasonable amount of time is to unpack. Well, to answer that, we have to take a look at a few things. Obviously, a four-bedroom house with a large number of items will take longer to unpack than a small one-bedroom apartment will, but what other factors can impact it?
- Packing efficiency
- Quantity and type of belongings
- Help with unpacking
- New home size and layout
- Motivation
- Time commitment
Packing Efficiency
When packing, if you label the location the box belongs and what’s inside, it will make unpacking it much easier. You must also pack effectively. This includes organizing and packing items efficiently and filling boxes appropriately with effective packing materials, which simplifies unpacking.
Taking pictures will help to document the move and make reconnecting gaming systems, computers, and other electronics easier. It also helps to reassemble furniture that was taken apart to simplify the move.
Quantity and What Type of Belongings You Have
If you have a great deal of expensive artwork, electronics, fragile items, musical instruments, or valuable collections, this will take longer to unpack because of the nature of the objects. The sheer number of boxes will also impact how long it takes to unpack.
Unfortunately, if you packed one hundred boxes, that’s the number you’ll have to unpack. That is why it’s vital to declutter before packing and donate or throw away unwanted items to decrease the number of objects to unpack.
Help With Unpacking
Unpacking alone can be nerve-wracking and feel endless. Asking friends and family to help can speed up the process immensely. And if you hired professional movers to move everything to your new home, you’re in luck. Most movers will include moving items into your new home as part of the cost. They will look at the new location to address problematic areas or parking problems.
New Home Size and Layout
Unpacking is easier in a home with a traditional layout or an open floor plan. Those homes with lots of stairs, narrow hallways, and no close parking will take longer to unload the items and unpack them. Of course, homes with more rooms and square footage will take longer to unpack than smaller homes with fewer rooms.
Motivation
- Organize: It’s all about organization. If you were organized while packing and labeling everything, unpacking will go smoothly.
- Focus: It will go faster if you can stay motivated and focused while unpacking. If you are less than enthused, it can seem like a nightmare.
- Pace Yourself: Anybody would be burned out while unpacking a four-bedroom house without taking breaks. It’s essential to take frequent breaks for snacks and drinks and work at a comfortable pace.
Time Commitment
When unpacking after a move, many people start a new job or return to an existing one. This cuts down on the amount of time available to unpack. Therefore, with limited time, adhering to a schedule is essential to maximize the time available.
Time Frames for Moving Different-Sized Homes
While there are a lot of unknown factors that can impact the time it takes to unpack, we have provided some estimates as to how long it will take, depending on the size of the home in question.
- Small Apartment: Approximate time to unpack is 1–2 days.
- 1 to 2 Bedroom House: Approximate time to unpack is 2–3 days.
- 4 to 5 Bedroom House: Approximate time to unpack is 3–5 days.
All approximations can be cut in half with professional help from moving companies.
What Are the Secrets to Unpacking Faster?
There are several ways to help make unpacking faster and more efficient. Organization is key, as is creating a plan and sticking to it. Unpacking is the home stretch of the move, so don’t lose sight of your goal.
- Develop a Plan: It’s crucial to organize which rooms should be unpacked first and ensure all boxes are easily accessible from that room. It takes time and energy to find the boxes for each room if they aren’t properly placed.
- Break Down Boxes When Empty: Once you’ve emptied a box, break it down to avoid cluttering the available space. It will also help you keep track of how many boxes you still need to unpack.
- Unpack Room by Room: This is one way to help yourself not get overwhelmed. Don’t think about how many rooms are left to unpack. Just focus on one room at a time.
- Prioritize Essential Boxes: Start unpacking the items you need immediately, like kitchen essentials, bathroom items, and bedding.
- Hire Professionals: The easiest way to unpack your home after a move is to let professionals do it for you. Consider hiring a moving company to unpack your belongings to lower the stress and anxiety of the move.
Biggest Mistakes While Unpacking
The finish line is in sight. Unpacking is the last step, and you can make it go as smoothly as possible by avoiding the biggest mistakes most people make.
- Trying to Unpack Everything in a Single Day: Unless you only packed a single box for your move, it’s impossible to unpack everything in a single day. Moving is emotionally and physically challenging enough without putting unrealistic expectations on yourself during unpacking.
- Avoid Overpacking Boxes: People often think the more things they can stuff into a single box, the better. The problem is that this can make the boxes unwieldy and challenging to carry and increase the chances of damaging the items inside with poor packing techniques.
- Take Your Time: While it might seem counterintuitive to take your time to make unpacking faster, it’s not. Rushing during unpacking can result in misplaced or broken items, injuries from heavy lifting, and added stress and anxiety over progress made.
- Declutter While Unpacking: You should declutter as you pack, but sometimes, we take things we might need at the new house. Decluttering can happen while unpacking, too. If those items aren’t necessary, donate them or discard them.
- Not Formulating a Plan: While many might not see the value in planning the unpacking stage of the move, a plan can make all the difference in the world. A plan helps save time and lowers frustration and stress.
Make Unpacking Fun
On the face of it, this might seem impossible, but it isn’t. It’s a known fact that we don’t think about what we’re doing when we are having fun. We can complete tasks more easily with less stress when having a good time doing them.
You can make unpacking fun by incorporating games and rewards for completing certain things. You can also create playlists of favorite songs and take time during breaks to live within the moment and appreciate the nostalgia certain items evoke.
Some easy ways to make unpacking fun include:
Create Rewards and Game Activities
Infuse some fun into your unpacking with these suggestions. It can help keep everyone’s stress lower and make the work seem less tedious.
- Create a Scavenger Hunt: Hide small ‘prizes’ in some boxes to create a surprise and the desire to unpack more boxes.
- Create a Rewards System: Provide rewards for completing specific tasks, like gift cards, movie tickets, or special outings.
- Reward the Group: Have a big reward once unpacking is done, such as attending a waterpark, sporting event, or concert in your new neighborhood.
- Come Up With Challenges: Create challenges while unpacking, like who can unpack the most boxes in a room or break down the most boxes after unpacking them.
Throw An Unpacking Party
Celebrate the unpacking event by throwing a party, inviting new neighbors, family, and friends, and turning it into an event.
- Create a Theme for the Party: Have the whole unpacking crew choose a theme to let the new neighbors get to know you.
- Celebrate the Occasion: Provide refreshments for the party, including drinks, music, food, and desserts, so that everyone can have fun.
- Create a Playlist: Have the unpacking crew create a playlist so everyone can dance and have a good time.
- Plan Some Games: Have a few games planned, like dance-offs, limbo, and horseshoes, and award prizes to the winners.
Set Reasonable Unpacking Limits
It’s impossible to unpack the entire day, so set acceptable limits on how much work you plan on getting done.
- Set an Alarm: Choose predetermined amounts of time, thirty or sixty minutes, after which you take a break to have a snack or drink. This improves focus and lowers the frustration and stress of unpacking.
- Create a Rotation: If several people are helping with unpacking, rotate who gets to take an extended break each time the alarm goes off.
- Delegate: Determine which rooms are the most difficult to unpack and assign more than one person to help with those spaces.
Play Music and Enjoy the Nostalgia
- Nostalgia: Take time to appreciate the items unpacked and share stories of where those items came from (vacations, special occasions, etc.).
- Playlists: Have everyone on the unpacking crew add a few songs to the playlist so everyone can enjoy the music.
When Lowcountry homeowners need moving services, they call on us to move them to their new homes because we are reputable, trustworthy, and, above all else, professional.