How to Unpack After Moving: Room by Room Unpacking Checklist

People tend to focus on the pre-move tasks because they have a moving-out deadline to meet. They rarely think about what happens when everything arrives at their new home, and they need to unpack.

But unpacking takes just as much time and organization as the packing did.

You cannot just leave unpacking for a later date; the sooner everything is unpacked, the sooner you can get back to normal life. Importantly, you are also against the clock for submitting any insurance claims for damaged items.

Remember that most insurance claims must be submitted within a few weeks, so don’t delay unpacking, as that could be more costly than you think.

In this guide, we suggest how to go about unpacking your moving boxes in an orderly and systematic way so that six months from now, you are not still faced with unpacked boxes.

What to do Before Unpacking the Boxes

If you followed our packing and inventory guides, then unpacking will be a breeze:

1. Check the boxes against the inventory list

Check off every box on the inventory list during the unloading. NEVER sign anything until you have accounted for every box on the inventory.

Should there be any boxes missing, annotate any paperwork accordingly and contact your mover as soon as possible to resolve the issue.

If the boxes were labeled as to which room they should be placed in, then just ensure each box is in its correct room before starting to unpack.

2. Prioritize the unpacking job

Whilst it is super important to get unpacked and organized, it is not the only task you have to do in your new home.

Due to the time of day, for example, it may be more prudent to ensure all the locks and lights work first, or to locate things like the fuse box and water mains.

If you sensibly packed an essentials moving box, and it is late at night, unpacking can wait until tomorrow as you have everything you need for the first night readily to hand.

4. Have a floor plan

You want to know exactly where each piece of furniture will be positioned before you start to reassemble it. This is important because it will prevent stressful situations of having to move a bulky piece of furniture within the room or to another room after it has already been set up.

You may also like to read: How to Create a Floor Plan. If you don’t already have a floor plan of your new place, then this guide explains how to make a simple floor plan.

5. Prepare an unpacking strategy

Having the right unpacking strategy is winning half the battle.

Create a good unpacking plan, stick to it, and you’ll notice how the entire unpacking process will pass quickly and uneventfully.

6. Unpack Essentials First

For the first couple of days, you may only need to unpack the things that you most commonly use, and then as you get each room organized, you can unpack the rest of the boxes into their proper places.

Unpacking Tips

• Unpack one room at a time. The best way to unpack after moving is to do it in stages. Stay organized and unpack room by room. Finish one room, then move on to the next.
• Don’t procrastinate. Unpacking at your own pace doesn’t mean you should keep finding excuses not to finish unpacking for months to come. The quicker you get the unpacking job done, the better.
• Keep your unpacking focus. Similar to packing, unpacking after a move is a tedious task that takes too much time. It’s easy to lose your focus, so set mini unpacking goals to actually feel the progress.
• Get rid of packing materials while unpacking. Packing materials will pile up as you keep unpacking, and those supplies will slow down your progress. Store away the boxes you can reuse, flatten out the ones for recycling, and throw away the rest regularly.
• Find the motivation to unpack. Setting a date for a home-warming party, for example, gives you a deadline to meet and is a great motivator to get the job finished.
• Handle breakables with care. There’s little point in packing your breakable items with so much care only to ruin a fine dinnerware set or a glassware set while unpacking your fragile items.
• Make your new place your own. You won’t feel the new place is like your own home until you unpack all the miscellaneous items. Unpack and hang photos, pictures, or paintings on the walls.

You may also like to read: What to do With Boxes After Moving. Knowing what to do with your boxes after unpacking them can be a dilemma. In this guide, we suggest 20 uses for your empty moving boxes.

Room-by-room Unpacking Checklist

You’ll read and hear different opinions about which room to unpack first after the move: most moving experts are unanimous that the first room to unpack should be the kitchen.

We think that the room you start with depends on the time of day you arrive in the new home. For example, if it’s around noon or early afternoon, then yes, you may choose to unpack the essential kitchen items first.

However, if you arrive very late in the evening, your top priority is to ensure the new home is safe and secure, take a hot shower, and go to sleep.

You may need your home office set up immediately, or the children’s rooms. Think safety, comfort, and practicality in that order, and adjust your unpacking plan accordingly.

In an ideal world, you should unpack in this order:

• Bathroom – It should be quick and easy, and everybody benefits
• Kitchen – You need fuel, and a kitchen is often the heart of the home
• Bedroom – Good sleep is paramount when stress levels are high, and energy is low
• Living room – A nice to have but not essential
• Storage areas – The lowest priority

BATHROOM

• Essentials. Unpack the essential bathroom items: some of them should be in the open first box, including toilet paper, towels, soap, shampoo, conditioners, toothpaste, and toothbrush.
• Shower curtains. Install them so that you have the privacy you need.
• Toiletries. Unpack all toiletries, including all cosmetic products, and place them in their respective spots.
• Medicine. Unpack any medication you may have taken with you and arrange the medical products in the medicine cabinet.

KITCHEN

• Major appliances. Get the major kitchen appliances unpacked and hooked up. You will probably need the kitchen stove and the microwave oven to be operational as soon as possible. If you’ve moved the refrigerator as well, wait at least 3 hours before plugging it in and turning it on so that the oil within the cooling system makes its way back to the compressor unit. Your fridge should reach its normal cooling capacity within a few days.
• Small appliances. Unpack and set up the smaller kitchen appliances such as the coffee maker, toaster, blender, etc. The coffee maker will be especially appreciated during the first days in your new house or apartment.
• Essentials. Remember that you need to organize your unpacking time very carefully – unpack only the essential kitchen items – the utensils and kitchenware you plan to use in the next few days.
• Breakables. Unpacking fragile kitchenware usually takes more time than you planned because most of those breakable items will have to be washed first before you put them away.
• Cupboards. Line the kitchen cupboards and organize the rest of the kitchen after you’ve unpacked all priority boxes in all the rooms of your home. Unpacking and arranging the entire kitchen will take forever – just think of the hundreds of kitchen items that took you days to pack up prior to the move.

You may also like to read: How to Throw an Unforgettable Housewarming Party. In this guide, we help you plan a fun housewarming party, from invitations to menu, themes to games.

BEDROOM

• Bed. Unpack, assemble, and make up the bed. If arriving very late in your new home, unpacking the essential bedroom items is your top priority. Regardless of the unpacking strategy you have decided to follow, a decent night’s sleep is essential.
• Mattress. Unpack and place the bed mattress. If you don’t have sufficient time to reassemble the bed, then you can just take the mattress you have just unpacked, place it on the floor, grab a blanket and a pillow, and call it a day.
• Bed linens. Unpack the boxes that contain the pillows, bed linens, and blankets;
• Closet or wardrobe. Unpack and assemble.
• Clothes. Unpack your clothes and arrange them in the closet or wardrobe.
• Lamps. Unbox the lamps intended for the bedroom and set them up.

LIVING ROOM

Having familiar things around you will help you settle into your new home more quickly.

• Furniture. Unpack, reassemble, and position all first.
• Lamps. Probably more important than you think. Good lighting can make the room more homely and will help you feel more settled.
• Ornaments. You may not think that ornaments are that important, but having a few favorite photos, some plants, or ornaments out will make your new place feel like home.
• Electronics. Unpack and set up the entertainment center: TV, stereo, DVD player, computer, game console, and other types of electronics.
• Books. Seldom-used or less important items will be the last things to get unpacked.

STORAGE SPACES

Tackle your spare rooms, garage, attic, or basement last.

• Organization. Organize the storage spaces before you begin to unpack. Have a good idea where all the things will go and make the space functional by adding extra shelves or getting more storage boxes.

You may also like to read: Things to do After Moving Into a New Home. In this guide, we suggest 21 things to do after moving into a new home.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Remember that which room you unpack first will depend on your needs. If you have children, then the task of unpacking and setting up the children’s room has a much higher unpacking priority. If you work from home, then unpacking and arranging the home office will be more important than unpacking the living room and its entertainment hub.

At the end of the day, there is no universally right way to unpack. Everybody has different priorities and arrives in their new home under different circumstances.

Focus on safety and comfort first, and then prioritize your next steps based on your circumstances.

Good luck in your new home, and be sure to visit our home moving blog, which has numerous guides about settling into your new home and neighborhood.