Here you are at the end of your journey - moving into your new home, where you need to focus on preserving the organization you put in place before this whole relocation process started.

Here Kathi offers her final suggestions on unpacking in your new home so you can maintain that organization.

I hope you have found this series of articles on getting organized useful and will implement some of these suggestions, even if you are not moving yet. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

A Few More Unpacking Tips

 
1. As you unpack, spread drop clothes under boxes and in high traffic areas to catch dust and foot debris.

 2. To help your kids get used to their new space, create an agreed upon ‘home’ for each possession. The ‘home’ is the place where the item will get stored when not in use.

 With this method, when it comes time to clean up, you should say, take that toy home, not put it away. There is a BIG difference between putting away, i.e. under the bed or pillow and taking it home to a pre-determined and unmistakable holding zone until further use.

 
3. After moving, resell or recycle your boxes. Pack and ship faculties will gladly recycle your bubbles. Peanuts have a half-life of 500 years so think twice before you toss them into the trash.

Enjoy creating your new life and lifestyle. You worked hard to find your dream home and you deserve a break. If possible, schedule time off after your move so you can recover from the move and fully settle into your new home with ease.

Kathi Burns, founder of addSpace To Your Life!™,
a Professional Organizing and Image Consulting Agency

Email Kathi for 10 Quick Tips to Organize Your Bathroom. Mention bathroom in the subject line.

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To read other articles about moving and organizing visit AddSpace to Your Life!

If you have been reading my series on Getting Organized, you know we are now at the final stage of the process.

• We have gotten very organized as part of preparing our home for sale, and sold it.

• We got organized in preparation for packing and moving...and did.

• Now we are moving into the new house. And naturally we want to keep the momentum going and be as organized as possible in our new home and not let the old habits re-emerge.

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Getting Settled into Your New Home

Congratulations! You are in your new home and ready to begin anew.  Creating a new home environment is exciting. Before you begin unpacking, pause and take a moment to consider your newfound space. This is the perfect time to begin creating an uncluttered and improved lifestyle.

Even though you might have purged and donated while packing for this move, unpack and reconsider every item to determine whether you will use it before you assign it a home.

Your life may have changed dramatically since your last move. Do you have more children or are perhaps now empty nesters? Even if nothing much has changed in your life besides your new home, it makes sense to rethink your old storage routines before you recreate them again.

Rethink each room before you unpack your boxes. Ask yourself these questions:

1. What activities will take place in each room?
2. What items will be needed for these activities?
3. How many people will use this space?

Create one room that will be your haven until your home is in order. Start unpacking with this goal in mind. The master bedroom is a great place to begin. Work on that space until it is unpacked completely or at least until it feels like home. Comforter and bed skirt are in place, pillows fluffed, and bedside table is equipped with all necessities. This way, after each day that you are unpacking, you can slip away to sleep in a non-chaotic environment. You will awake feeling refreshed and much less stressed with at least one area in order.

Before you load your wardrobe closets, think about how you decide to get dressed everyday. For instance, I begin by determining which top I will wear. This starts with what sleeve length; sleeveless, short, ¾ or long. Once I make this choice, which is usually based on the weather, I then make the decision about what slacks, shorts, skirts or jeans I will also wear that day. After that, my choice becomes shoes. Based on this routine, I place my shirts in the front of the closet, followed by slacks, skirts and then shoes in the back. 

There is no single way to get dressed, some people start with pants, others shoes. Load the closet following the method that each person uses to get dressed. This way, when you have finished unpacking each closet, the space within will be customized and optimized for each family member.

Kathi Burns

Founder - addSpace to Your Life!

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If I can provide more information about the housing market in general, or otherwise assist you in your homes search, please contact me by phone or text at (760) 840-1360
or email me at JDowler@remax.net.