Anyone who has ever done it knows that moving can be hectic. After all, picking up an entire household and putting it in a new space is no small feat. Most people can not afford to stay in a hotel while setting up the new household. You may find yourself living in the middle of an active construction zone for some time. Here are some tips for unpacking to make your life a little easier while moving into your new home.

Create a Retreat Space

Most people will tell you to unpack the kitchen first because it’s the place you will use the most. This isn’t a bad idea, but because unpacking may take a while it might be better to first set up a retreat area where you can put your couch and TV as well as entertain the kids. This a temporary area away from the boxes and chaos where you can retreat when you need a break. There will be lots of cleaning, unpacking and putting things together and this will give you a place to sit and relax when you get tired.

Unpack Only What You Need

The next step is to unpack only the bare essentials of what you will need to survive for the next few days while you are unpacking and organizing your new home. Once your home is livable, you will have access to all of your home goods. Until then, your home will be easier to organize if you find places to put things as you open them, rather than opening everything at once.

Start With the Most Important Room

Now, you can work on your kitchen. It’s the room that is used the most and the one that will likely require the most work. You will need to clean and install appliances, set clocks and organize all of your kitchenware from knives and spoons to pots and pans. You will also need to find storage for your food items.

RELATED: Make the Most of Your New Kitchen

The next room you should unpack is the bathroom. If you have multiple bathrooms, just do one and come back to the others when the rest of the house is unpacked. For obvious reasons, you will need at least one functional bathroom to get you and your family through this process.

Everyone Can Pitch In

The next things to be done are the bedrooms. If a child is old enough to read, then they are old enough to help unpack their own belongings. Obviously, adults will need to put beds together and move furnishings such as desks or dressers. However, most children can and open boxes and put

• Clothes in dressers
• Toys in bins
• Books on shelves

They can also make beds, which should probably be one of the first things done in their new bedrooms.

The last room should be the living room. Once you know that every family member has their room squared away and the kitchen and bathrooms are settled, you can tidy and decorate the living room.

When you move, everyone is likely to offer their own helpful tips for unpacking. As long as you have a clear and logical regiment for setting your house in order, things should go pretty smoothly. These tips for unpacking your house should help keep you on track to getting your new home in order as quickly and easily as possible.