The moving truck is long gone and your friends have bid you adieu — after eating the last slice of pizza. Now it’s just you and your new apartment, which looks like a bomb went off. How do you make yourself feel at home with everything in disarray?
Read on for tips to make your new apartment feel like your new home — quickly!
Unpack your priority box
If you followed Apartment Guide’s packing tips, you had the foresight to pack a “priority box,” one that has all the stuff you’re going to want access to first. Unpacking these items is your first step to putting everything else in order.
The inventory of this box will vary, but should include vital items such as toiletries, small electronics (iPod, alarm clock), important documents, sheets, towels, a shower curtain and cleaning supplies. Your cleaning items should include paper towels, counter spray, gloves, sponges and garbage bags. You should also pack some non-perishable food to tide you over until you can make a grocery run. And don’t forget the coffee maker and some mugs!
Bedroom first
What are you absolutely going to want to do before your first night in your new apartment is through? Sleep!
With that thought in mind, take care of your bed first. Get your favorite sheets, blankets and pillows on the bed and set up your bedside table. Now you can put your lamp and alarm clock where they belong.
Next, make sure that the only boxes in your bedroom are those containing bedroom items. Place your dresser where you want it and start putting away some clothes to get you through the next few days, both in drawers and the closet. Take all the empty boxes out of the room, break them down and store them away or remove them for recycling.
Place furniture
Now it’s time to arrange the furniture in your other rooms, focusing on one room at a time. Getting bookcases assembled and placed is especially important, so that you can quickly empty boxes of books and CDs. You’ll need to have an orderly place to sleep, bathe, eat and relax as soon as possible, so you might want to consider focusing on rooms in that order. Of course, if you have work to get to right away, setting up your desk will be a priority.
Unpacking
Make sure that each room contains only boxes that belong in that room and begin the real work — unpacking them. To make yourself more at home, unpack the items that you use the most and will give you the most comfort first.
With unpacking, slow and steady wins the race. If you don’t have a lot of belongings and you’ve done plenty of sorting before packing, it won’t take you long. If your situation is more cumbersome, don’t burn yourself out. Set reasonable goals each day. As you finish your unpacking for the day, make sure that all empty boxes leave your apartment to help eliminate clutter.
Decorating
Once you’ve got everything stowed away, it’s time to decorate your new home. Creating a new decor doesn’t have to happen overnight, but you can make a few touches to feel at home right away. If you have favorite wall hangings, get them up. A vase of fresh flowers adds immediate color and atmosphere. Framed photographs of family and friends, travel mementos or your most treasured display collection can all instantly add your imprint to your new apartment and help you feel at home.
See, that wasn’t so bad! Managing stress, making steady unpacking progress, and placing familiar items all add up to feeling more at home in your new apartment.
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