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Tips on Unpacking After Moving

Successful and stress-free unpacking after your move starts with the decluttering and packing up phase!
By · Updated June 22, 2026
Tips on Unpacking After Moving

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Successful and stress-free unpacking after your move starts with the decluttering and packing up phase!

When you set goals, what you’re doing is creating actions on your to-do list as part of your future planning because you desire a certain outcome and, in this case, easy, breezy happy unpacking!

Your goal is to get from Point A to Point B with the less stress possible.

1. Decluttering Is Beautiful

Decluttering has the be one of the most therapeutic aspects of moving house.  Honestly, it’s like a huge weight has been lifted off your shoulders and to be fair; a lot of weight is removed from the actual moving stage.

One approach you can take is to first of all get rid of everything you absolutely know you don’t need and take it straight to the tip, and only if you think it is of value, drop it off at your local charity shop.

Please, please don’t take any clothing or other items that can’t be resold or reused.  We’ve all heard those nightmares from the charity shop volunteers who do an absolutely amazing job describing some of what is dropped off!

As far as clothes the rule of thumb is if you haven’t worn them over the last year, get rid of them.

Ok, so you’ve done the first declutter. Now go back over everything else in the garage, spare room, shed etc and ask yourself - am I really going to wear that again or are we really going to need that? Be a bit brutal. Why lug around stuff from one house to the next when you absolutely won’t need it again? 

2. Packing Up Ready to Go

Start collecting moving boxes so when you pack up you have plenty on hand.  Also, remember the breakables will need protection from any damage, so collect newspapers to wrap your precious breakables up to help eliminate or at least, minimise any breaks.

Break down each room and you can assign a room each to your family members, housemates etc. Of course, everyone should do their own room and then you can share out the other rooms.

Make sure you have sharpies and labels at the ready so you can clearly write on each box what goes where eg. kitchen, bathroom etc. Another good tip, apart from just writing Kitchen on a box, we recommend you write Kitchen and a few items and what cupboard it came from so you can visualise what’s in the box ready to be unpacked at the other end.  Better still, take a photo on your phone before you tape up your box so you know what’s in them at the other end.

Big, black bin bags are great to pack up all your clothes into and then just have a label so you know whose room that goes into at your new place. It makes life a lot less stressful and if you’re clever enough to use a professional moving company it’s super easy for you to direct what goes where at the other end.

Remember at the other end, instead of trying to do it all yourself, think of yourself as the conductor.  You’ve got those handy goals around what you want to achieve (a smooth and easy shift) and now you have to orchestrate what goes where the easy way.  A goal is only ever as successful as the actual implementation!

With moving day looming, Wise Move is ready to make your move so much easier. Book the best movers for trusted, affordable, and professional moving support from start to finish. Our moving teams can handle the careful packing, lifting, transport, and delivery, so you can move with less stress and more confidence.

Moving companies services at low-cost

Budget-friendly moving service. Trusted by thousands of customers across NZ. Door to Door delivery. Same Day service. Fixed Prices.
What are you moving?
Newshub Stuff NZ Herald

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Reviewed 18 hours ago
We had Jatinder and Lockie help pack and move our 2 bedroom house. I cannot recommend these guys enough. Absolutely fantastic service. Very prompt communication and very well prepped. Called to check how much packing materials would be needed for the move. I was recovering from a surgery the guys literally did everything. Everything was packed with such care and extremely efficient. The entire house was packed, labelled and loaded on the truck in a couple of hours. Everything was unloaded and boxes left in the appropriate space which made unpacking for us a lot easier and didnt have to worry about lifting things up the stairs. I was extremely impressed by their professionalism and both guys were very friendly and lovely to deal with. Would highly recommend. We will be definitely getting them again for any future moves.
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Noeline
Reviewed 23 hours ago
Excellent communication, and the item was collected and delivered as promised. The only thing that bothered me, was that I was told that the items would be wrapped to protect them and they were not. But no problem, they arrived safe and sound in good condition. Very happy with this service and would highly recommend it.

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