Would you use an unpacker?

[user1497787065]

I have just been made redundant and am trying to think of any potential business I could start. Would anyone employ an unpacker for their new house after a move? I think organiser/de clutter has been tried out in my area or does anyone have any other great ideas?

[mangocoveredlamb]

I looked into it. It was too expensive!

[LilLilLu]

I probably would, but I am pretty lazy we still have unopened boxes under the stairs from when we moved in 4 years ago!

[Lilybet1980]

I’ve used packers but not unpackers. I think it would take months to find everything if someone else unpacked.

Don’t most removal companies offer packing and unpacking services anyway?

[Mosaic123]

Somebody with a bad back might use an unpacker.

[WhereOnEarthDoIStart]

I would use someone who could organise cleaning, painting, decorating with moving.

[WhoWouldHaveThoughtThat]

I have used packers and would do again, they were excellent, but I don't think I would ever use an unpacker as I feel there would be constant flow of questions "where do you want this?"

[burnoutbabe]

Nope, i have paid for packers but at that point you need it all packed up FAST

the unpacking can happen over weeks/ months and a chance to go through it as you do (or leave it and then chuck out).

[NotSuchASmugMarriedNow1]

I would if I could afford it. I would also pay for someone to come and decorate my house at xmas and halloween too but no-one near me offers such a service

[Shelley54]

We're getting removal quotes at the moment and there is an option for picking and an option for unpacking. I don't want unpacking - I want to pick where everything goes - and I certainly wouldn't go looking for another company to do the unpacking if I wanted it.

You might need to think about something else.

[Bargebill19]

When mil moved into an assisted living flat from a bungalow, I employed a complete home service - they came in and helped sort into packed boxes to take to her new home and recycling. They took everything away for us and recycled or skipped the rubbish. They wrapped and packed all her belongings, ensuring that we took what she needed in my car for her first night. At the other end they unpacked and put away everything from the kitchenware to her underwear and then removed all the packaging. They even put away all the food and hoovered.
It wasn’t cheap, but worth every single penny. Made a potentially stressful two day move across the uk very easy.
All we had to do was put stickers on everything she wanted to keep - so they knew what to pack and what to recycle. We were given about two weeks to do that, so we could be out of the way during most of the packing process (pub lunch and saying goodbye to neighbours!)

[picklemewalnuts]

@bargebill, how did she cope with the decision making part? That's where we8re hitting the wall.

OP, if you advertised an hourly/half day rate with people, they'd be clearer in their expectations. Older people need a range of services like this and generally around the house- reaching stuff, changing lightbulbs etc.

[User478]

My boss recently hired a "declutterer" to encourage her to throw out her stuff. She said the best bit about the service was that she took all the "bin/give away" stuff away herself so you didn't need to worry about going to the tip (or changing your mind)

A bit like Marie Kondo but less woo. (I think you can be an accredited Marie Kondo consultant, but the fee is £££)

[Bargebill19]

@picklemewalnuts

She handled it really well. (Very surprised).
She did WANT to move - it was her suggestion so I guess that helped as she knew she would have to downsize. Once the sale and purchase was completed we took her furniture shopping as she had never ever had furniture she wanted. (All of it was hand me downs) At 90 we thought was something she should have!! So that dealt with all the furniture (it was recycled).
Brand new kitchen appliances came with the flat.
That just left clothes and personal bits and bobs. I visited her everyday for a week and we did it room by room, I got some large packing boxes from the company we used and we put everything she wanted to keep into those boxes. We had some amazing chats brought about by discussing the history around here her possessions. More often it was ME who said I think you ought to keep xyz or hand it to one of her daughters/son, rather than recycle it.
It was very easy- she kept things like ornaments, books, photos etc.
Clothes I did have to be ruthless - no need to take worn out clothing or her deceased husband (of 5 years) wardrobe or shoes that didn’t fit. Again, we went clothes shopping as a treat.
It just meant I wasn’t having to do it all in moving day and look after a frail lady leaving her home of 30 years. I got to concentrate on her and her alone.

[Bargebill19]

Her new furniture (chairs, bed, tv etc) were all delivered to her new flat a week before moving in day. Again so that it was less stressful on moving in day. She wakes into her new flat and could sit straight down with a cup of tea and supervise before we went out for lunch (communal restaurant on site.) and meet other residents. When we came back, everything was unpacked and the movers/unpacked and tidied and just needed my signature and their tip!

[picklemewalnuts]

Gosh that sounds amazing! The polar opposite of what's happening with DM.

[Beetle76]

After reading the title, I came on here to say don’t do it as I thought you were considering using this kind of service. I have used an unpacking service offered through an international removals company before. It was nothing short of useless as hidden in their T’s & C’s was that they’d only unpack onto a flat surface and not into a cupboard eg. Counter top, table top etc and when they ran out of those, they unpacked all my worldly possessions onto the floor. I was spitting mad and it made a stressful move, with tight timing, even worse. Basically I paid well over the odds for them to make the house functionally unliveable for the better part of a week and to dispose of the packing materials.

That said, the “service” that they provided vs what you want to do is very different. If you specifically offer a service where you unpack and organise as you go, sounds great, but you’d probably have a limited client base.

I think that doing the packing is integral to this process as you’d declutter at that point, rather than at the other end. Maybe offer a down sizing service? I know many people who would love to be able to blame a neutral 3rd party when a beloved parent moans at them for ruining their life by making them get rid of their many, many possessions.

[Roselilly36]

A packing service for moving house is useful, unpacking service wouldn’t work as you need to know where things are and how you want your items put away for your ease. De clutter service could be useful for some, but most people I know used the lockdown to de clutter & organise their homes. Are you any good at putting together flat pack furniture, I think a lot of people would pay for that service.

[Bargebill19]

@picklemewalnuts

I will admit it made my life a lot easier. Moving is stressful, never mind being 90 and having never dealt with solicitors, banks, estate agents etc. As I was dealing with it for her, and my own job and home life- I threw money at the problem to make things nicer for her and easier for me. Hence furniture shopping, clothes shopping, and the complete home service.
The only ‘hitch’ was it snowed heavily on the drive from old home to new home. I didn’t plan for that!😳

[mayormaynot]

Ive always used packers and un packers. So much easier. You do your own private stuff (knickers etc) and they do the rest. Amazing!

[user1497787065]

Thank you for all your responses. Maybe I need to rethink.....