Thelife- I paid a company $2,000 to unpack my entire two-bedroom NYC apartment while I was abroad.
- My apartment was livable and cozy when I got home, and the service saved me weeks of work.
This summer, my family had to move to an apartment in New York City while we were in Switzerland for my husband's work.
Our home had to be ready in time for my son to start school in the fall, and I hate unpacking. So, while we were abroad, I researched unpacking services in NYC.
The ones we looked at ranged from a few hundred dollars for a basic consultation to over $6,000 for a three-day unpacking session with two expert organizers.
We ended up choosing Unpackd NYC, which costs about $500 per room for up to eight hours of work. Overall, it cost us $2,000 to have the team unpack our two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment on the Upper West Side.
Here's how it went.
The service included things like unpacking boxes and hanging art
Via email, Unpackd NYC told me they unpack all boxes to the extent of my storage available and hang things like artwork and drapes to make my space as much of a home as possible. They don't connect any electronics or unpack personal or business-related paperwork, but everything else is pretty much fair game unless I mark it "don't touch."
Notably, our main moving company had already set up our big pieces of furniture and rugs. We also had a handyman install floating shelves and the TV (something Unpackd won't handle). Still, our place was filled with boxes.
Before the Unpackd team came to the apartment, I sent over notes with general guidance and some specific instructions, like how I wanted part of my son's bed to be transformed into a fort.
But for the most part, I left my apartment in their hands.
I returned home to a completely set-up apartment that just needed a few tweaks
After the team finished, I received an email with notes and photos of my unpacked apartment. Seeing the pictures of our apartment with photos on the walls and no boxes in sight made me feel instantly more at ease.
The team recommended I add a lounge chair in the corner of our bedroom and told me they didn't hang my curtains because the built-in shades worked well, and they didn't want to block our view.
Everything was set up as described — even my son's fort — and I could enjoy that first weekend in our new place rather than stressing about a mountain of cardboard.
Overall, our apartment was totally liable and curated decor-wise, but it was about 98% set up how I wanted it long-term. It's understandably hard to know exactly how a family lives daily so there were items we used frequently in hard-to-access places and vice-versa.
That just meant we spent a few hours rearranging the closets, cabinets, and drawers to get them to a place that worked for us. We'll also likely change up some of the hanging art.
But, overall, the work was way less intense than if we had to start from the beginning.
I'm beyond happy that I hired an unpacking service
The unpacking service saved us weeks of work and I'd use it again for another move.
The $2,000 I paid felt worth the time and energy I saved, but I wouldn't spend over $6,000 for a service like this.
I could also see how unpacking services like these would be invaluable to many people, including professionals with hectic schedules, families with little ones, and people with health challenges that can make moving difficult.