Many people like to think of moving as an opportunity to reduce the amount of “junk” they keep in their household, and even ”downsize” or simplify their style. While moving is not necessarily a good time to completely redecorate or choose all new furnishings, it is a reasonable time to get rid of many items, through a moving sale or as sometimes referred to as tag sale or garage sale. It is also a good opportunity to give an entire house a good and thorough cleaning. While this may not be necessary according to the terms of a real estate contract, most homeowners make moving and packing their one last chance to do some of the cleaning that they hadn’t gotten around to before the move.

 

Because moving and packing is usually tackled in a room by room approach, it is possible to clean many areas of a home as they are packed up. Many people begin sorting through their possessions by looking at areas of little use, including the garage, shed, attic and basement. These areas are not frequently cleaned either, and when emptying them prior to a move it is a good idea to address their floors and windows at the very least. This is also a good way to ensure that possessions are not forgotten in a dark corner either.

 

While cleaning up infrequently used areas is easy during the packing and moving process, keeping frequently used areas free of the signs of daily life may not be. It is a good idea to lay down some ground rules when approaching the final weeks of packing in order to allow for a thorough cleaning of certain rooms as they are packed and emptied. This usually includes:

• Distinct areas for the relocating of unwanted or discarded items
• Larger containers for regular trash and recyclable items
• Encouraging the use of any canned goods and frozen foods in the home which would either have to be given away or discarded just before moving day
• Identifying rooms that are “off limits” because they have all ready been emptied or cleaned• Identifying rooms that are “off limits” because they have all ready been emptied or cleaned

 

Many homeowners pack up items that they do not need on a daily basis in the weeks before moving day, and this includes:
• Packing up books and cleaning bookcases or other such pieces
• Emptying china cabinets and preparing them for the move
• Emptying closets and vacuuming or cleaning them
• Cleaning any “spare” bedrooms or guest bathrooms after which they are “off limits” while considering hiring a professional carpet cleaning company
• Packing such items as photo albums, framed art and anything from the walls which allows for holes to be filled or “spackled” long before moving day

 

Finally, in the week before moving day most people will address areas such as the kitchen and bathrooms which can be emptied as much as possible.

 

Many people create a cleaning kit that remains unpacked until the final hours in their old home, and which is one of the first things to appear out of a moving van in the new location. Usually it consists of a vacuum cleaner, mop, broom and dust pan, bucket, garbage bags and various cleaning supplies. It may also contain some basic hand tools that will help with the unpacking and settling in process as well, including a few box knives to help open up all of those recently packed boxes.