Off to College: Pt. 1, The Move

It’s back to school and a time for changing seasons! In our last series we talked about getting kids involved in cleaning. In this post, I want to address cleaning tips and tricks for students in college in addition to some fun tips for how to “do it all” whether you’re in your Freshman year or your last victory lap!

Part One: The Move

I have such fond memories of my very first apartment! Moving out on my own was a dream come true! I went down to school a couple weeks early just to get my home in order and secure a job. I worked from morning till night for the first several days until everything had a place.

Let’s face it, I wasn’t the typically college student. I did the dorm thing one semester and had my own place after that. I valued home life and wanted the quiet security found within my personal retreat.

I learned early on that when my home is neat and organized, I am positioned to thrive in other areas of life. It doesn’t just happen though, it takes work and maintenance.

Maintaining a system is much easier than starting a new one.

Whether you’re starting out or you’ve been on your own for awhile, don’t lose heart! It all begins with the first step.

I’ve moved 26 times! That’s right. Every move offers the best opportunity for a deep initial move in clean, decluttering, organizing, and it’s a great time to form new habits because you’re already in a transition.

I know that moving is hard work and there always seems to be a never ending list of things that need to be done, however, if you will take the time to move well and right, you will find that your space will become and remain much more neat and organized from the jump.

As you pack up, pair down. Use that time to get rid of stuff because you’ll save time, money, and effort if you can give it, sell it, or donate it before loading it into your moving truck.

Clean items as you go by wiping them off BEFORE you pack them away. Here’s the deal… when you step into your new clean abode, you don’t want to track all of your dirt and debris from your former house. At some point, everything will get dirty. EVERYTHING. So, be intentional about wiping things off and throwing out items that are unredeemable. This way, when you are in “nesting” mode, you will have the freedom to unpack everything and put it in it’s place without fear of making your new home dirty!

Before you do ANYTHING in your new home and before turning your keys in from your old home, TAKE PICTURES. You want to get pictures of all damages and make detailed notes. If there are any spots you couldn’t get clean, make mention of it. I strongly recommend getting your landlord to do a move out/move in walk through with you at the beginning and end of every move. This will protect your liability. It will also give your landlord a chance to point out any damages or cleaning that needs to be done so you can (hopefully) get your deposit back.

When we do move in/move out cleans, we always take before/after pictures. In a small apartment, we might end up with 60-150 and in larger homes we may have between 300-550 pictures.

I recommend taking photos from each corner of the room of the room itself, the floors, and the ceilings. Take up close photos with a standard sized item for scaling purposes of any damage, cleaning need, and/or areas of concern.

I always suggest planning a couple of days before you start unpacking to prep the new home. Obviously, if you’re moving a great distance or if you don’t want to have to pay double rent, you’ll need to pick a spot to keep everything while you do this. Pack a suitcase to live out of, plan to eat out or eat camping style (PBJ baby) for a couple of days.

Take time to wipe out cabinets, drawers, built ins, clean bathrooms, and wipe down the kitchen. This process should be minimal because most landlords will have already done this for you. If you intend to put down drawer liners, paint, or wallpaper, do it before you move everything in if at all possible. It’s a lot more challenging to work around items than it is to just get it over with.

Be sure to keep a few essential bathroom, kitchen, and sleeping items easily accessible so that you will be able to keep up with hygiene, eat, and sleep during your move. This bag of essentials will help you stay committed to your moving plan because your items will be easily accessible.

First things first. Place the furniture. Do not unpack boxes or nick knacks until your furniture is where you like it.

After the furniture is in place, unpack and organize. If you get to a point where you are stir crazy, switch to another task, but do not take on more than two unpacking projects at a time. Stay disciplined to see each task through and use playlists/sermons/ted talks, and audiobooks to keep yourself mentally entertained. Get a headset and make some catch up phone calls. Just keep moving and don’t turn on the TV.

Before you know it, everything will be in it’s place and you can hang and install decorations! I recommend installations for the end because you’ll find your tools by this point and if you do have to rearrange any furniture, you will know what wall space you are working with by this point.

Now that you’re home is in order, let’s talk about how to maintain it…