House Cleaning, Moving Tips
When it comes time to ready for a move, one of the most impactful things you can do is to properly organize your belongings. One way to effectively accomplish this is embracing the famous method of Marie Kondo known as the KonMari method. You might have seen her show on Netflix or heard of her bestselling book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.” Read on to learn more about the KonMari method of tidying up:
It’s a Minimalist Approach
The theme of Marie Kondo’s method is to discard items that lack value and then to properly tidy and/or organize the remaining items. When you determine if an item has value to you, you have to consider if the item serves a role or sparks joy. If not, it needs to go.
There is a Proper Way to Go Through Your Items
It’s overwhelming to think about organizing your home in its entirety. However, by following the KonMari method, each space is broken down into more digestible units. For example, you go through a room in the following manner, discarding items in this order:
Utilize Subcategories Within These Broad Categories
When you are organizing your items, it might be necessary to break down your items within subcategories. For example, when organizing clothing, you might need to break down into tops, hanging clothes, folding clothes, skirts, pants, underwear, socks, etc.
Once You Have Minimized, Move to Organization
Once you have given your house a once over and gotten rid of any items that don’t spark joy, it’s time to organize what’s left. By doing this, you will make the packing process much easier as you will know where everything is and where it needs to go in your new space. Using the KonMari method, you will do this by following two basic rules:
- Store items of the same type in the same place: For example, don’t have magazines, books, shirts, shoes, etc. stored in various locations within the same room.
- Keep storage space together: When storing items don’t spread it out over several rooms, keep it all in one general location.
The KonMari Folding Method
Perhaps more famous than her book is Mari’s method of folding clothes when storing. Her folding method stands clothes in an upright manner, folded so that a glimpse into your drawer will allow you to see all the shirts, shorts, skirts, etc. you have available. The theory is that when you stack clothes in a traditional method, you can’t see what you have and end up forgetting items. This way, you can see what you have at a glimpse.
Do it All At Once, Not a Little at a Time
Finally, to completely embrace the KonMari method, you need to do all your organizing and discarding at once. The term in Japanese it ikki ni. This means “in one go.” This means don’t go through your home a little at a time, but instead take a day or two and finish the job completely.
In conclusion, organizing your home using the KonMari method with make the process of packing, moving and then unpacking so much easier. You will find less to move and what remains will already have an assigned space. Therefore, why not try it to make your upcoming move as easy as possible?
Sources:
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/organizing/a25846191/what-is-the-konmari-method/
Marie Kondo — The Japanese Tidying Master (#234)
House Cleaning, Moving Tips
The act of moving as in transporting your belongs from one location to another place of residence presents an ideal opportunity for you to downsize/organize your possessions and belongings. The following are just a few of the many benefits of reducing the clutter, or purging the stuff, in your life:
Less Things to Pack And Subsequently Move
Obviously, one major benefit of getting rid of clutter is simply having less stuff to pack and then move. When it comes time to move, you will be glad you did this!
Make a Little Money
Another benefit of getting rid of excess belongings is making a little money. You can do this by having a yard sale, selling items on Ebay or on Facebook Yardsale or other similar sites. Of course, you could also donate items to a charity, and write the donation off on your taxes for a similar financial boost.
It Helps Out Others
Speaking of charities, they are helped immensely by people like you, donating unneeded items to charities that either give it to needy individuals or sell it at a cheap rate. Even if you simply sell items at a yard sale at discounted rates, you are helping others out by allowing them to get items, which are in good used condition, at a fraction of the cost they would pay for them in a store.
Science Says its Healthier
According to science, clutter is generally unhealthy. As stated in Psychology Today, “clutter can have quite the psychological effect.” It’s easy to believe this, simply think about how a cluttered or messy desk or kitchen makes you feel. It causes your heart to race and that feeling of dread to come over you. Clutter is like that on steroids. Therefore, removing it from your life, ensuring everything has a place, will create an atmosphere of peace and calmness in your home.
Makes It Easier for You to Find Possessions, Saving You Time
It would be interesting to determine how much of our time we spend trying to find lost or misplaced items. Having a home that is cluttered and overfilled, of course, only increases the likelihood that you will waste time regularly performing tasks. Therefore, in order to cut down on stress, and save yourself valuable time, you need to organize your home, and declutter.
It Will Help You Sleep Better
A new sleep study noted on Today.com discovered that people who sleep in a cluttered room have a high risk of developing a hoarding disorder and are more likely to develop a sleep disorders. Therefore, a well organized room will help you catch more zzz’s.
It Makes You Moody
Clutter can be considered “visual noise.” As such, clutter often makes you “feel” bad or moody. In essence, it causes you to feel like your life isn’t exactly together. This relation between moodiness and/or well being and clutter was proven by researchers at UCLA’s Center on Everyday Lives and Families. It was discovered through this and other studies that “It turns out that clutter has a profound effect on our mood and self-esteem.”
The above are just some benefits associated with a well-organized, clutter free home. If you are nearing a move, now is the perfect time to get your house in order and even if you aren’t, there are still many benefits of organizing your living space as evidenced by the above.
Sources:
https://www.bustle.com/articles/136499-6-benefits-of-decluttering-your-life-according-to-science
https://www.forbes.com/sites/houzz/2017/01/31/10-good-reasons-to-get-rid-of-your-stuff/#6b5c522273f1
https://livingwellmom.com/1-moving-tip-turn-chaos-into-organized-sanity/
House Cleaning
Moving is an exciting time and most are thinking more about the new place they will live. But before you say “Home Sweet Home,” it is important to leave out the welcome mat for the new owners with a proper house cleaning. You also will smile a lot wider if you hire a maid cleaning service before you turn the key to your own front door.
You may have a house that is sparkling clean in every season, but we can assure you that during a move dust and places that were impossible for you to reach will be unearthed. Even if you are a fantastic house keeper there are many reasons you will want to consider opening your pocketbook to choose a maid to do a professional job. Moving is a very busy time and the thought of adding a deep, intense cleaning job of both your old home and then your new home in a very time sensitive manner is often too much for most homeowners to think about.
Move out cleaning is important, not simply to make the new homeowners welcome but often this is part of your home’s sale contract. You are required to turn it over to the new homeowner in a clean and ready to move in condition. Don’t laugh – there are plenty of new homeowners who have arrived with their moving truck to discover rooms in homes that still have toys children didn’t want to take with them, broken appliances or a dirty, dingy condition that they first have to hire a cleaning service to take care of.
Remember to let any cleaning service know about any specifics regarding your house cleaning needs. If you are moving in to your new place and prefer that they only use green cleaning products, then be certain they know this in advance. If you are moving out of your old home and you know that certain cleaning products work the best, consider leaving behind yours (as it is doubtful you will move with them already opened) or ask if they clean with these products so the new homeowners walk in to a beautiful home.
Here are some questions to ask before you hire any house cleaning company, whether for move in clean or move out cleaning:
“Do you have experience with cleaning for homeowners who are moving in or out?” This is an important question to ask a cleaning service because it will let you know if they’ve done this work before.
“Can you give me references that I can contact?” Any maid or house cleaning company you are considering should be able to supply you with at least several references to check.
“We are moving on June 1st and need someone to clean within 24 hours of this date. Can you guarantee that this will be done?” If you’ve already confirmed your maid or service has experience with homeowners who have moved, you need to know if they can accommodate your schedule.
If you are uncertain about how to find a move out cleaning service or a maid, consider contacting family and friends as they may have a recommendation. You could also ask your real estate agent as they have likely helped others find this service.
