Moving is an exciting, yet stressful adventure. It’s a chance for a fresh start and a new home for all of your belongings. If you are like most people, when you move from one home to another, you most likely clean the home you’re leaving so it will be ready for the next tenants. Hopefully the home you’re moving into looks clean as well. But, moving also means you will want to make changes in your new home, especially in the kitchen and the best time to make changes is before it is crowded with all of your stuff. Since the kitchen is typically the most popular room in the house, here are five things you should do in the kitchen prior to the day the moving company arrives with your boxes.
Change the Walls
If you love the layout of the kitchen, but aren’t so fond of the wall color, now is the time to change it. A fresh coat of paint will not only brighten the kitchen up, but it will help give it a clean, new feeling as well. It will be much easier to paint and/or hang wallpaper while the kitchen is empty than trying to move things around later on just to safely start the project.
Inspect the Appliances
If the appliances came with your new home, the first thing you should do is make sure they work. Appliances can break down and it’s much easier to ensure they work before moving in than to find out when you’re cooking your first meal that a burner or two doesn’t work on the stove. Pull out the stove and the refrigerator to make sure there isn’t any damage to the wiring, turn on the oven and the burners, check the ice maker and the temperature in the refrigerator and run the dishwasher through a full cycle. If there is a problem with anything, contact the landlord as soon as possible to make repairs before you move in.
Deep Clean
Although you thoroughly cleaned your previous home before moving out, it doesn’t mean that the previous tenants of your new home were as thorough. Giving the kitchen a good cleaning before you move in means you can unpack in a clean kitchen, put items in clean cabinets and not have to worry about finding a buildup of grease behind the stove later on. Start with the big things, such as cleaning the stove and fridge inside and out and don’t forget to clean behind the appliances. Wipe the cabinets out, clean the countertops and the sink, clean the baseboards, wipe down the walls and give the floor a good sweeping and mopping.
Measure Twice, Unpack Once
Whether you are using organizers you already have or you have to buy new ones, this is the perfect time to measure the drawers and cabinet space. Remember to measure the storage location according to the items that will be stored there. For example, if you plan on putting the dinnerware in the cabinet closest to the dishwasher make sure to measure the shelving area as well as the height of each shelf to ensure there is enough room for all of the plates to be stacked together, the bowls together and etc.
Where’s it Going to Go?
After the kitchen has been scrubbed and you’ve made sure everything works, it’s time to plan where you will put everything. Dividing the kitchen into working zones will help you to have more organization as well as make it easier to do certain tasks. For example, if you’re a baker, try to create a baking station that includes a cabinet to hold the pots and pans you use for baking as well as countertop space to display the canisters that contain flour, sugar and other baking ingredients. To make unpacking go quicker, put post-it notes in the working zone listing the items that belong there (don’t forget to mark the boxes with working zones as well).
Now your new kitchen is clean, fresh and ready for you to begin your fresh new start. Remember when you are packing to move to pack items according to their new space and to clearly mark the boxes with the room they will go in as well as what’s inside the box. This will help unpacking go smoother with the moving company and if you want to put off the unpacking, you’ll know right away which box the coffee maker is in and which box has your blankets.
Before you get started cleaning, packing and moving, be sure to contact Patriot Relocation Company for more helpful tips that save you time and money, which lead to a less stressful move.