I feel like the nitty gritty of home ownership gets overlooked round here, because it isn’t a “tutorial”. So, today I am writing about one of the basics of home ownership, how to face a “new” house with moving tips you need before you move in.
Many of us have moved into a new “to us”, (in other words, “old”) house. Be it a rental, or a purchase, doesn’t matter, but it can be REALLY daunting about what to try and get done before moving in. So, I wanted to share what we usually do.
Here are 5 things I do when I move into a house, no fail-
5 Moving Tips; What to do before moving in!
Kill the bugs. ALL The BUGS!
Wow, I don’t mean to sound psycho, but I don’t like bugs in my house. I try to keep my girls from hurting bugs outside. I think (*unless you are a black widow or a hornet or a wasp) you *mostly have a right to live outside in my yard. (I shudder just thinking about this! Yuck!) Once you (meaning a bug) get into my house, you have forfeited your right to life. I just can’t relax in a place with bugs!
Okay, so you understand, I am not a fan of bugs, and if the house has been around for a while, I really like to make sure it is cleaned up before I move in or bring my stuff in. There is a new product that not only kills bugs, but kills germs too, Hot Shot® Ant and Roach plus Germ Killer. I love that you can kill the bugs and the germs in one shot. Follow all the instructions on the can. Follow the directions, spray doors and window frames, or any existing trails to help get rid of ants. Also, I would at least spray along the bottom of baseboards, where the floor meets the baseboard, (and bugs like to hide!) around and beneath appliances in a kitchen, beneath sinks and behind toilets. The good news is you’ve killed germs and ants or roaches in one shot!
Clean The Stuff….
Moving into a house is exhausting. I feel like if you can clean the space BEFORE moving in, you will help yourself feel more comfortable about relaxing in the space.
I am NOT a clean freak guys, but I can tolerate my germs better than other people’s left behind germs. And sorry but on a new (old) house, I like REALLY disinfecting things. Remember to truly disinfect, you need to allow cleaning products to sit for 10 minutes and do their job before wiping off.
If doing this yourself is too daunting or maybe it is too scary, consider hiring a service to come and clean.
If the home has carpets, and they are not being replaced, now ts the time to get them cleaned. Don’t skimp on this one, find the best service out there. When we moved into our last house there were a couple stains on the carpets. We got a deal on getting them cleaned, BUT they actually made the stains BIGGER! I din’t’ realize that could happen, I also didn’t think the stains could come out. A couple years later, when I paid to have another company I trusted come out, guess what, they removed the stains all together… I wish I had just spent the $30 difference the first time around.
And did you know that some companies offer a tile cleaning service. Again in our last house, the tile was SO gross I just couldn’t face it. We had them high power clean it for us and got it squeeky clean. Worth every penny!
Plug in Air Fresheners
Okay so this may just be me, but I really like my home to smell like MY house. One of the first things I do is buy a set of air fresheners in a scent I really like. Plug them in throughout your house, or you can diffuse essential oils to help the space smell good and like home. This is probably the easiest thing I do. So definitely do this!
Set up a Place to Relax
Moving is SO tiring! So set up a place to sit and relax. There is NOTHING harder than moving a million boxes or unpacking a million boxes and then having to sit on the floor and not feel comfortable. Even a few camping chairs helps.
On the day of the move, if at all possible, set up your bed first thing. Make it nicely with fresh sheets and lots of pillows so you can crash on it at the end of the day and don’t have to make beds after an exhausting day! (this one takes a bit of forethought when packing up the last house. So be sure you put some clean sheets aside so that you know where everything is.
Change the Locks
If at all possible, change all the locks right away. There is nothing like the peace of mind that changing the locks gives.
Let me tell you a personal story… I will be honest, we didn’t do that right away with one of my houses. Well, about 3 months later some large, gruff, random man knocks on my door and hands me a key to MY house…. What the what? Apparently the family selling the home, had a little disagreement about who was buying the house, and one sibling didn’t return the key when they were supposed to, and had access to my house for 3 months…
Learn from my mistake people, change the locks, ASAP! You don’t know what neighbor has a spare key to your house… just change the locks. Just do it! Yikes!
A few other great ideas…
- Add organizing systems to closets- now is the time people! Before packing them full of stuff!
- Paint- if at all possible! A clean coat of paint helps you appreciate a new house, without needing to remodel right away… something to consider!
- Set up utilities ASAP (This is sort of a no brainer! But ya know it is important!)
- New switch plates on lights, and plugs. A relatively inexpensive project for a nice clean look!
- Have the mechanical systems serviced! Heaters checked for cracks! Have the ducts vacuumed out! Change the air filter in your HVAC system, nice clean air quality!
- Replace batteries on all smoke detectors.
- Install a Carbon monoxide detector
- Clean the windows
- Have the fireplace flew swept!
- Install blinds if needed!
What great moving tips do you have to share? I want to hear your tricks and tips! Tell us in the comments!!
*This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hot Shot® Insecticides. All opinions are my own.
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