tips Archives

May, 2019

5 Cleaning Tips You Need Before Moving Into Your New Apartment

You’re probably too excited to move into your new apartment or house. Perhaps you already have a picture of what you want your new home to look like. Unfortunately, it’s not always a smooth transition with previous tenants leaving behind some filthy remnants or the dust gathering in every corner of the house due to no occupancy. Your new home needs some deep cleaning before you even start unpacking. Here are five cleaning tips to get you started.

1. Start high

Dust settles everywhere, but the floors and countertops don’t hold much due to regular cleaning. On the other hand, ceiling fans, top shelves, and overhead lighting fixtures are notorious for getting grimy since they don’t get the cleaning touch regularly. It would be logical to start from the top, clean all the items and fittings placed high in every room then recollect all the dirt at the bottom.

2. Replacing the toilet seat

The toilet seat is certainly one of the most important seats in a home. The thought that anyone else used that seat regardless of the hygiene levels can make you sick. Make a quick stop at the store and get yourself a new toilet seat and cover. They are easy to install and equally inexpensive. The next stop is scrubbing the toilet hard with some bleach and toilet detergent to give it a sparkling look and a freshened smell. Don’t forget to give the floors a good scrub too.

3. Disinfect bathrooms

Everyone likes a clean bathroom where you can look up to every day after a hectic workday. Whether it’s a shower, tub or both, you will need to scrub through all the surfaces in that room. For easy cleaning, a new clean sponge and dish soap will do the trick. If there are any stains, you may want to turn to a tougher detergent and baking soda. Be sure to sanitize the soap dish, light switches, door handles, faucets, and sinks. The medicine cabinets and any other shelves located in the bathroom should count in the in-depth cleaning process. This should leave your bathroom clean and germ-free.

4. Clean the refrigerator

A deep scrub for the fridge is vital whether the appliance looks clean or not. Throw away any food leftovers from the refrigerator. Detach the shelves and drawers and wash them independently in some warm water and soap. For the interior part of the fridge, mix equal parts of water and white vinegar and dip in a clean sponge or rag to clean all the surfaces. Repeat the process with clean water to take out any remaining streaks of food left behind.

5. Finish with the bottom

Now that everything located at the top looks and feels clean, you are ready to finish with the floors. You could start by sweeping and discarding all the dirt and debris. Depending on your type of floor, you will mop gently, cleaning the top surface from corner to corner. For instance with wood floors, you are not required to use water, get a wood-cleaning detergent that’s safe for the wooden floors. For carpet cleaning, you will want to use a steam cleaner or call in a professional cleaner to handle the tasks that you are conversant with.

Using these five tips, you should be able to finish the entire cleaning process. The tips will usher you into a clean house that you can comfortably turn into a home.

Sep, 2018

Professional Packing Tips for Boxing Up Your Bedrooms

It can be tricky to pack your bedroom for moving because there are so many different items of wildly varying sizes. Many of those items are also fragile, which makes things even more complicated! On the bright side, there are a few tricks you can use to make the whole process a little bit quicker and easier.

Your Clothes are Padding

Your bedroom will have a lot of fragile items that need padding to survive transportation. It will also have a lot of clothes and other textiles. You can use those soft items as padding to keep the fragile ones in good shape. Simply wrap the fragile objects in a layer of clothing or blankets, and use a little bit of stretch wrap or even tape to hold them in position. This will save space because you don’t need to add more packing material to your boxes, and it will also keep the cost of moving down because it is a good alternative to paying for enough bubble wrap to keep everything safe.

Label Everything

Organization is the key to success when moving. It is especially important for the bedroom because you will need to get that ready quickly after you move if you want to go to bed on time. The most important thing that you can do is to keep your boxes organized and labeled. That will ensure that you can find things quickly when you need them. Your labels should be durable and easy to identify at a glance. There are a lot of little tricks for labeling boxes, but Martha Stewart recommends using color coding and large text to make sure you can identify boxes quickly.

Carry Valuables

Many people keep jewelry or other personal valuables in their bedrooms. They tend to be fragile, easy to lose, and extremely hard to replace, which makes it incredibly stressful to pack them up for moving. You will probably feel much better and keep those items more secure if you carry them yourself rather than packing them with the rest of your possessions. If that isn’t an option, your best bet is to wrap the pieces in bubble wrap or another protective layer and put them in a box with compartments. Many jewelry boxes will work, but a fishing tackle box is a great choice if you need to buy something new.

Purge Unused Items

Moving gives you a great excuse to sort through your closet and get rid of the items that you never wear. After all, it makes no sense to waste time, energy, and space on packing things that you don’t need. Simply take the time to look through all of your clothes before you pack them and sort out the ones that you don’t want to keep. There are a lot of techniques that you can use to make this easier if you are having trouble making decisions, so try them all out and use the one that works best for yours.

If you still need help with packing for your move, enlist a moving company! Most moving companies offer packing as an additional service to help moving customers. Use this guide from Keller Williams San Antonio to find the mover that’s right for you.

Aug, 2018

Cross-Country Moving Guide: Costs, Tips & More to Plan Your Move

Moving across the country is a bit more detailed than moving to another city or down the street. There are more costs involved, and you will spend more time on the road unless you’re able to fly to the area you’ll be living. Fortunately, there are a few tips that you can follow to make the move easier so that you can enjoy this new chapter in your life.

What Are The Costs?

When you begin making your budget to move across the country, you need to factor in a few different things. Most of the time, it will take about $1,000 to get everything moved. If you have vehicles that are large enough so that you don’t have to hire a moving company, then you can save money. However, if you don’t have trucks or vans, then you can rent these vehicles so that you don’t have to hire movers, which can save you money as well. You should also factor in food that you’ll have to purchase while on the road as well as what you’ll pay for a hotel room if you plan on stopping to sleep at night.

Make A Checklist

Before packing anything or getting your belongings into a moving truck, you need to make a checklist. It should include all of the tasks that you have to complete in order to get everything turned on in your new home as well as what you’re going to do with your pets and what items you’re not going to take with you. Your checklist should include the things that you need to do each week as well as things that you need to do to get prepared during the few days before you move.

Hire Movers

If you’re planning on using a moving company, then compare a few different ones so that you can get the best rates and movers who have the most experience handling furniture and other items that you have in your home that are fragile, such as electronics. Find a moving company that offers insurance in case there are any issues with your belongings getting damaged during the move.

Take Inventory

While you’re packing clothes, toys, dishes, and other items in your home, think about what you really need to keep and what you can sell, throw away, or donate. Use the time that you’re moving to get rid of clothing that no longer fits or belongings in your home that are broken. Items that can still be used but that you don’t want can be donated to someone in need or sold so that you can make extra money for your move across the country.

Keeping Kids Happy

Moving across the country with kids can be a challenge. Explain to them why you have to go to a different home in another state. Talk about the benefits as well as what you can do as a family to have fun. Pack a few games and activities in your car to give your kids something to do while you’re on the road.

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