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| image from MorgueFile |
As you all know, Justin and I are in the throes of moving. One of the positives is that our [current] house has been sold and will be torn down which means no major move-out cleaning for us! Yay! The negative, of course, being that 1) we have to move without actually wanting to and 2) the cute little house we are currently in will be torn down to build a bigger, fancier, more expensive house. :( One of the charms of the area we currently live in is the wide variety of house styles that date back to the 1920s with more current styles being those of y'know … 2014. I would certainly hate to see the day when all of the 1920s style houses are torn down and replaced with *just* the more recent styles. That would really depress me. :(
Given that we had a month and a half to move, we are progressing slowly and spending time going through every bit of junk we currently own. We're recycling, trashing, selling, organizing, fixing, and cleaning every single thing.
Cleaning Tips
1) Over the weekend I learned that mixing a bit of salt and white vinegar into a paste works wonderfully for getting that baked on gunk off of casserole dishes! Woot! They look like new again! But then we forgot to include the lids in the moving box…
2) We bought those rejuvenate wood markers at Home Depot. The ones that get the drink rings off of wood work great! I simply cleaned with a dust cleaner, used the pens on the areas that wouldn't come clean, and went over my pen markings with a paper towel to get the excess pen fluid off the wood. It looks as good as new! The wood-colored markers that cover scratches however don't work as well on all types of wood. I found that on the black painted bedroom furniture, the wood-colored markers worked wonderfully. (How did we scratch it up so much?!) On our dining room furniture, the markers looked red rather than brown. Perhaps we can use some wood stain to fix that instead?!
3) The refinish grout markers do make bathroom grout look amazing, but I strongly doubt I will be using them again. Obviously, when I have my own house, I will just re-do the grout (and probably the tile). I'm all for a cleaner look, but I actually want the floor to BE cleaner.
Organizing Tips for Moving
1) Justin and I have been going through everything and when we box things, I am certain to label everything. There is always that off-chance that you will pack something away and need it five days later.
2) All of the fabric we own is going in tupperware. I'm a little apprehensive about packing books away in boxes, because of carpet beetles, but I won't take any chances with fabric. Carpet beetles like eating little holes in your fabric. It's pretty depressing when it's your favorite clothing item. You can get them by shopping at thrift stores or bringing them into your home through the use of cardboard boxes. They are super hard to get rid of. I prefer to limit cardboard boxes, excess paper, uncontained food, and wash all clothes the minute they come through the door. Using expensive tupperware to move clothing will hopefully prevent us from having to ever experience those little critters again.
3) Fix and clean things before packing them away. How much time do you really want to spend cleaning and fixing thing when you finally get where you are going? Furthermore, if you toss what you don't intend on keeping, then you don't have to move it! Huzzah! Win!
4) Organize your boxes. Put clothes with clothes, sewing fabric with sewing fabric, kitchen pots and pans with other kitchen pots and pans. Do you really want to open half a box in one room then have to carry it to another? Plus, if you're anything like me, you unpack as you need it. Obviously, if you don't need it, you can trash the box after a given time.
5) Start in the least used room. It's just easier. (Make sure to check in closets and built-in drawers.)
6) Rather than using extra boxes (money and time), move your drawers separately from bedroom furniture. Or rather, pull them out, move the furniture to the vehicle, put the drawers back in, tape them in place, and when you get to your new home you have one less chore!
Anyway, after spending two days (or was it three?) packing and moving, Justin and I took the time out to watch both Frozen and Brave in a movie night at home. Thoughts on those tomorrow.
Hope you all are having a fantastic Monday, and that my moving tips are helpful to someone. :)
