Top 3 tips to keep the post-move cleaning to a minimum

There’s no easy way around it – moving is painful. It is one of those life challenges that can leave you feeling unsettled and exhausted. No matter how good your intentions, moving day always seems to entail chaos and stress.  

Once the boxes are finally unpacked, and the furniture is in its place, the only thing you want to do is put up your weary feet – and maybe order a pizza. But you can’t truly relax until you nail the next major task: cleaning your new home.

If you’re smart about moving, the post-move clean can be swift and painless. Here are three simple tips to save you needless mess and distress.  

Tip 1: Pre-clean

Give the new space a thorough clean before you actually move in. An empty room is much easier to clean than one cluttered with furniture, gadgets, and space-consuming stuff.

Once your things are in the new abode, corners will suddenly be harder to reach; furnishings will obstruct windows, and floors will find all sorts of annoying new ways to collect dust and dirt.

Work smarter, not harder. If you start with a nice, clean slate, the post-move cleanup will be infinitely easier. 

Tip 2: Clean-n-cull

Moving is a really good opportunity to take stock of your worldly possessions and introduce more order to your life.

Sort through your belongings BEFORE the move. Don’t leave it until the last minute and simply hurl your dusty stuff, willy-nilly, into random boxes. Be systematic.

As you sift through your stuff, clean things as you go. If you must hang on to that weird sculpture that your ex made, give it a good clean before you pack it into a moving box. If you can’t be bothered cleaning it, you probably shouldn’t hang on to it.

And while you’re unearthing long-forgotten possessions from their hiding places, do a major cull. A new home means new beginnings. Get rid of anything that you just don’t need. When you go through your possessions, you will find things that you forgot you even had. If it hasn’t seen the light of day in more than five years, ditch it!  

Tip 3: Cover up

Even though it’s practical, covering your furniture in plastic is a bit of a style faux pas. But that same logic is a really good idea when you are moving into a new place. Covering the furniture in blankets or plastic sheets protects it from the dirt and stains that come with moving.

Taking that idea one step further, try putting down cardboard or drop sheets on your new floor, to minimise carpet stains or floorboard damage during the move. You can rely on movers for heavy lifting – but not so much for their clean shoes. Don’t wait for them to traipse through the house with dirty work boots. Protect your floors and save yourself needless cleaning once the movers are gone.