Moving To A New Society? Here's Your Ultimate Packing & Deep Cleaning Checklist

Starting life in a new society is always thrilling. A new place, new locality, new amenities, and a whole new beginning—all look promising, but the actual task of moving could prove to be very daunting indeed. From choosing what to take along and protecting your delicate items to cleaning up your previous abode and setting your new one in order, the process is far from simple.

The most common mistake made by everyone is to delay all this work till the final days, when the process of packing will become haphazard and you will be left struggling to organize yourself. With a little planning, the entire process becomes a lot easier. A good checklist will help you in your efforts no matter whether you are moving into a bigger apartment, to a place near your work, or into a new society altogether.

It is very important to conduct a thorough cleaning while moving. Even though the new house looks clean at the surface level, there may be some areas like the kitchen, the bathroom, wardrobe, fans, windows, the floor and other places that require cleaning before your stuff arrives. In the same way, it is better to leave your old house clean after the move. Cleaning both at the same time can be exhausting, you can book house help services from Moyo.

In this article, you will learn about the packing and deep cleaning checklist in order to prepare your move successfully. Thus, before you start to tape cardboard boxes, you must be well prepared!

Moving To a New Society? Start With a Plan

After settling your moving date, it is important to make a realistic plan. It becomes extremely stressful when you try to pack, clean and organize your things all at once. You need an easy timeline to guide you without making your last days hectic.

Set Your Moving Timeline

Allow yourself enough time for 2–3 weeks to make preparations, if you can afford that. Assign your tasks based on time.

• 2–3 weeks before: Get rid of excess belongings and choose those you really want to take along.

• 1–2 weeks before: Box up the things which you seldom use like extra clothing, books, decorative items and seasonal items.

• Days before: Complete packing up the things you use everyday.

• Moving day: Ensure you keep valuable belongings, essentials, important paperwork, and electronics separate.

• Before unpacking: Make sure that the place you are moving into is cleaned thoroughly.

Create a Checklist for Each Room

Rather than roaming through your house, try focusing on one room at a time and making your checklist per each space: bedrooms, kitchen, living room, bathrooms, storage spaces, etc.

For each room you need to write down:

• The things to pack

• Things that should be donated or thrown away

• Items that require additional protection

• Things that need to be cleaned before leaving

Keep Your Essentials Accessible

Create an additional bag with all the necessities: toiletries, clothing, chargers, medications, documents, snacks, cleaning products, etc. You’ll be glad not to rummage through ten boxes to find your phone charger!

Declutter Before You Start Packing

Before putting anything in boxes, take a second to reflect: "Do I really have to bring all of these items?" Relocation to another society offers a great chance to get rid of those items you don’t need anymore. In fact, why should you spend effort and money on items that haven’t been used for several months?

Sort Your Belongings Into Categories

Go from room to room and separate your possessions into four different categories:

• Keep: Those items that you use or really need.

• Donate: Clothes, books, utensils, and others that you don’t need anymore but are useful.

• Sell: Furniture, equipment, and other valuable items in good condition.

• Trash: Damaged or outdated items.

This will make your packing job easier.

Don’t Pack “Just in Case” Items

There is always that cupboard with items that you always feel you will eventually need to use. Moving is a great opportunity to face facts. If you haven’t used an item in a year and it doesn’t hold sentimental value, you do not need to take it with you to your new home.

Declutter Room by Room 

Do not try to declutter your whole home at once. Declutter one space first and then move to another.

Look especially at:

• Outdated clothes and shoes

• Outdated kitchen items

• Outdated gadgets and cords

• Damaged household items

• Outdated paperwork and excess packaging

It helps make your moving a lot easier.

Your Ultimate Packing Checklist

When all of the above is done, packing can begin. The key is not to start packing without any system but do so with some method in mind. This will help you avoid opening several boxes later trying to find a single thing.

Pack Room by Room

Begin with the rooms or the things you rarely use. The first ones to pack should be clothes and other things you do not really need on a regular basis.

Protect Fragile Items 

Care should be taken when moving things that are fragile such as glassware, crockery, electronic gadgets, mirrors, and decorations.

• Each fragile thing should be packed separately using bubble wrap or packing paper.

• Boxes should be filled to avoid shifting within.

• Boxes should not be too heavy.

• Label fragile boxes accordingly.

Label All the Boxes

A little tag may come handy when you unpack your stuff. Just put the name of the room where the item belongs along with a little description of what is inside.

For instance:

• Kitchen - Kitchen utensils

• Bedroom - Winter Clothes

• Living Room - Decorations

• Bathroom - Toiletries

Also, you may use the tag “Open First” if you need something right away.

Pack an Essentials Bag for the Move Day

Instead of packing everything with your movers, pack a little bag which will be with you all the time. There should be:

• Extra set of clothes

• Toiletries

• Chargers for your phone

• Important documents

• Medications

• Some food

• Cleaners

Such a small thing may become very helpful while you settle in.

Deep Cleaning Your New Home Before Unpacking

You have finally arrived at your new house, the boxes are already in place, and I am sure you would like to get started with unpacking. Before you start with arranging your furniture or filling those wardrobes, however, there is one thing that should come first – giving the entire space a good scrubbing and for this task you can hire a full-time maid or a part-time maid as per your need.

Even if the house seems clean, there could be a lot of dust, stains, and microbes lurking in the corners that are not regularly cleaned.

Start With the Kitchen

The kitchen requires special care as it is going to be used for preparing meals.

• Scrub inside and outside of the cabinets and shelves of the kitchen.

• Clean countertops and backsplash.

• Deep clean the stovetop and chimney area.

• Thoroughly wash sinks and taps.

• Bathrooms Should Be Scrubbed

Do not forget to clean and disinfect toilets, wash basins, showers, taps, tiles, and the floors of bathrooms.

Clean the Bathrooms Thoroughly

Before storing your bathroom supplies, you need to disinfect the toilet, washbasin, shower stall, tap, tiles, and the floor. You should also not forget the corners and drains.

Areas That Can Be Overlooked Easily

There are some areas that you may overlook because of the excitement of moving in. These include:

• Closets and Drawers

• Ceiling fans

• Window panes

• Door handles and frames

• Switch boards

• Skirting and corners

• Clean Floors at the End

When everything else is cleaned, use a broom or vacuum cleaner for the floors and then mop the floor completely.

Tip: Do the deep cleaning of your new place before furniture and boxes reach there. It will be a lot easier for you to clean the empty house.

Moving Day Checklist: What Should You Keep Handy

The process of moving can be very messy; hence, do not pack all items. Some of the important items that you should keep handy include:

• Documents and valuable items

• Chargers and power banks

• Medicines and hygiene products

• Change of clothes

• Food and water

• Cleaning materials and tools

This will ensure that you will not have to open boxes once you arrive at the new location.

Society-Specific Things to Check Before Moving In

Every society will have its own set of procedures for moving in. This information should be verified prior to moving in order to avoid any last-minute hassles.

Verify the Following Points

• Inquire from the society office regarding timing and procedure for moving in.

• Verify if move-in permission/gate pass is required.

• Find out about lift facilities and whether booking is required.

• Let the security know about the movers and the vehicle.

• Arrange parking for the moving van.

Should You Deep Clean Yourself or Hire Professionals? 

Wondering whether to grab a broom or hire cleaning professionals to help you? Think about the condition of your home.

• DIY Cleaning Is Suitable In Cases Where:

• Your home is relatively clean.

• You have time.

• You can comfortably manage the process of cleaning yourself.

Professionals Are Recommended When:

• Your home has been unoccupied for some time now.

• Kitchen and bathroom areas require thorough cleaning.

• You have limited time before moving in.

• You require thorough cleaning of hard-to-clean areas.

When you are tight for time because of the many things you will be doing regarding your move, hiring domestic care professionals to do the dirty work will save you time and energy.

Final Move In Checklist

Your boxes have been moved into the home, you have done the necessary cleaning, and it’s time to settle down. However, you need to take a few moments to go around the place and carry out an inspection to ensure there are no problems lurking beneath the surface.

Check All Rooms

Go through all rooms in the house and look for:

• Presence of dust, spots or any other area that needs cleaning

• Leaking pipes or taps

• Damaged tiles, walls or any other fixture

• Any loose switches, sockets or fittings

• Unfunctional doors, windows or locks

Inform the society management or landlord about such problems right away.

Utilities and Appliances

Check all the basic amenities before unpacking things.

• Turn on the lights and fans.

• Check water and drainage supply.

• Test electric sockets.

• Check kitchen fittings and gas.

• Check internet connections and other utilities.