Out of Chaos an organizing newsletter
On Moving
In the past several years, I have had the opportunity to help many of you move. I have helped on big moves and small: from one apartment to another, from small spaces into large and vice versa. I have helped move offices and close up apartments. And I have learned a few things. Many of you have mentioned that I should write something about moving, so here it is: a very basic guide to moving.
NOTE: I recently read about an organizer whose approach to organizing is to look at your home as though you were getting ready to move. In other words: START PITCHING! So, just because you are “never moving again” doesn’t mean you shouldn’t read on.
Movers
Movers, in my experience, are one of the rare things in life on which spending a lot more money does actually get you a superior experience. This is not to say that you can’t get by with cheap movers; you can, and they will be fine, but you will need to be more organized to get the most out of them and to protect your belongings.
Brownstone Brothers
Whenever anyone asks me to recommend movers I recommend Brownstone Brothers. They are VERY expensive, but they are several cuts above any other moving company I have ever worked with. They hire smart people, pay them better and it shows. They have a woman on their unpacking crew, a brilliant move, in my opinion. What really convinced me of their superiority was when I unwrapped a dollhouse and each bundle of wrapping paper had: UNWRAP CAREFULLY! SMALL PIECES! CHECK ALL PAPER! written on it. As a former doll-house fanatic, this is the kind of attention to detail that earns my respect. Brownstone Brothers: 212-289-1511.
Other Movers
When I had OZ move the furniture from my dad’s place to mine, I spent an hour talking to one of the movers while the rest of the crew drove up in the truck. While I was paying $25/hr. per man, this guy was making $8/hr. Now I’m not naïve, I know they have to pay for insurance, trucks, gas, advertising, and I haven’t seen the owner of OZ in the society page lately, so maybe $8/hr is what they can afford to pay. My point is that your expectations change a little when you are thinking of people making $25/hr versus those making $8. You can understand why they don’t really want to make a judgement call about what you actually want packed from that kitchen junk drawer. I have seen movers move big, black garbage bags clearly labeled GARBAGE from one apartment to another. Maybe they didn’t read English, maybe they just weren’t that smart or maybe they just decided they would rather err on the side of taking something extra than leaving something behind.
Pre-Packing
Even if you are hiring the movers to pack for you, the more little stuff you can pack yourself, the better off you will be. At a very minimum, you need to go through every closet and every drawer and pitch everything you don’t want moved. Again, someone making $8/hr isn’t really willing to make decisions about whether you are still going to need the Ollie’s take-out menu once you are living in Connecticut, or whether you really still need that drawer full of soy sauce from the Carter-administration or the twist ties dating back to Johnson.
CLIENT TIP: Client Steven Eisenpreis recently donated his Grandfather’s PLAYBILL collection to the CITY OPERA THRIFT STORE. Not only were they thrilled to take them, but they used them to create a special Tony award-themed window, and auctioned them off afterwards! Great Idea! City Opera Thrift Shop: 212-684-53344.
It’s a Process
No matter how vigilant you are about throwing things out before the move, there is almost always another bout of it once you get into a new place. The towels that seemed fine in the old place look shabby in your newly renovated bathroom, or now that you have a washer and dryer, you realize you can really loose that drying rack that takes up the whole bathtub. The great thing about moving is it helps us to see all of our belongings with new eyes. People often find it easier to let go of certain things after a move, because they don’t fit their vision of their new selves in their new homes. Of course, there is something annoying about throwing something away that you have just paid to move from spot A to spot B, so the more you can get rid of before the move the better off you will be.
There is never enough closet space
I have helped some of you move into some pretty amazing apartments, and you have all walked me through and without fail you have shown me and gushed over the storage space in your new apartments. And without a doubt, it has been impressive, with custom-made shelving and so forth. Yet, without exception, I have been working on those same closets, and I have thought, “Wow, this is so great. This looks like something out of REAL SIMPLE.” That is when the movers come in and say, “Yeah, I’ve got five more boxes for the linen/bedroom/hall closet here.” Of course I always manage to fit it all in, and it is usually a big improvement over where you are coming from, but never let the thought of all your magical new storage space lure you into a false sense of security. The more you throw out the better. Maybe it is different in Texas, but here in New York City, there is no such thing as enough storage space.
I Love Moving
Maybe it is because I’m a Sagittarius, or maybe it is the old actor in me that loves opening night, but I really do love moving. I realize that not all of you feel the same way. For some people moving is a traumatic experience, but the more organized you are about it, and the more time you give yourself, the less upsetting it will be. Following is a checklist to help you break your move down into smaller projects.
- Get rid of stuff : Can’t start this too soon. I’ve heard from real-estate people that less cluttered apartments sell better, so start pitching when you start thinking about moving.
- Hire movers : There are certain times of year that are much more popular to move, so hire your movers early to make sure you get the date you want or need.
- Pre-pack : Go through the nooks and crannies that you never look at so you can get rid of miscellaneous junk and not waste time and money having it moved to your new home. Take this opportunity to put like with like. If things (sports equipment, suitcases, toiletries, art supplies) landed anywhere there was room for them in your old place, take this opportunity to put them all together in a box or a pile so they can be stored together in your new place.
- Label well : If there is reconfiguring taking place, for example two children that used to share a room will each have their own room, separate and label these things ahead of time so they can be packed separately and efficiently taken to the correct room. Only you can tell the movers where things are going in the new apartment, left to their own devices they will only know to move the master bedroom to the master bedroom, so anything that deviates from that should be clearly marked and explained.
- Schdule a Salvation Army pick up : If you are getting rid of major furniture, schedule a charity to come pick stuff up the day after the move. Also, you may want to have a professional cleaning service clean both the new place and the old place.
- Take your time : Some people want to get everything unpacked in one day while others would leave boxes sitting around forever. Obviously you’ll want to get your kitchen as well as the clothes and toiletries that you will need for work unpacked first. But give yourself a break. It takes time to do it right. Make sure you pick up some to-go menus from your new neighborhood before you move so that you know you’ll be fed that first night even if you can’t find a single pot to cook in.
Enjoy!
It is so invigorating to have a new space, savor the moving in and enjoy your new surroundings.