apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I'm always amazed with people who paint their homes before moving in. I usually have to live in a space for a while before deciding what color will work best.

I also recommend bringing at least 1 roll of toilet paper with you the first time you go in to your new place. The last thing you want is for you, a helper/friend/family member, or a handyman to need to use the bathroom and have no toilet paper.

I would also suggest taking detailed pictures before you do anything. Very helpful when trying to get your deposit back.

If you are renting, another good, more practical tip is to photo-document anything that is wrong with the apartment (scuffs, dents, holes, etc.) and have both you and your landlord sign off on these pictures, as it will protect you in case this person tries to stick you with the repair bill by taking some of your security deposit, once you move out. Unfortunately there are a lot of landlords out there who will do this, so the more you can protect yourself, the better (I speak from experience)!

Make sure you pack your clean sheets, a set of towels, soap, and other toiletries in a suitcase or box that is labeled clearly so you can set up camp the first night and not find yourself digging for hours and getting to bed at 2 a.m.

Changing locks might work on single-owner rentals, but on large apartment communities, I find that this might be harder. I don't know the details, but I would definitely check with your leasing office because they may keep copies of keys on file (particularly for maintenance staff).

Laura
http://www.justalittlebit.net

Good tips...
...but Changing the toilet seat - that's rather excessive, and wasteful.

Would you insist on doing the same in a public restroom or hotel?

"Make sure you pack your clean sheets, a set of towels, soap, and other toiletries in a suitcase or box that is labeled clearly so you can set up camp the first night and not find yourself digging for hours and getting to bed at 2 a.m."

priceless, we just moved 2wks ago this would have been very helpful.

Changing a toilet seat? It's not a sponge. It's a piece of hard porcelain or plastic that can be properly disinfected.

Change the locks? Make sure you're allowed to do that in your lease agreement. As a landlord, I'm happy to have your locks re-keyed at my expense when you move in (in fact, I probably already had it done after the last tenant moved out) but my leases specify tenants are not allowed to re-key or change locks themselves.

In addition to all of the above, I recommend smudging before living in new spaces.

Personally, I don't see any shame in transporting condiments. If the drive is short and they can go promptly go back into a working fridge, I would rather not waste a newly opened spicy mustard.

pack a box that's stuff you'll need right off. like a glass, a plate, silverware.

I have moved around a lot and I have actually done #1 before - changing the toilet seat before moving in. It may seem like a wasteful step to some, but I think it really depends on the place where you are moving as to whether you do this or not. I have rented a place where this was more of a necessity than a luxury. The landlord there was crappy, his maintenance team was worse and he didn't attend to 'details' like toilet seats. Despite all of this, the rent was reasonable, the unit was spacious and the location was excellent so I decided I could handle details like toilet seats. Changing out the toilet seats made much more of a positive impact than I expected - I guess it may seem odd if you have never done it before, but it is an impactful change.

If you are going to have any work done in the new place, hold off on changing the locks. That way you can give keys to the contractors, and then feel confident when you do change the locks (after all the work is done) that there aren't copies of the keys floating around out there.

@KWorld: "The landlord there was crappy, his maintenance team was worse and he didn't attend to 'details' like toilet seats. Despite all of this, the rent was reasonable, the unit was spacious and the location was excellent"

Do we live in the same building? ;)

I am about to move this week and I will definitely take the advice of packing a set of sheets, towels, toiletries, etc in my suitcase.

Changing the toilet seat is a definite must and I don't consider it wasteful because they are rather cheap and easy to install. Sitting on the old toilet seat would be the equivalent to me to sitting on the seat in a public restroom; ewwww! I call in Merry Maids for a good scrubbing before I move in because those cleaners from the Apt. complex don't really do a great job. Take pictures and before moving out, don't forget the top of the fridge, ceiling fans and behind the stove and fridge; they will get you on those. When buying a home, I always paint before moving in (though I paint a hundred times after as well) because moving the furniture to paint is a bear! Toiletries are a must because you will be bone tired even if you hired movers and won't want to dig through boxes.

If you can't change the locks, perhaps you can at least add a chain lock. The taking "before" photos tip is priceless. I'm moving soon and am wish I'd done that just to be safe.

Definitely, the first items brought into the new place are toilet paper, toilet seat, soap, and a clean hand towel...

Then I always clean everything thoroughly...

The kitchen gets moved in the day before the moving van appears (I have a lot of kitchen stuff)... Finally, it's moving day!
Also, I always get quick yet luxurious food for moving days. It makes breaktime more relaxing.

I always buy a new toilet seat. The pre-existing ones usually don't look that clean, and I don't want the urge to hover in my own home ;-)

I think throwing away condiments is silly. I have a very fine collection of condiments, thank you!

I also can't believe you have to provide your own fridge in L.A.! One more reason why I'm staying in the Midwest.

While I think smudging perhaps a bit much (abc123, above), a nice exorcism would provide peace of mind.

abc123: A thorough pre-move-in exorcism is always a good way to start fresh.

Usbek: jinx.

:) to each his own. I smudge.

and i don't really like the connotations of "exorcism"...its more like energy cleansing for a fresh, positive start. *shrugs*

I don't think coffee grounds really works as a disinfectant. Maybe you meant odor remover?

I think you meant Arm and Hammer, right, as the odor remover?

I too transported ALL our condiments when we moved to New York. Do you know how much it costs to replace sauces and condiments?? That will make moving a lot more costly and that's not what anyone needs now.

I like to have people over that first evening for pizza and a drink. People love to see the "before" and having people there makes it feel like a home.

Oh, and I knew a guy that use to replace the whole toilet when he moved to a new place. Now that's excessive!

Add to the short list of things to bring when you move in: shower curtain liner. Nothing like spending all day moving and wanting to take a shower and you can't because you don't want to flood your new bathroom.

Also some sort of shades for the windows so you don't give your new neighbors a show on your first night.

Shower curtain: very good advice. Worse than not being able to shower at the end of the day is having to run to Target/Wal Mart/CVS. And order more pizza than you need on the first night - because you'll need a quick breakfast and your microwave might not be unpacked yet. :)

Post-getting my keys and pre-moving in, the first thing I dropped off was a roll of toilet paper, a roll of paper towels, and a couple six packs of beer to reward my future helpers

Toilet paper and paper towels/rags are musts for the first time you go to your new place.

I think throwing away your condiments is wasteful...but checking expiration dates on food before you move them is a good idea. I was surprised that many of our canned goods were passed their dates, but was glad I noticed before I hauled them up the stairs...

Music of some kind...

At least, if you spend the first 2 days before your stuff gets there cleaning, scrubbing, painting, and stripping wallpaper like us. It's not a necessity, but I'd say it's a nice little luxury you'll be glad you have lol.

I think of all the different houses we lived in while I was a kid and my Dad was in the Military, and all the different places I lived when I was in the Military and in school, both base housing and rentals - 40-some-odd years of houses, none of which I or my family replaced the toilet seats in unless it was actually broken: It's a wonder we're still alive!!!

When we moved, Mom would pack a couple special boxes in the car - it had a set of plates, bowls, cups and cutlery, a portable electric hot water pot to make tea/instant coffee/instant soup, towels, pillows and bed sheets, bath and laundry soap, plastic bags, a crockpot to cook simple dinners in, a travel iron for Dad's uniforms, sleeping bags for us to sleep in until the furniture arrived (Generally a couple weeks later...) - plus leashes, food bowls and old blankets for the dogs. She also kept a steel lockbox under the seat containing important files: our family's medical records, school records for us kids, insurance papers, ownership records for the cars, Dad's transfer papers...

When I was old enough, it was my job to track the moving and travel expenses and keep receipts, including mileage and fuel costs, so that Dad could get reimbursed for the move.

If there wasn't a shower curtain in the house the first few nights, we bathed. If the windows had no blinds we either thumb-tacked up sheets or did without. The day after arrival, Mom went to the BX and Commissary to stock up on Fantastic, Windex, sponges and paper towels in addition to the groceries needed to stock the fridge - and met the new neighbors there, at the Wives Club or at Civilian Personnel where she'd sign up for an office job.

Dad's uniforms went to the cleaners the first few weeks just so she could get the wire hangers for us to hang our clothes on.

Coming home the day the furniture arrived was like Christmas Day times 10! We'd spend the next several evenings unpacking, rolling out the rugs, arranging the furniture, hanging pictures, plugging in lamps, rediscovering old toys and games - all with Dad's HiFi playing our favorite old albums. There would always be boxes that never got completely unpacked: Those are the things that would end up going to Goodwill in a few months or at least by the next time we moved.

One time, Mom wasn't watching the household packers very carefully, so when the movers arrived at the new house, there was a particularly pungent box: The movers had packed the kitchen trashcan with all the trash still inside!

There were no exterminators, no painters, no changing locks, no worrying about outlets (we made do - or used extension cords) no worrying about space plans (The TV was always near an electrical outlet - nobody had cable. The dining table was under the hanging lamp, the portable dishwasher went where the Fridge used to be, and the fridge went in the corner of the kitchen)

It's really not worth it to haul boxes of half-empty packages of food. I give it away to friends before moving out.

I've replaced toilet seats. Not always, but sometimes they're in bad shape (paint is peeling off or it looks dingy no matter how hard you scrub). A fresh shower curtain is a must since you either get the moldy one the previous tenant left behind or nothing at all. Remember to bring heavy-duty garbage bags with you. Sometimes previous tenants leave stuff behind and apartment managers/landlords aren't always good about cleaning up after them.

And if you have pets, I'd recommend keeping their necessities in a handy container along with your toiletries, towels, etc. so that you can get them comfortable right away too.

I definitely recommend a good cleaning, and don't overlook washing walls. Even if your landlord has cleaners come in and clean before you move in. The last time I moved our house had supposedly been cleaned by a professional service, but I found urine and who knows what else on almost every inch of our bathroom walls. Disgusting but true.

abc123: Just kidding around - I ring bells, clap three times in corners, and burn incense myself when I clean out and when I move in.

I ~always~ put on a new toilet seat.

Bepsf: I love your post. I was an Army brat too and it brought back so many memories: sleeping bags for a couple weeks, making sure uniforms were still pressed, the day your stuff finally showed up.

They'd usually put a few families on the same moving truck and part of the process was opening a box that belonged to someone else and putting the contents out on the base grapevine to try and find the right owner.

I think one of the most important things to remember during a move is the stress caused by unfamiliar sights smells, sounds and surroundings on pets. I have a very sensitive dog that I worry about since we are currently in transit to our new home. we are in a temporary home at the moment a few blocks away from our eventual destination.

the most important box i packed contained her food bowls, all her toys, her beds unwashed so they still smelled like the old place and 2 gallons of water from the old house. we moved from hard water to soft water so i wanted to make sure we didn't offend her delicate constitution.

we've adhered (pretty strictly at that) to her schedule from the old place and so far so good. only minimal distress in the beginning as well as a temporary lapse back into the follow us everywhere habit.

a bonus for our concern, we've increased the walking time. both of us get more exercise and we all explore the new 'hood

I too, do not think that changing a toilet seat is excessive.....it's absolutley necessary in my opinion. In our last move, I changed out the whole toilet (that may have been a bit excessive)

trikitixa, you're not amusing. I married into a Native American family --So sorry if our customs are that laughable to you. To each his own, I couldn't possibly care less about youre opinion on it.

I think whatever makes you comfortable in a new place - whether that's a traditional cleansing or making sure your favourite wine and music is easy to get to - is really valuable. It's easy to forget in the practicalities that small things will help your stress levels a lot and make the whole process easier.

I don't know about the toilet seat, although it's something to consider, depending on where you're moving to, I guess. I'm thinking about replacing our current shower head, putting the old one back when we move, and taking the new one with me. If you have storage room maybe you could do that with the seat. I think moving is a great chance to get rid of old stuff, whether that's clothes you don't wear or congealed ketchup, but I don't think I'd throw out something that was fresh or had lots left in it.

Ditto on the toilet seat.

If you forget the shower curtain the first night, or lose it in the sea of boxes, hang a sheet over the curtain rod. The side in the tub will get soaked, and then when you realize that you forgot to unpack the towels, the side of the sheet that's hanging outside the tub is fairly dry and now your shower curtain can double as a towel...clearly I've done this one too many times.

Changing the toilet seat? How effing uptight and self-serious can you be? Whoever would consider doing this ("someone else used it--ew!") has too much time on their hands.

I think it depends on the toilet seat. I would do a visual inspection and then make the decision. Most toilet seats are plastic and can be thoroughly cleaned, but some are painted wood and may have chips or cracks in the paint that could harbor germs. In any case, I would remove the seat and do a thorough cleaning of the area underneath and the holes that the bolts go through.

Broken, peeling, cigarette-scarred toilet seats are obvious candidates to be replaced.

But that's not what this post is about-- the author suggests that toilet seats should be changed ON PRINCIPLE, regardless of condition.

Maybe it's foolish, but I don't ever want to deal with old toilet seats or toilet brushes so I always replace them. And as a long time renter I make a move-in-kit to bring in first.

Since I'm just beginning to pack for move to a new town I've got a checklist going:

shower curtain and hooks; toilet seat; toilet brush; toilet paper; hand towel; hand soap; dish soap; dish cloth; dish towel; cleaning rags; white vinegar; baking soda; bucket; stainless steel bowl; light bulbs; stove/element liners; tin foil; plastic wrap; garbage bags; extenstion cords; beeswax candle; lighter.

Fills one blue rubbermaid bin and preps the place for a smooth move in.

The wine, glasses and corkscrew come in a separate bag and actually get opened first ;-)

And wow, nice to see the respect flowing... again.

What is the reasoning behind changing the toilet seat? Do you change the kitchen counters too? Because technically kitchen counters are dirtier as far as viruses and bacteria go...which don't live long on hard surfaces anyhow.

"a portable electric hot water pot" - do you mean a kettle???

I've changed the toilet seat a few times but only if the old one is either damaged or looks less than hygenic - otherwise a good scrub with discinfectant is adequate - its no differnt to sitting your bare bum in the bath that people have used before you

and theres no way I'm throwing away pots of perfectly good condiments - once we even moved the fridge with all the contents still in it when the new place wasn't far away!

In the UK you never get a fridge included unless its a fully furnished place - you never get a cooker/stove either - all these items are considered furniture and its up to you to supply them

I don't get throwing away the condiments...what if you had just opened it or something? We as a society are told not to be wasteful - but you would rather us (as a whole) throw away a perfectly good toilet seat, change out perfectly good locks (which could violate your lease), and throw away perfectly good food?

Things I would do:
-make life simple - move most of things that belong in the bathroom the night before (shower curtain, set of towels, toothbrushes, couple rolls of toilet paper, etc)
-first night box with clean sheets, a change of clothes, some paper plates, etc.
-if you see any faults in apartment, take pictures - or be prepared to at least forfeit your security deposit
-bring a small radio - at least have music playing

I'm a highly organized person when it comes to moving - I have the floorplan drew up before I move and every box numbered so everyone knows where everything goes.

Also a good note - if you have pets, you really really should look into finding them somewhere to stay (friends, kennel, etc) until after all heavy moving is done, especially if you are having friends or family move you. Bring the pets in the day after - it will probably help them establish their place in the home once they see all your belongings anyways.

I can't name the times I've helped someone move and them not have the decency to let the pet stay somewhere else or at least cage it. I refuse to return for the next move if I had to constantly watch my feet to make sure I don't step or trip over the pet and make sure it doesn't sneak out the door while it's mostly constantly open during the move.

I can't imagine throwing away the condiments and spices! Ok, ketchup, sure, but I love all my weird vinegars and things, and in fact, I packed all my non-perishable spices and condiments when I moved from TO to NYC. Besides, it would cost hundreds to replace all those things.

Geez, I didn't know that buying a new toilet seat was cause for such ire.

Most of the places I've moved into have been less-than-sparkling, and the toilet seats were the very cheap molded wood ones... stained, chipped, warped, nasty. My current place was clean, but it had one of those padded toilet seats when I moved in.

Guess I'm just too self-serious and uptight though... and yes, I'm one of those freaks that "hover" in public restrooms, too. Call me crazy, but regardless of how quickly germs die on hard surfaces, I'd rather not get other people's urine and pubic hair on my backside.

more tips:
1) if you move into an apartment/condo, borrow a label maker and put a sticker with your name on the mailbox the week before you move. last time i moved, i didn't do this and even know i did the change of address form, the mailwoman, who had been there for years, didn't realize the former tenant moved out and took our mail back to the post office.

2) before moving your stuff in, along with photographing the damages for your landlord, make yourself a "punch list" in order of importance, of items you'd like to install or replace, such as light bulbs in ceiling fixtures, missing switchplates or outlet covers, new AC filters, etc. make sure there are no leaks, and that all switches, heat/AC and any applicable appliances work so the landlord doesn't try to pin that on you. (sorry i keep mentioning AC, i live in south florida)

3) i think this is obvious, but have the boxes placed into the rooms they'll end up in, instead of stacking them up in the largest open space. its easier to unpack that way.

ps-i wouldn't throw out the toilet seats or condiments unless they were broken or expired, respectably.

I think my own reaction to replacing the toilet seats (seriously??? get over it!) may stem from my history of frequent moves. Like a few of the previous posters, I was raised a military brat, and if you're moving every six months to three years, you GET OVER IT. It would be impossible to live in a perfectly disinfected environment with a new toilet seat when you're living out of boxes for months on end while waiting for your new housing, staying in other people's houses, in hotels, in hostels, or in temporary housing.

And for everyone who's so squeamish they hover in public restrooms and wait until they get home to sit down -how on EARTH do you people travel? I love Spain, but the bathrooms in some of the places there would make a germaphobe faint. And the more rural inns in Japan literally have a hole in the ground for a toilet. So people have squatted there before. Big deal! Think about what they were doing in the bed!

abc123: Hey now. I meant no offense. My mother also married into a native family, and my minor in college was in native studies.