Moving can be physically and mentally overwhelming in the best of times, and the ongoing COVID-19 worries add new challenges. The recommendations on social distancing mean you’ll need more coordination to manage your move to ensure that you and those working for you stay safe.

Here are several strategies to help you stay organized no matter when you move.

Create A Master Plan And Schedule

It’s important to understand the big picture of all the tasks that need to be completed and all the people who will be involved in each part of a move. Creating a spreadsheet or a calendar of events helps to visualize the overall timeline as well as your current progress.

A defined plan can prevent you from getting buried in or overlooking any of the details. Having a plan also makes it easier to delegate tasks. Add contact information of the key people involved to your schedule, including your real estate agent, packers, movers, inspectors, architect and designers.

Tasks to include: real estate agent meetings, packing deadlines, moving dates, inspector visits, donation pickups, trash removals, and utility cancellations and setups, among others.

Declutter Before You Move

Packing can be hard work. Most people must make decisions about which items to move and which to let go. This can be mentally exhausting, especially if you’re downsizing to a smaller space and have accumulated many items over the years. Your first instinct may be to pack everything and review belongings once you’ve moved. But I recommend putting in the hard work of decluttering before the move.

Decluttering before will make unpacking at your new home more efficient and less chaotic. Also, the fact is that many people find that they feel no urgency to declutter immediately after a move. Instead, they end up storing unopened boxes for long periods. Plus, most moving companies charge by weight.

Try to start your decluttering process as early as possible. It may take longer than you expect and you can minimize exhaustion by spreading out the work. Inevitably, you might not be able to decide on every item ahead of time, but do what you can to filter out unwanted belongings before your move.

Remove Unwanted Items From Your Home

Once you have decided what you won’t be taking, get those unwanted items out of the house, you’ll have more space to focus on what you’re keeping. In addition, you’ll eliminate the possibility of accidentally moving unwanted belongings to your new home. 

Return Items: 

Many people have items at home that aren’t their own, such as kitchen containers, tools, books and clothes. I recommend you gather all these items and return them to their owners. This also applies to items your grown children have left behind. Have them pick up their items or give you the OK to dispose of them.

Charitable Organizations: 

Now it may be more challenging to find an open location, so check ahead with your local organization on their hours and COVID related policies.

Junk-Removal Services: 

Many fee-based junk-removal companies are offering no-contact pickups. These services accept and coordinate appropriate distribution of almost everything — trash, donations, recycling, yard waste, large appliances, furniture and more. However, if you have hazardous waste, you may want to check with the company, as some may not accept it.

Rent A Dumpster: 

If you have either lots of trash or many large trash items such as old couches and mattresses, consider renting a dumpster. You won’t have to worry about bagging items and you can typically rent the dumpster for as long as you wish, allowing you to clear out at your own pace. If the dumpster needs to be placed on public property, such as a street or sidewalk, be sure to verify whether you need a permit.

Hire An Estate Sale Company: 

If you prefer that someone else deal with the items you don’t want to keep, consider hiring an estate sale company. It will present your items for sale, give you a small percentage of the profits and help you dispose of the rest. Different companies offer different services, so be sure your desired services are covered in the contract.

Sales And Consignment: 

Consignment and secondhand shops are a good way of selling your goods, but there are also endless options for selling your things online. Some sites require you to list and manage the sales yourself and some will handle the entire process for you and even donate items that don’t sell. If your time is limited, consider selecting a company that will handle the full process. You may not earn as much, but it might be a good tradeoff for having more time to manage other parts of your move.

In addition to these options, there are many organizations that handle specific items. For example, schools may welcome office supplies, animal shelters may appreciate old towels, and specialized companies recycle textiles. Find your best match with a quick internet search. If your time is very limited, hiring a junk-removal service to take it all away and distribute items as appropriate may be worth the cost.

Keep Track of Your Packed Boxes

When you’re ready to start packing, invest the time to track what you’ve packed. This will make it easier to direct movers when they unload at your new home or, if you’re the one moving your boxes, to know where to place items yourself.

I recommend recording the following information in a spreadsheet as you pack each box:

Box Number And Contents: 

Number each box and record the number on your spreadsheet. This will help you keep track of the total number of boxes to be moved and easily identify any that get lost. List the contents of each box on both the spreadsheet and the box itself. This doesn’t have to be elaborate, but it should be specific. For instance, instead of writing “Kitchen Things” or listing every item in the box (which takes a long time), use short, descriptive labels such as “Baking Supplies” or “Summer Shorts and T-shirts.” Packing in categories will make labeling, locating items and unpacking easier.

If you’re short on time, you can skip listing the items on the box and just list them on the spreadsheet. But number your boxes.

Room Destination: 

Label each box with the room you want the box to be placed in. I recommend putting the room destination in large letters on the same spot of each box (such as the top) where it can be easily seen. To make it stand out even more, print the room destination on a white label, using a different font color for each room, such as green for the kitchen, red for the master bedroom, blue for the living room and so forth.

High-Value And Fragile Items: 

Add to your spreadsheet an inventory of high-value items. Most moving companies consider anything worth more than $100 per pound to be high-value. Quality jewelry, valuable comic book collections, art collections, sterling flatware and currency are in this category. Be sure to complete the high-value inventory form provided if you are using a mover so that if anything happens, you have the best chance of being covered for the full value of your loss.

Also label fragile boxes. Preprinted stickers are widely available and will save you much time by not having to handwrite “Fragile” on each box. Stickers may also be easier to see.

Box Size: 

This isn’t too important to record. It’s just an extra step for identifying a box. It takes very little extra time to record the box size, and since the movers count this information, you can keep track of it as well.

Pack Essentials for the First Few Days

You may want to pack some essentials to get you through the first few days in your new home without having to open a bunch of boxes. Label these boxes “Pack Last” and these will be loaded last, meaning they’ll come off first. Of course, if your move won’t be completed in a single day, some of these items will need to travel with you and not be loaded onto a moving truck.

Include items needed to care for yourself and family members, including pets. Pack as if they were going on a short trip, including such items as:

◦ Towels

◦ Clothing and shoes

◦ Toiletries

◦ Pet food and supplies

Include essentials to help you settle into your new home smoothly, such as:

◦ Scissors and box cutters

◦ Basic tools for furniture assembly

◦ Tape measure

◦ Pen and paper

◦ Flashlight

◦ Scotch tape

◦ Paper towels

◦ Toilet paper

◦ Dish soap and sponge

◦ Hand soap

◦ Household cleaners

◦ Disposable gloves

◦ Trash bags

◦ Paper plates and disposable or compostable cups and utensils

◦ Shower liners and rings

◦ Pillows and bedding

Keep Valuable Items With You

Some items should always stay with you and not be out of your possession, even during a move. These would include things like:

◦ Important documents such as passports, deeds and trusts, birth certificates and Social Security cards

◦ Medications

◦ Mobile phone and charger

◦ Electronic devices and chargers, such as work laptops

◦ Cash

◦ Checkbook

◦ Credit and ATM cards

◦ Keys

◦ Valuable, sentimental and irreplaceable items. For instance, while a large jewelry collection may be too much to keep on your person during a move, you should definitely keep irreplaceable pieces like wedding rings and heirlooms on your person.

Delegate As Much As You Can

Moving is an enormous job that involves both big-picture management and attention to small details. No one should have to do it alone!

Accept help from friends and family who kindly offer, even if it’s something as small as asking them to drop off a meal on moving day. If your budget allows, entrusting certain parts of your move to professionals such as home organizers, expert packers and move managers can ease your burden and keep you sane amid the process.

If you’re planning to stay in your house for the rest of your life, consider renovating your bathroom with accessibility in mind. Along with kitchens, bathrooms are one of the spaces homeowners use the most. They also happen to be wet zones. Reducing slip hazards and ensuring adequate lighting and maximum comfort are vital when creating an age-proof bathing space. Universal design features also make a bathroom more accessible for people of any age with a disability or an injury. Here are some ideas that will help make your bathroom safe and easy to use for decades to come.

Include a Shower Bench

A safe place to sit in the shower is vital for an age-proof bathroom design. Decreasing the amount of time you stand in the shower not only eases the strain on your body, it also reduces the chances of slipping and falling. Be sure to install or buy a bench that is large enough to comfortably sit and bathe on.

Your bench may be built-in or free-standing. If space is limited in the shower, consider a bench seat that can flip up when not in use. Waterproof seat cushions can help soften a hard surface.

Install a Handheld Shower Head

Handheld shower heads are easily adjustable for height and, when placed adjacent to your shower bench, enable you to wash up while seated.

Add Grab Bars in the Shower

Sturdy grab bars provide something for you to hold on to as you’re entering and exiting the shower or sitting down on a shower bench or seat. Install one on the outside of your shower and on each of your interior walls so you can safely navigate the space.

Increase the Height of Your Vanity

The standard vanity height is 31½ inches, not including your countertop. This isn’t high enough for some homeowners. Raising the cabinet height to 34½ inches, this will reach standard kitchen counter height, including a 1½ inch countertop, can prevent you from having to hunch over as you’re washing up.

There are two exceptions to increasing the vanity height. If you’re more comfortable with the standard vanity height, don’t increase it. Or if you want to make your vanity wheelchair-accessible, choose a counter height of 34 inches maximum.

Buy a Comfort-Height Toilet

Most toilets are less than 16 inches high. Comfort-height toilets are 17 to 19 inches high, which can make sitting and standing much easier. This can reduce the strain on your back and knees.

Think Twice About Glass

Few things open up a bathroom like glass walls and doors. But keep in mind that shower glass requires upkeep. You need to squeegee it regularly to avoid streak marks. This may make it less convenient for a bathroom designed for aging in place. There are heavy-duty types of shower glass that reduce maintenance, but expect to pay more for it.

Ensure That the Space Is Well-Lit

The better your bathroom lighting is, the less strain on your eyes. You also don’t want to miss any wet spots that can be hidden by shadows. Good lighting comes in many forms, including recessed lighting, vanity lighting, lamps and natural light. You may even consider placing lighting inside an enclosed shower.

Choose Porcelain Wall and Floor Tile

Porcelain can last a lifetime, so chances are you won’t have to replace it as you get older. It’s also perhaps the easiest surface to clean. Water and a rag normally do the trick.

If you’re concerned about grout, look for porcelain tile with a rectified edge. Finely cut edges allow for thin grout joints, as little as 1/16 inch in some styles. You can purchase a presealed grout as well.

Look for Textured Flooring

No matter which kind of flooring you decide to put in your bathroom, choose one that has high slip resistance. A slick tile can increase the likelihood of an injury from a fall. You can spot a floor with good slip resistance by looking for grooves or feeling for texture. Generally speaking, the more textured a floor is, the higher its slip resistance.

There are ways to measure a floor’s slip resistance. Tile, for example, is rated by measuring the coefficient of friction. A flooring material’s slip resistance can normally be found on the manufacturer’s website.

Go With a Curbless Shower Entry

A curbless shower entrance minimizes your risk of tripping over a step as you enter the shower. It’s also a wheelchair-accessible feature.

If you forgo a shower step, your shower floor will need to be properly sloped to allow water to drain correctly. If you do include a step, don’t make it large and bulky.

Consider the Lip Around Your Tub

Pay attention to the width of the lip on a bathtub. When you have to step over a wide tub surround, the gap between your legs gets larger, which can impair balance and increase the chances of falling. A narrower edge can be better for getting into the tub.

Alternately, some prefer a surround that includes an area wide enough to sit down on so they can sit on the edge and swing their legs over into the tub. This is easiest to do if there is a grab bar installed to provide support.

The leaves are falling, pumpkins are being picked, and the cozy comforts of home are enticing us — it’s October. It’s time to prepare your house for winter, so you can sit back, relax in front of the fire with a warm drink.

Things to Check Off In An Hour Or Less

Neaten Up The Mudroom 

Take some time to get rid of the clutter — sort through papers and put away summer items. Clean the floors and invest in a new doormat if needed. Keep a recycling basket near the entrance to make sorting mail and school papers easier, and dedicate a bin for items that need to go out.

Keep Seasonal Decorating Low-Key With Natural Finds 

Pumpkins, gourds, apples, pomegranates, figs and fall foliage make wonderfully simple decor. Bring in cut branches from your yard, stop by a pick-your-own farm, or scoop up fall’s bounty at a farm stand.

Vacuum Radiators, Baseboard Heaters and Heating Grates 

Prepare for heating season by vacuuming up dust from radiators, baseboard heaters and heating grates. If you have radiators with covers, remove the covers and vacuum beneath them before replacing.

Check Safety Devices 

Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in the house, replacing batteries as needed. Check the expiration date on the kitchen fire extinguisher and replace it if needed.

Tackle These Tasks Over a Weekend

Rake Leaves 

To make quicker work of collecting leaves from a large lawn, rake the fallen foliage onto a large plastic tarp. Then bag it or add it to your compost pile.

Decorate For Halloween 

If you’re planning to participate in Halloween — whether it’s an elaborate lawn display or simple door decor — it helps to get an early start on shopping or crafting.

Cover Or Store Outdoor Furniture and Grills 

If you plan to leave your patio furniture or grill outside through the fall and winter, cover them well and stow them beneath an overhang that will protect them from rain and snow. Even if you live in a mild climate, covering your grill between uses is a good idea to preserve the finish.

Shut Off Exterior Faucets And Store Hoses For Winter 

Disconnect, drain and roll hoses before storing them for the winter. Shut off the water supply to exterior faucets to prevent frozen pipes.

Maintenance And Extras To Budget For

Trim Dead Tree Limbs 

Dead limbs are more likely to fall during winter storms, making them a potential safety hazard. Have an arborist, tree specialist, inspect and trim large trees.

Clean Gutters And Downspouts 

Wait until most of the leaves have fallen to clean a rain gutter. Inspect gutters and downspouts for cracks and loose parts, and make repairs as needed.

Maintain Your Wood Stove Or Fireplace 

If you have a fireplace or wood stove, it’s essential for safety that you have it serviced before lighting the first fire of the season. If you haven’t done so already, schedule an appointment to have your chimney inspected and, if necessary, cleaned.

Clean Carpeting And Area Rugs 

Have area rugs and carpeting cleaned if needed, or spot-clean on your own. Rotate area rugs before putting them back in place — this will help prevent one side from becoming more worn or faded than the other.

Whether you work from home or just manage bills and other household finances, setting up a dedicated workstation is a great way to stay organized. Resist the temptation to use a corner of the kitchen table as your office area. Unless you’re extremely diligent about putting things away, clutter can build up quickly.

Perhaps you’re fortunate enough to have a spare room that can be used as a workspace. If you don’t have this luxury, don’t despair. Whatever your budget or the square footage of your home, this guide can help you create a dedicated home office area that’s not only functional, but stylish and inviting too.

Home Office Essentials No Matter Your Budget

◦ Flat surface such as a desk or table

◦ Comfortable chair

◦ Office supplies such as a stapler, label maker, pens, scissors, paper clips, envelopes, stamps and notepaper

◦ Drawer or storage box for storing supplies

◦ File drawer, file box or stand-alone filing cabinet

◦ Hanging folders with labels

◦ One inbox

◦ Magazine file boxes — recommended for storing paper collected when managing a large project. Typically, brochures and other paperwork from large projects won’t fit in a hanging file.

Basic Solutions

Setting up a home office doesn’t have to be costly. If your budget is limited, consider repurposing a small table or desk from another part of your home or buying one used. Thrift stores or charity stores sell inexpensive furniture. Consignment stores are often more costly.

If you don’t have space or budget for a small file cabinet, I recommend using an inexpensive plastic file box, a fabric-covered file box, a basket designed for hanging files or a bankers box. Consider storing only active files in your office. Remove files that aren’t current, such as old tax returns or old bills and financial statements. Consider shredding anything not necessary. Store necessary documents that are no longer active in a bankers box at the top of a closet or another out-of-the-way place.

If you don’t have an extra room, set up a dedicated workstation away from the household hangout area. Choose a place where your supplies won’t be disturbed — perhaps a bedroom, an infrequently used dining room or a corner of the living room.

Another option is repurposing a closet as a home office. The easiest approach is to remove the closet’s doors and add a freestanding desk or table, a file cabinet and shelving. You might also consider installing bifold doors that you can close so your belongings can be housed out of sight.

You might want to install wall-mounted shelves to create a small and functional desk.

If you’re coming up short in terms of where to put your dedicated home office, tour your house to see if there are any wide hallways, nooks or crannies that might fit a small desk and some shelves.

Do keep in mind that you’ll need a power source for your electronics and you may need to install lighting. Hiring an electrician will add to the overall cost.

Midrange Solutions

Many furniture stores sell office furniture in a variety of price range. Steer clear of low-cost new office furniture if possible, the drawers often do not pull out smoothly and pieces can break in a few years.

If you’re not in a rush and like to shop, consignment stores can be a good source for high-quality used office furniture.

Stock cabinets might be an alternative to freestanding furniture if the available sizes fit your space.

In some homes it’s possible to remove the wall under the stairs to create a small space for a home office. Do not attempt if this will affect your home’s structural integrity. Check to see if permits are required in your area and proceed only if you’re working with an experienced professional. Remember to factor in the cost of hiring an electrician to install an electrical outlet and lighting.

Deluxe Solutions

Custom cabinets designed to fit the exact dimensions of your room create storage customized to your specific needs. You’ll be able to choose from many attractive design and finish options that are perfectly suited to your space. These types of cabinets are generally quite expensive.

Not all custom cabinetry is created equal, research the options and reading reviews carefully. A product might look great when new but may not hold up over time. Some manufacturers use inexpensive hardware, which means the drawers won’t roll smoothly. That said, there are many reliable companies and craftspeople who provide high-quality products that will stand the test of time.

Custom cabinetry can provide you with many features, including larger file cabinets.

For those who don’t like visual clutter, built-ins can be designed to hide office equipment such as printers and shredders.

Home offices can double as guest rooms. If the room is small and you would prefer not to have a bed crowding your workspace, you might opt to install a fold-down bed as part of your custom cabinetry build.

High-end freestanding office furniture is also available in the luxury price range. Contact a designer or furniture maker to find appropriate pieces to fit your style and needs.

Final Notes

Take measurements carefully before purchasing or acquiring any new office furniture. Be sure to measure the space and also get the measurements on the furniture itself to make sure it will fit.

It is important to establish a dedicated personal office space in your home. This space should be off-limits to other household members. Some of my clients do not work outside the home and spend their time parenting young children. Many are frazzled by the clutter in their homes but never thought about making space for themselves. Managing household business on the kitchen table littered with toys and cracker crumbs can be stressful. Everyone deserves their own personal space, even if it’s only a small cubby.