Moving house can be such a daunting experience for the majority of people, but it can also be a positive experience associated with “moving on to the next chapter”. The moving of items into the next house often is the simple part! What’s challenging is the lengthy process that comes before it. Decluttering. Organizing. And packing. There is a heavy process of sorting things into “what to keep”, “what to donate” and “what to get rid of” before the big event. How many times have you just chucked everything into boxes thinking you’ll deal with it on the other end? Here are a few tips to make your moving-out experience as smooth and as stress-free as possible. START EARLY The most stressful thing about moving out is the forever questioning of “will this be useful or not?” It is a natural part of the process to stress about this question and “um” and “ah” for countless hours. The best way to lessen the amount of stress experienced when moving out is to start early. Don’t leave the decluttering and packing until just a few days before – it will be harder on you and your family. Set a schedule, give yourself goals, WRITE THEM DOWN! and do it in phases until you are ready to move. Have a game plan that you can follow so you can see your progress. Tick things off so you can keep the momentum going. BEGIN WITH THINGS YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT Start packing the things you know you can’t live without at the new house. Ask yourself three basic questions: “Do I use it?” “Do I love it?” and/or “Is it sentimental?” Anything that falls out of these three categories, you can live without. However, for things that you are still using, do not pack them yet. Set them aside somewhere they are easily accessible to you, (while still being separated from everything else) so when it’s time to move, it is easy for you to pack them quickly. GO ROOM BY ROOM To make sure that you leave no stone unturned, go through each room of your home. Start with the rooms that you think are the most difficult! This will ensure that the biggest tasks are out of the way, and you can take your time doing the easier ones. Leave no drawer unchecked and no closet unopened! CLEAR LABELS MATTER It may not feel like it while you’re packing, but once you get settled in your new home, you’ll see that labels are your best friend! Group your things into categories and be sure to label them according to these categories. Have ONE sheet of paper – this will be your master list. For e.g. – books should be put into smaller and more manageable boxes (these are HEAVY). Label the box – number 1. On your master list – write on one line, number 1, and write the things that have gone into each box. This will ensure that during the unpacking process, you’ll be able to know IMMEDIATELY which things are placed in which box and you won’t have to spend too much time thinking about where your things were placed. AND your boxes can be reused for another move. This will make the unpacking process smoother and much easier. It can be overwhelming to think about the moving-in and out process. The longer you have stayed in one home, the more things you will have to pack and organize, and the more stress you may have. It will seem like a daunting task at first but as you go through it, you’ll realize that it doesn’t really take that long (as long as you have a good system in place!). The 4 steps outlined are steps of a simplified process to help you prioritize and follow a system whilst moving out – but there are countless methods and techniques that you could try. Find out which method suits you best and follow the one that gives you the least amount of anxiety. Of course, the best way to lighten your load and your stress when moving out is to have someone help you! If you’re looking for assistance in decluttering and organizing, packing and unpacking, then don’t hesitate to contact The Clean Life. We offer guided appointments, where we work with you to reduce your stress, free you of clutter, and ensure you only take the items you love into the next chapter (saving you money and time)! Discuss with us your requirements about your home here: https://thecleanlife.com.au/book-your-time/ Happy packing!

You’ve come to a point in life where you’re overwhelmed, and you’re looking for the best cleaning company for your home! You are not alone. As women, we have a tonne of tasks and responsibilities we need to catch up on, both at work and at home — our plates are overloaded. We bear the brunt of the responsibility of childcare, housecleaning, and cooking, all whilst trying to maintain a business and/or job and/or study. In between looking after kids, running around after everyone,  taking them to school, sports, and friends’ homes, as well as all the other hats we wear, there is no time for us to catch a break! Our schedules are so full and of course,  since COVID, we have made our homes our last priority because we just don’t have the time and energy to deal with the dust on our shelves (no judgment here!). We, the Jones, have a wonderful team that takes care of all the little things so we can focus on the major and most important things in life. We leave our dusty shelves to a cleaning company that will take care of it! SO many people have a cleaner in Melbourne. It is no longer just a luxury service (or a well-kept secret!) — it’s a necessity! So if you are in that place where you have decided that you need to hire a cleaning service; huge step! Congratulations! Well done to you! Your life is about to change for the better! Who do you choose? When trying to pick the right cleaning service, you can’t leave your home to just ANYONE. There are so many things that can (and will most likely) go wrong if you are not careful. Number 1 – look at their quality, security, and reliability! Don’t choose the cheapest. You get what you pay for. This has never been more true, especially in service industries!  They will all say they are the best, the cheapest, the most caring, the most reliable – so how do you know which ones really are the best domestic cleaners?  Get to know them better and do some research! The process can take a while until you’re able to choose the right cleaning company that suits you. You might even need to do a trial a few times before you know you have the right company. Even then, you still won’t be sure if you would be getting the most out of your money, so it would be best to have a checklist of things to consider to narrow down your options. Here’s a list you can start with! Reviews   The easiest way to get an overview of the quality of a company is by checking their reviews! Reading reviews can give you an insight into what the company is capable of and how they treat its clients.  If you know anyone who has hired the same company, it would be helpful to ask for their opinion as well! The Clean Life has over a hundred reviews and still remains a 5-star cleaning service! The Clean Life Reviews: https://www.facebook.com/thiscleanlife/reviews/ Insurance The last thing we want to think of is that something can go wrong. However, this would be a huge oversight not to consider – that unexpected things can and do happen. A cleaning service that has insurance gives them the ability to cover the costs of any unforeseen damage, breakage, or injury that occurs while they are on your property! They should be willing to tell you if they have this kind of coverage, and what they are covered for, and they should willingly provide you copies of their policies,  at your request.  (Keep in mind that this adds to the operating cost of a service company which is why the rates may be higher per hour.) However, the reassurance that comes with insurance will save you in the long run and will cover you if there are any unexpected damages and/or injuries. The Clean Life tries to avoid damages, breakages, and injury as much as possible by having procedures, and systems in place. However, if anything does happen, you can rest assured that you are fully covered by our insurance(s). Experience, Affiliations, and Accreditations In any industry, experience is a good indicator of reliability! Knowing how long a business has been running can usually mean that they listen to feedback and have done their best to continuously improve their services. Additionally, cleaning companies with awards, accreditations and affiliations with professional organizations should be a part of your choices as these companies are concerned with their reputation and are maintaining a certain level of standard!  The Clean Life has been in service for more than 5 years now and is continuously growing through feedback from both clients and staff! It is imperative to our growth to receive both good and bad reviews from everyone as it lets us know which parts of our service are great and which need improvement, so feedback is always appreciated! The founder of TCL –  Beckii – has been a business mentor to other cleaning businesses for the past year, and helps them scale their business based on her systems and processes. Guarantee A good cleaning company understands that not everything is in their control – so they put systems in place in case the unexpected happens! Before saying yes to an estimate or quote, always be sure to ask how they handle breakages, damages, and unsatisfactory services. These are the companies that are prepared to work on solutions with their clients! When our cleaners miss something (they’re human – we aim for excellence, not perfection!), The Clean Life will always take on this responsibility, and be apologetic. We will notify the cleaners of what they have missed – an opportunity for growth and learning! Then we will immediately schedule a date with our client for cleaners to rectify the issue! We have systems in place and we are ready for these situations