The Most Common Things People Overlook When They Move
The Most Common Things People Overlook When They Move
Moving is a big project. We move clients often and have learned that it’s easy to overlook things. All moving days are stressful, and we’ve learned that if you don’t have your eyes and ears open to what’s happening, it’s easy to overlook some items and move without them.
Here are some everyday things people overlook when they move:
- Bathrooms
It’s easy to miss the shower curtain and bath mats, even though they are some of the last things you’ll use before moving out. (Or maybe because of that.) Along with these things, don’t forget any bath towels hanging on the back of the door, and check behind the toilet for your plunger.
- Bedrooms
Look up so you don’t miss any over-the-door hooks (or the items hanging on them) since they may be hidden behind a door. Always check the closets. It’s so easy to leave something on the high shelves. You may have stored packed boxes in a closet to get them out of the way and then forgotten them while loading the truck.
- Kitchen
Please look for items stored on top of your kitchen cabinets. You may be unable to see them from the floor so you may overlook them. The same idea applies to the top of the refrigerator. Don’t forget the dishwasher! It’s easy to leave dishes and utensils since loading the machine is routine. Believe it or not, we’ve been on moving jobs where not all the kitchen cabinets got packed up, so do a quick check to make sure that that task was completed (again, don’t forget the frig!)
“It’s easy to overlook some items and move without them.”
- Laundry Room
Please check your washer and dryer to ensure you haven’t forgotten the last load. Moving the machines and checking the crevice between them and the wall is also good. You may find long-lost treasures there.
- Around the House
Don’t forget about your less-used spaces. Please check your deep storage areas, like the attic, basement, and shed, which are often overlooked. You may have put something up in the attic years ago and don’t remember it’s there. Basements and sheds are usually crowded with items, but it’s easy to overlook some stored in the eaves of the shed or between the floor joists in the basement—look up!
- The Odds and Ends
It’s so easy to forget window treatments (if you want them) since they blend into the background of an environment. It’s probably a good idea to uninstall them a few days before your move and launder them so they are ready for the next home. Lastly, people may miss phone and laptop chargers. They are so ubiquitous today that they may be easy to leave behind.
This list was curated from our experiences with clients. These are the most common things people overlook when they move. There may be more (or different) things to overlook on that last day in your home. So don’t forget to walk through your home one last time, for memory’s sake, and these often overlooked items.
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Janet Schiesl
Janet has been organizing since 2005. She is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Basic Organization.
She loves using her background as a space planner to challenge her clients to look at their space differently. She leads the team in large projects and works one-on-one with clients to help the process move quickly and comfortably. Call her crazy, but she loves to work with paper, to purge what is not needed and to create filing systems that work for each individual client.
Janet is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a Past President of the Washington DC Chapter of NAPO were she has been named Organizer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.
Janet Schiesl
Janet has been organizing since 2005. She is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Basic Organization.
She loves using her background as a space planner to challenge her clients to look at their space differently. She leads the team in large projects and works one-on-one with clients to help the process move quickly and comfortably. Call her crazy, but she loves to work with paper, to purge what is not needed and to create filing systems that work for each individual client.
Janet is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a Past President of the Washington DC Chapter of NAPO were she has been named Organizer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.
The last time we moved, we forgot to pack up the kitchen drawer with foil and other wraps. Could have been much worse!
Oh yes, it could have been worse. We’ve found complete kitchen cabinets not packed. It’s so easy to miss this places that aren’t out in the open.
What a great list! I love that you curated it from your experiences with clients. You could also apply this list to when you travel. How often have we left a phone charger or something hung on the back of the bathroom door?
Great point. We’ve left things in hotel rooms as well. It’s just a very busy time for everyone and so easy to miss things.
Terrific list. I can understand how some of these things are easily overlooked.
Yes. It so easy to miss things.
Great post, Janet. You mentioned going around the laundry room and washer/dryer area to see if you forgot anything. I bet people will find a lot of things back there. It is not common to look in this area. Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome. I love giving clients all these tips.
Theres so much happening when you move. I know I do my do diligence when I help people move and when we do the move management theres still stuff missed.
Add to the list the door mats. That was a recent item from a move. You bet I added it to my checklist immediately.
That’s a great addition to the list. Thanks. I’ll add it to my list as well.
Wow, super helpful reminders. I can totally see walking out and forgetting these things. I helped one couple who found dishes in the dishwasher, so I know this is a common spot. And on top of the kitchen cabinets, especially if they have an elevated trim! Wonderful to keep this in mind. Will be sharing.
Thanks Seana. These are easy things to miss.
This is such a smart post. When I was in college, my boyfriend forgot to take the shower curtain from his old place, meaning that when we awoke the first morning to start organizing things, there was no way to shower without pretty much soaking the entire bathroom. Hanging things, and things hanging from fixtures — shower curtains, over-the-door hooks, valet hooks, curtains, valences, and blinds, bathrobes and coats hanging on the back of a door — are so easy to forget. We look at horizontal surfaces and forget to look up at hanging items, or as you note, things on top of the fridge.
You really need the buddy system, with one person watching and the other going methodically along the space. You need to look (and sometimes feel) inside of every drawer and cabinet, and behind and under any remaining piece of furniture. And OMG, look inside the utility closet where the water heater or HVAC lives, because we hide things from ourself there. Also, things outside, whether it’s welcome mats or garbage/recycling bins (they’re so big, but we have “utility blindness”) are easily forgotten.
Stellar list!
Oh! Some great things to add to my list. It’s easy to forget about things that live outside, since we are so focused on the contents of inside the house.