Find Calm and Plan Your Move While Staying Home

by Margaret Fearey Walsh of Changing Places, Inc.

Virtual Move Preparation Now While You’re Home

Right now, we crave family and community. Our Changing Places team is truly a family of men and women in business for 27 years ­– offering moving and relocation help all over the Bay Area. Our focus is downsizing, moving, organizing, and staging at our clients’ homes. Our mission is to create order, peace of mind, and beauty.

Amid the pandemic, Changing Places and movers are deemed essential services. Just last month, we were honored to help a family who lost a home in the Sonoma County fires move into their dream home in Healdsburg. We are essential and we are here for you.

During this time of sheltering in place, our team offers our relocation services to clients virtually to orchestrate and plan every aspect of the move process.

This newfound time at home is the perfect opportunity clear the clutter and find peace of mind in your household. We’re all spending more time cooking, cleaning and baking with our kids.

Click here for our free kitchen organizing tips. Tackle your most essential room in the house ­– the kitchen –while you’ve got the time. Here’s a sneak peek:

Setting Up Your Perfect Kitchen:

Sort dishes, glassware, flatware and utensils:

  • Review dish and glasses sets for frequency of use. Assess what you use for everyday and special occasions. Edit out any items with chips, cracks or partial sets.
  • Sort water bottles, plastic cups and commemorative glasses (winery glasses, birthday, etc.) – discard any that have lost their appeal.
  • Move everyday plates, glassware and flatware near the dishwasher for easy access to put away when cleaned.
  • Group salad bowls, service plates and everyday bowls together.
  • If adult beverages are a frequent libation, store cocktail and wine glassware near your everyday glassware.
  • Place specialty plates, bowls and platters in low priority areas as they are used less frequently.
  • Store special occasion or secondary sets of dishes (like holiday) in china storage bags in a low priority area. These rigid cases allow them to be stacked easily and safely.
  • Keep placemats and cloth napkins in a drawer near the table.

 Pantry Tips:

  • Group like with like foods together for easy locating or in bins. If you have pull out pantry drawers, use spring loaded dividers to keep items “in their own lanes”.
  • Turn labels forward for easy viewing.
  • Sort and discard items that:
    • are opened that should have been refrigerated, are outdated, and check for bugs
    • are discolored and/or have an “off” smell
    • you won’t use in the future, and can therefore donate
    • swelling cans that are old or have passed their SELL BY or BEST BY dates

Our team is here for you and working from our San Rafael office, our home offices, at www.changing-places.com and by phone at 415.461.6257.