Look, renovating your house is a special kind of crazy. You start off all excited, picking out paint chips and flooring samples. It feels like you’re on one of those HGTV shows.
Then demo day hits.
Suddenly, there’s a fine layer of dust on everything you own. You’re eating cold pizza for the third night in a row because you can’t find the microwave cord, and you’re pretty sure you saw a contractor step over a box marked “FRAGILE – GRANDMA’S CHINA.”
My wife and I learned this the hard way. Our big dream kitchen reno almost broke us. Not because of the cost or the delays, but because of our stuff. Our living room became a maze of cardboard boxes. We had to move a stack of linens just to sit on the couch. It was miserable.
So, if you’re about to jump into this, learn from our mistakes. Here’s how to keep your head above water.
First, you gotta get mean
Before you pack a single spoon, you have to purge. I’m not talking about a gentle spring cleaning. I’m talking a full-on, “why do we own five staplers?” interrogation of everything you own.
We pulled everything out of the kitchen cabinets. It was embarrassing. We had three bottles of expired cinnamon. We had a gadget for slicing avocados that we’d never used. We had a “junk drawer” that was basically a black hole for loose batteries and dead pens.
Get three boxes. Label them: KEEP, DONATE, TRASH. No “maybe” pile. The “maybe” pile is a liar and will haunt you later. If you haven’t used it in a year, if it’s broken, if it doesn’t fit your life—let it go. Every item you get rid of is one less thing you have to pack, move, and dust off later.
Now, let’s pack. And you have to be a nut about labels
Writing “Kitchen” on a box is useless. You need to be specific. I’m talking “Coffee Mugs, Filters, and Sugar” level of specificity. “Pots, Lids, and Wooden Spoons.” “Spatulas, Whisk, Can Opener.”
Why? Because at 7 AM on a Tuesday, when you’re running late and desperately need your travel mug, you do not want to open six boxes labeled “Kitchen Stuff” only to find the good towels and a bag of rice.
Pack a “First Night” box. This is your survival kit. Put in it:
- Your coffee maker and coffee (this is non-negotiable for human function).
- A roll of paper towels and some disinfectant wipes.
- A couple of bowls, utensils, and a sharp knife.
- Phone chargers!
- Toilet paper, toothpaste, and a clean towel.
- A change of clothes for everyone.
- Pet food and a bowl if you have a furry friend.
Keep this box in your car trunk. It is your lifeline.
Okay, the big question: where does it all go?
You have options, but I’m gonna tell you straight which one works.
- The Spare Room Shove: This seems smart. It’s not. That room becomes a terrifying Tetris game of boxes. You will need the one thing at the bottom, and the whole stack will come crashing down. It’s a nightmare.
- The Furniture Fort: Piling everything in the corner of the living room and throwing a sheet over it. This is what we did. It made our home feel like a depressing storage unit. We were living in the chaos, and it wore us down mentally.
The Game-Changer: Getting a Storage Unit
Let me tell you, it was a game-changer. We moved out all the non-essentials: the dining table, the good china, the fancy stand mixer, the area rugs. The moment we came back to the house, we could feel the difference. The contractors had space to work. There was less to cover in plastic. And our living room was just our living room again. We could breathe. The mental relief was instant.
Honestly, that experience is a big part of why I’m in this business now. I saw firsthand how having a clean, off-site spot for your things can completely change a stressful situation. When you rent one of our units, you’re not just renting space; you’re buying back a little bit of your sanity. You’re protecting the things you love from dust and damage, and you’re giving yourself a calm space to come home to.
A couple more tips from the other side
- Build a plastic wall. Use sheeting and tape to seal off the reno zone from your living zone. It’s not perfect, but it helps so much with the dust.
- Embrace the simple life. Your air fryer and slow cooker will become your best friends. Paper plates are a blessing, not a sin.
- Get out of the house. On weekends, go for a drive. See a movie. Go to a friend’s place for a real meal. A break from the noise and mess is a reset for your soul.
The mess is temporary. I promise. That beautiful new space is worth it. But by being smart with your stuff from the very beginning, you make sure you’re still smiling when you finally get to enjoy it. You can do this.
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