Everything will feel strange at first when you move into a new home. The excitement you feel will often be mixed with nostalgic feelings and a sense of discomfort and perhaps a longing for your previous home. That happens to many homeowners and renters when they move somewhere new, but there are a few things you can do to make the new place feel comfortable and familiar.
Try some of the following ideas when you move places and see if you don’t feel instantly more at home.
Use Familiar Sounds and Scents
Some people believe that a new home means a new start that should be full of new sights, sounds, habits, and everything else. There is some danger in that, though, as the mind often craves the familiar and a sense of belonging. We suggest using some of the same sounds and smells in your new home that you had in your old one, at least to start off with.
If you are used to burning incense or using air fresheners or essential oils in your home, bring those same ones with you and put them out in the new place as quickly as possible. The familiar scents will make your new home a more comfortable place.
You can do the same things with sounds. Use the same alarm clock and the same ringtone on your phone. If you have a cuckoo clock or other device that normally makes sounds throughout the day, put that up and let it carry its familiar sounds throughout the house. You might be surprised at how much at home you feel with these same sounds and smells around you, even though everything else is different.
As you focus on familiar sounds, bring in music you love to your new home. As you relax at home or do house chores, you can turn on familiar playlists and play your favorite music to make the new feel old and familiar again. This is a great way to adapt to a changing environment and not feel like you are too out of place.
A little of the familiar will go a long way and will help you adjust. As you become more comfortable, you can start phasing some of the familiar things out, but they could be incredibly helpful for you and your family when you just move in.
Clean the Home Thoroughly
A deep home cleaning can help with the acclimation process in a new home as well. Tidiness and organization will allow you to find things easier, and cleaning up any dust, dirt, grime, and stains will make the place feel more welcoming. If you can get rid of any bacteria, irritants, and dirtiness left behind by previous tenants, then your home will definitely feel like a safe place where you can relax and be comfortable. If you see dirt and dust in every nook and cubbyhole, though, then you may be fearful about what kind of germs or other contaminants are hiding there.
Check house cleaning prices in New York and see if this service can be done professionally for an affordable price. If you are not the one who is cleaning every corner and scrubbing each tile, then you won’t have to think of your new home as being very dirty and well lived in.
Use the Same Furniture
You might want to change out your furniture when you move, but you should probably hold off on that for the time being. Use the same furniture you are used to in the same places, if there is any risk that you might be missing your old place or that the new home might be uncomfortable at first. A new home can often benefit from a new look, but all that change all at once can be overwhelming and leave you missing what you used to have.
We recommend using the same favorite chair and familiar table to sit at and eat your meals. This will really help you to adjust to your new place and new life. Once you start to feel more at ease and you don’t think there is much risk of you feeling out of place, then you can make more and more changes to the furniture.
Make Your Favorite Meals
Food can be a great comfort when our emotions are running high and we start to feel nostalgic. Food carries with it many good memories and times spent together with friends and family. You might be tempted to order out as you unpack boxes in the new place, but it can be helpful to resist that urge and instead make a home cooked meal. When you cook food that you are used to eating and that you love, you might be pleasantly surprised at how nostalgic that feels. The familiar scents and flavors as well as the familiar process of making the food will make your new kitchen and dining room feel like home instead of a different and foreign space. We recommend doing this several times a week to help you adjust to the place. If you eat too often from strange and unfamiliar places, eating foods that aren’t quite what you are used to, then you may have some trouble adjusting.
Make a Familiar Space
Which room of the house should you unpack first? You may be tempted to go for the common areas, like the living room and the dining room since that will affect most people in the household all at once. However, it may be smarter for each person to unpack their bedrooms to start with. This gives them a familiar place that they can retreat to that is all their own and that they don’t have to share with everyone else.
If you only have a short time for unpacking, perhaps it would be best to fill the closet and create a single space where everything feels like home.
We hope this advice helps you adjust quickly and get used to the new space without it feeling too strange and unfamiliar.
