7 Notes From Moving

Rather than “drifting,” let’s call it: always in motion.

1. Professional deep cleaning: temporarily overrated. After we moved in, my mom pointed out it wasn’t really clean — grime still on the stove grate, rust the cleaners had insisted couldn’t be removed. My mom had them spotless by that evening. In the end, the professional team wasn’t much better than a thorough DIY scrub. We’d booked a private arrangement (not through a platform) because the platform packages tend to exclude things like sofas and curtains. We have a chaise longue, a four-seat sofa, and curtains across three bedrooms plus the living room — buying those add-ons separately would’ve been expensive. Going private meant everything was included, better value overall. That said, I’m still curious: why can’t a “new home deep clean” package just include everything? It’s all fairly standard stuff.

2. Settling in takes longer than the move itself. We spent about a day packing. But the preparation — cleaning, washing appliances, sorting through what to keep — took nearly a week before moving day. And we’re still not fully settled; there are small things left to buy. The previous tenants had lived in this apartment for over nine years, so some items were beyond use. The washing machine, a Siemens front-loader, was flagged by a JD cleaning technician as something that would definitely leak if disassembled and reassembled. So I took the opportunity to use a government appliance-replacement subsidy (国补) to buy a new one. The old machine got a surface clean and a tablecloth draped over it — now it’s a storage surface. (I’d throw it out if I could.)

3. Moving day meets staircase: a test of stamina and gratitude. In 2020, the movers used a stair-climbing machine to bring things down from the sixth floor — noisy, but effective. This time we had stairs again. Not many floors, but a lot more stuff — a full moving truck. I booked through the Lánxīniú platform; two guys showed up to help. Watching one of them tie four boxes of heavy books to his waist with rope, hold both ends with his hands, and nearly stumble on the first step — something about that hit me. I’d originally planned to go with the Japanese-style moving service, but for under six kilometers, ¥1,500 felt like a lot. I bought them a McDonald’s combo set to say thank you.

4. For an exit permit, try the security guard first. I called the property management office to ask where to get an exit permit for moving. They said to come in after 8:30 a.m. When I got there, they said they needed to verify with the landlord that I’d returned the keys — which I hadn’t yet — and refused to issue one. I went back and forth with the landlord about whether that was actually required. Eventually I walked over to the security booth and asked directly. The guard said yes, no problem, handed me a form. I filled in the movers’ vehicle info and my residence details, and that was it. On my way out I mentioned to him: “Could you help direct the truck to Building 2 when they arrive?” He said: “No worries — anything we let through, we guide in.”

5. A balcony makes a real difference. The previous apartment was 76 sqm but had no balcony, which made it feel smaller than it was. The new place is three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a balcony — the difference in feel is substantial. Also: moving out of Ziroom and going direct with the landlord was very much worth it. The last two apartments I’ve rented have both been direct-to-landlord, and what I’ve saved on agent fees would more than cover a full professional cleaning and some minor renovation. Our rent here is ¥4,600/month — the landlord originally listed it at ¥5,200, we negotiated to ¥5,000 at the first viewing, and eventually got it down to ¥4,600. Compared to the ¥3,900 two-bedroom we had before, it’s a step up, and I can live with the downsides (no elevator, fewer in-compound amenities) given the upsides (two shopping malls across the street, five-minute walk to the subway).

6. What’s “lost” during a move isn’t always really lost. Something went missing from the bedroom — none of us could remember it, and we started wondering if it had fallen off the moving truck. Then someone looked at photos and found it tucked into a small pocket of another bag. The relief of finding a lost thing is disproportionately satisfying. The less satisfying part: several parcels I’d ordered were still sitting at the pickup station near the old address. No reminder text, no call — and they’d arrived on the 16th. I’ll have to make a trip back on the weekend. Can’t have it all, I suppose.

7. Thank you to everyone who read, liked, shared, tipped, or commented on the last post. Seeing the comments, I realized I’m not the only one who drifts. But life is our own, and how we relate to it is up to us. “Every new place brings new people, and opens a new chapter.”

Rather than “drifting,” let’s call it: always in motion.