Relocations can be stressful for two primary reasons – lack of space and lack of time. You must pack the whole household quickly, guarantee everything is safe during transport, and ensure the unpacking process is simple and efficient. Many items often occupy space in our homes, making packing more time-consuming and overwhelming. Not to worry – clutter is common, and there’s an efficient way to deal with it. Check out these valuable tips on decluttering before moving and making your upcoming relocation smooth and easy.
Decluttering Before Moving – Tips and Tricks
Benefits of Decluttering Before Moving Your Home
It’s not uncommon for people to underestimate the power of decluttering for everyday home maintenance and special events such as moving. Let’s see the main benefits of purging your house for a move to simplify the moving process:
It’s easier and faster to pack – clearing out your home before you start packing ensures you get rid of all the unnecessary items and therefore have fewer things to pack. This can significantly reduce packing time and help you save precious energy in the moving process.
Decluttering makes your move more affordable – once you get rid of all the unnecessary things, you’re left with only the belongings you’ll need in your new home. This results in fewer moving boxes and, therefore, lowers moving expenses. As moves can get pretty pricey, it’s essential to look for ways to save, and reducing the number of boxes is one of the ways to do that.
You create more space in your new home – no clutter means more storage and the simplicity of keeping your home tidy and clean. Ensure you declutter before moving, so you can start fresh in the new property with minimum storage issues. Just be sure to keep your home clutter-free after the move – make decluttering part of your seasonal cleaning session or declutter monthly for even better results.
Unpacking won’t be a problem – once you declutter, it’s easier to sort the rest of the items and pack them in an organized manner. By doing so, you do yourself a favor for the upcoming unpacking process and make settling into the new home more accessible.
Preparation Steps for Decluttering Before Moving
If there’s a relocation coming up in your calendar soon, start prepping for the big day by clearing out your home first. Here’s what to do to prepare for the decluttering project:
Integrate decluttering into your moving timeline. Creating a timeline for your move can be very useful in keeping track of your progress and staying organized.
Decluttering should be part of your moving timeline – start clearing out your home a couple of weeks before you begin packing. This way, you’ll have enough time and energy to do everything without getting overwhelmed with all the work.
Set a deadline. Decide when you need to finish the decluttering so you can pack your belongings for the move and deal with other relocation tasks. This will depend on your household size and the amount of clutter piled up over time.
Have a plan. Making a plan can significantly help when decluttering, especially when dealing with a large household.
How to Declutter Your Home Before Moving
Always remember the time and energy needed to declutter a big household. Learn the best techniques to simplify the process and save your time.
Be systematic. You can declutter room by room or deal with different categories of items at a time. These could include clothes, cosmetics, cleaning supplies, pantry supplies, and more. This way, you can be more thorough and remove clutter from every section of the house.
Hit the most extensive clutter first. Start with the areas that collect the most clutter – entryways, kitchens, pantries, bathrooms, and closets. Once you first deal with the most significant chunk of clutter, you’ll quickly work through the rest of your home.
Know your clutter. Before throwing things away, ensure you know what makes an item undesirable in the new home. Having a clear idea of what you need to get rid of will make the process much easier. For example, these could be all the expired items – foods, cosmetics, cleaning supplies, etc. Be sure to remove clothes that are too old, damaged, or outgrown. Things you haven’t used in a couple of years and don’t carry any sentimental value should also be removed from your home. These are often outdated electronics, out-of-style bags, old shoes, and more. Keep things you need and use and items that hold memories you can’t part ways with.
Empty everything for better efficiency. Let’s say you need to declutter a drawer, a cupboard, or a basket. It’s challenging to decide what goes and what stays if you have a messy pile of things in front of you. Whatever the section you’re tackling, you’ll be more efficient if you take everything out before sorting it. Then, you can easily organize your items into categories and, most importantly, remove the clutter.
Ways to Seamlessly Declutter Your Home Before Moving
Not all decluttering techniques need to be radical. Try these tips to reduce clutter in your home and create more space.
Make it a challenge. If you feel overwhelmed with all the items around you, try an interesting challenge that will help you reduce clutter in your home. Set an exact number of items you need to give away, throw away, and donate. Let’s say each category should have at least ten items, and you should repeat the challenge until you’re happy with the results.
Deal with certain types of items at one time. You can dedicate a couple of hours or even a day to a special category of clutter, such as paper, batteries, clothes, etc., and therefore be more productive without being overwhelmed.
Invite someone to help you out. Decluttering a household can be pretty challenging, so it’s wise to invite a friend or a family member to help you out and make the process a lot easier.
Techniques to Deal With Clutter
Once you set aside the things you no longer need in your household, it’s time to remove them from your home. You don’t need to throw everything away; instead, you can try the following:
Donate to people in need. Contact your local charity center and see if they might accept some of your belongings, or try to think of someone in need that could use items you no longer use.
Recycle to protect the environment. Paper is the most common clutter in our homes and can be easily recycled. Protect the environment by sorting out your clutter and see if there’s a recycling center you can take it to.
Sell items you don’t need. Find new owners for your items and even make some money for the move. Selling items in good condition can be done in two ways – you can sell the items online or organize a garage sale. Garage sales are a great way to clear your home and say goodbye to your old neighbors while making some money. You can also make some of your friends happy by giving away things you don’t need or visiting a local donation center.
Use storage for things you’re not ready to let go. If there are items you still want to keep but want them away from your home – simply rent a storage unit for the things you rarely use, seasonal or hobby items, and other belongings.
Decluttering your home before moving is just one of the steps in the moving process. While you can declutter on your own, it’s wise to let professionals help you with other moving tasks. Experts will save you time and energy and ensure every bit of your household arrives safely to your new home, so you can have a stress-free relocation and a smooth beginning of a new life chapter.
