How To Declutter Before Moving House

Moving house? Whether you’re downsizing or not, the prospect of moving all your items down to the last penny from A to B can be a daunting thought. If you’re doing all the packing yourself, now is the perfect time to declutter. You won’t have a better moment!

If you’ve taken one look at all the items piled high and crammed in your cupboards, you may feel a little overwhelmed or like you want to run for the hills. In this guide, we’re looking at how to approach decluttering in a way that won’t seem like too much of a chore. Before you know it, you’ll be ready to move with only the items you really want and need in your new abode in tow.

One room at a time

Choose one room at a time, or even a section of a room, and your decluttering agenda will become much less daunting. Whether you want to start with the kitchen, bedroom or lounge is entirely up to you.

List criteria of when to remove something

Arguably, knowing what to get rid of is the most difficult step. It’s easy to get attached to items, even when you forgot they existed or haven’t used them in years. However, if you know that downsizing your items is a must because you’re downsizing your home, this is crucial.

Just think, every time you remove an item from your house, your move will be that little bit easier. It’s one less thing to pack, transport and find a new home for.

Criteria could include the following:

✓ Items that are broken. If it’s broken and can’t easily be fixed, it might be worth throwing out.
✓ Items you have not used in the last 18-24 months. It’s easy to think that one day you’ll have a use for it. But, if you haven’t used it in two years, chances are you won’t ever. Is it just taking up space and collecting dust? If yes, then remove!
✓ Unnecessary duplicates of an item. Examples could include a stereo system or TV. You might have upgraded these and hidden your old ones in a cupboard. Now is a great time to offload items like this.

Choose where to offload

You can offload to family and friends, sell online or donate to your local charity. Whatever you choose to do with your surplus items is entirely up to you. You may also have items that you don’t need right now but don’t want to get rid of. Self-storage is ideal for this. You can keep it out of sight and mind for safekeeping.

If it helps, you could create separate piles for items that you want to donate vs sell online. This might make it easier to manage.

Go all out when you’re in the mood

It can help to have a schedule and deadline in place and try to stick to it. That being said, sometimes motivation to do tasks we don’t normally enjoy can come in a wave. We don’t know why, we’re just suddenly in the mood to clean, tidy and sort out our life admin. If you get a spark of energy, make the most of it. You may thank yourself later.

Get everyone in the house on board

To make things easier, you could get your partner, children or friend on board with the decluttering. After all, not everything in the house will belong to you and it will also save you time and effort if you’re not the only one having a sort out.

Looking for a reliable Lincoln Removals company to transport your items safely to your new home? Reads Removals can help. We can also help with self-storage if you require it. Get your free quote online today.