Do you get the urge to declutter your home every so often? Surprisingly, most Americans attempt a big decluttering about four times a year! It can be hard to get organized though. Despite talking about and starting decluttering projects in the home, about two-thirds of people just never get around to tossing all their clutter.
But there is one thing that gets people fired up about decluttering. There is nothing more motivating about getting rid of excess items than moving from one residence to another. The thought of having to pack up and pay to move things you haven’t used in years is enough to finally get rid of it.
In fact, the whole act of moving ranks right up there in terms of most stressful activities we do as adults. A recent survey by Angi revealed that over 55% of people who are moving ranked packing as the most challenging part of the moving process. Doing the work of decluttering before you have to pack it all up is the best strategy to reduce this stress and even save you money.
There are two main benefits to decluttering before your big moving day: to reduce stress and keep your costs down. Getting rid of broken and unused items will save you time, money, and effort.
By tossing or giving away items cluttering up your home, you won’t waste time packing up things you don’t need or want in your new home. This makes packing time easier and reduces some of the inevitable stress that comes with a big move.
Discarding unnecessary things means you won’t need as many cardboard boxes, packing material, tape, and space. You can rent a smaller moving truck or pay less for your moving service. And unpacking becomes easier too with fewer things to deal with when you get into your new home.
Professional organizer Laura Cattano says the key to a successful declutter before a move is to,
“Think about how you will be living in this new phase of your life.”
Get measurements of your new digs to make sure your furniture will fit. Figure out what type of storage you’ll have in your new home so you don’t end up bringing more than you can reasonably fit in the new space.
While the whole process of moving can seem daunting, it will be easier when you break it down into smaller action steps. This way you can tackle each task separately and spread it out over several days or weeks ahead of your move. Start early with the decluttering work so you’ll be more efficient at packing when the time comes. And once you’re in your new home, you can fill it with just those things that appeal to you and are truly useful.
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Gather the supplies you need to efficiently declutter. This includes boxes, trash bags, markers and labels, and cleaning supplies. Spin up your favorite playlist to keep you motivated. Order takeout or pizza delivery for dinner to make the day easier. If you can get help from a family member or friend, even better!
Instead of trying to tackle the whole house all at once, just do one room at a time. This gives you a reasonable goal and keeps you from becoming overwhelmed. As you begin to clear out each room, you can simultaneously pack the things you know you’re keeping. Just make sure you label everything well, so you don’t get confused about what goes and what stays.
In each room, you’ll need boxes for things you’re donating, things you’d like to sell, and the items you’re keeping. Have a garbage can set up for trash. As you work, sort everything into these categories and bins. As a box fills up, label it and take it out of the room and empty trash as you work.
Although it may seem like it will take too long, you truly should consider each item on its own. Putting things into groups and then trying to decide on the whole group is counterproductive and will result in you keeping things that shouldn’t be kept. By handling and making a decision for each thing in your home, you will be able to complete declutter everything in the most effective way.
The easiest way to do an initial sort is to throw out trash and broken items. If you haven’t fixed old broken items by now, they should be discarded. Toss all trash, including old product packaging, items that can’t be cleaned, old paperwork, and anything expired.
If your home, storage shed, and garage are full of old paint, chemicals, used electronics, expired medications, and broken appliances, be sure to dispose of them in a responsible way. These items should not be placed in your rental dumpster. Instead, they can be recycled or taken to a hazardous waste disposal site in your community.
Only keep clothing that fits you and that you enjoy wearing. Discard worn, stained, and non-fitting clothing and shoes. Sort through your books and get rid of those that are outdated, damaged, or of no use to you anymore. If your sheets and towels are showing their age, consider discarding them and buying new bedding when you set up your new place.
Cut down on the number of photos and documents you have to move by scanning and digitizing as much as you can. This not only saves space. It also protects your important documents and photos from damage.
It can be hard to get rid of things that are meaningful to you and full of memories. These items should be evaluated in a thoughtful way. If you do want to have them in your new home, pack them early in the pre-move process to keep them from getting lost or damaged.
You have several options to handle the debris from your decluttering work. The easiest is to get a rental dumpster delivered right onto your driveway. This lets you toss items as you work, keeping everything as tidy as possible during your move.
If you’d like to donate or sell items, list them for sale on a neighborhood group, Facebook Marketplace, or Craigslist. Many thrift shops and other charities will pick up your discarded items for free. You can arrange a date before you plan to load up your moving truck so they are out of the way when you’re doing the real work of packing and loading.
Our experienced team at Discount Dumpster takes the hassle out of your declutter before a move. We’ll work with you to get you the right size dumpster at a low affordable price. We have a large selection of all dumpster sizes ready in our inventory for quick delivery, so you can get started right away. Call us today to get a free quote and learn more about how we can make it easy for you to declutter your whole house.
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