A survey of 1,000 American adults found that most people consider moving to be more stressful than any other event in their lives, more than having children or going through a divorce. Luckily, there is a way to minimize this stress and make it to the other side with your sanity intact.
Continue reading to learn the best ways to declutter to prepare for a move.
1. Declutter Early and Often
You should start this process as one of the first steps in planning your move, even before settling on a space. If you don’t start early, you may overwhelm yourself with the sheer magnitude of your to-do list. Instead, you will likely end up packing, moving, and unpacking what you had intended to toss.
2. Do a Paper Purge
The easiest way to make headway is to go through all the loose paper in your home.
This includes:
- Bills and receipts
- Old paperwork and expired warranties
- Greeting cards
- Schoolwork, tests, report cards
- Magazines and newspapers
- Damaged books and photographs
While going through your piles, bring a garbage bag to toss no-longer-needed paper items immediately.
3. Sell or Donate Unwanted Items
Next, set aside items for donation or sale that you no longer want but that aren’t ready for the dump just yet.
These can be:
- Clothing
- Furniture
- Glassware
- Books
- Artwork
- Textiles, like rugs or curtains
Sort through everything one last time to ensure the quality is up to snuff for someone else to use. A good rule of thumb is that if the condition is such that you wouldn’t buy it, don’t sell or donate it.
Then, host a garage sale or list your goods on buy & sell apps like LetGo or Poshmark. The bonus is that you can earn extra cash to put towards your moving day.
4. Consider Your New Space
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is not planning for how your belongings will work with your new home. To avoid this, you should measure the entryway, doorways, and stairwells to ensure your furniture can make it inside. You should also think about your new home’s needs and purge as necessary.
For example, if your old house had an eat-in kitchen, but your new one doesn’t, you may have to put your old kitchenette set up for sale.
However, this step becomes more complicated if you’re moving to another country. You will have to take into account electrical outlets and doorways and stairwells with widths that might deviate from those in your original country. To make this as simple as possible, you should hire a moving service specializing in international home relocation.
5. Stop Shopping and Stop the Clutter Cycle
The best way to declutter is to prevent clutter from accumulating in the first place. So, in addition to purging, you must limit purchases to essentials only. This means no new clothes, furniture, etc., until after the move.
And, with all the money you save, you can hire professional movers.
Declutter Your Home and Make Moving a Breeze
Preparing for your move can be a taxing time. But when you declutter before your move, you can lessen the annoyances and enjoy a smooth ride into your new space.
If you enjoyed this article, you’d love the other informative reads in our Home Improvement section — be sure to explore!
