Tips to Help You Declutter Your Home Before Moving

It may be easy to think about decluttering your home before moving, but where do you start? Here are several tips to make the daunting task a little more straightforward and manageable.

1. If it doesn’t work, do you need it?If the answer is no, then the item might need to be in the trash bin. If it is electronic or an appliance, you might consider taking it in for recycling rather than sending it to the dumpster.
2. Do you have duplicates that you don’t need? This might be the time to cull through towels, sheets, plastic containers, and kitchen utensils.
3. When was the last time you used it? Some people use a year as a rule of thumb. You might feel more comfortable using two years. But, if you aren’t using an item at all, why move it to your new home? You can sell it at a garage sale or donate it to the local thrift store.
4. Do you like it? That little Hummel figurine that you got as a housewarming gift may be cute, but if you really aren’t into them, why keep it? This is true for clothing, dishes, and other household items. Is it worth paying to have it moved if it is going into a box in the closet?
5. Is it outdated? This is especially true with electronics, computers, and TVs. It may still work, but now might be the time to upgrade to a newer model. Donate the old ones, and buy new models once you have moved in.
6. Do you value the item? Even if the item isn’t useful, you may still value it. Art work, sentimental items, and decorations may fall into this category. Some household items such as kitchen appliances are useful for making life easier. These are keepers.
7. Is it useful? This is different from asking if you use it. You want to determine the usefulness so that if you decide to get rid of it, you can donate or sell the item. Items that are not useful include torn, stained clothing, parts that can’t be identified, games, puzzles, and toys with missing pieces, or things being held together by tape or glue.
8. Can you envision it in your new home?If you can’t see it in your new home, or if it won’t fit, then why move it?

By going through all your rooms and asking these questions, you can evaluate what you own and what you want to bring along. Go through drawers, closets, cabinets, the attic and basement to locate all the hidden clutter. Start to prioritize what to keep, what to donate, what to sell, and what to recycle or toss. This may take a couple of weeks, but your moving day will be much smoother.