The average American moves more than 11 times in their lives. No matter how many times you’ve moved in the past, you know that moving day is always going to be stressful.
The more items you have in your house, the harder it will be to get things packed up on time.
That’s why it’s important that you figure out how to declutter your house before the movers arrive. If you’re not sure where to start, don’t panic. Here are a few proven tips to help you declutter your home quickly and easily.
Image by Hans Braxmeier
Start With Your Garage
If you’re like most people, you use your garage as an on-site storage unit. It’s a catch-all for holiday decorations, sports equipment, out of season clothes, and items that you just don’t know where else to put them.
This means there’s a good chance that your garage is full of clutter that you don’t really want or need to keep. And since the items inside are likely less full of sentimental value, start decluttering your garage first.
Go through each box, bin, or container and see what’s inside. If there are items you don’t want anymore, make a plan to get rid of them. If you notice things that you know you want to keep, pull those items out and put them in a safe place.
Once you go through the items in your garage, you’ll be better able to start sorting through items inside.
Go Room by Room
Though it’s tempting to go through items and boxes as you find them, it can derail your progress as you figure out how to declutter your house. Instead, go room by room and sort through items in each room before moving on to other areas of your home.
This will help you stay more organized and reduces the risk of you trying to keep everything you find. You’re better able to be analytical about the items you’re reviewing rather than rushing to make a decision. You’ll break the decluttering process into bite-sized chunks that are more approachable.
If you can, get the entire family involved. Have others help you go through items in communal areas like the living room and den. Get your kids to go through their rooms on their own first before you try to help them.
Get Rid of Broken Items
As you go through your clutter, you’ll start to notice broken or worn-out items. When you find those items, be realistic.
If you’ve told yourself that you’ll get the items fixed for the last few years but still haven’t, get rid of them. You won’t have time to get them fixed when you’re juggling packing and move out cleaning.
However, if you notice broken items that you truly want to keep, weigh the benefits of keeping those items carefully. Remember, you’ll have to pay to get them fixed, but you’ll also have to pay to transport them to your new home.
You may be better off buying a replacement once you’re settled into your new home.
Look at Your Pantry
One of the most overlooked places of the house when it comes to decluttering before a move is a pantry. You don’t think anything of stockpiling dry goods while you’re staying in your home and those dry goods have a way of building up before you have a chance to use older items.
Go through your pantry and cabinets in your kitchen. Pull out food items that have expired, gone stale, or are otherwise unusable. Toss those items in the trash and keep sorting.
If you can, use up as many canned goods and heavy items in your pantry before you move. Anything left just before moving day can get donated to a food pantry.
It’s cheaper to buy new groceries than it is to pay your movers to transport those items.
Stop Buying New Stuff Before You Move
If you’re looking for easy ways to declutter your house, take a look at your buying habits leading up to moving day. The more stuff you buy, the more space it takes up in your house, and the more items you’ll have to sort through to declutter your home.
Instead, focus on being as thrifty as you can. Avoid buying new items until you move if at all possible. You can even start a list of the items you want to buy but don’t for future reference.
This way, you’ll prevent the buildup of more clutter in your home. Once you’re settled in your new house, you can start acquiring those items on your list without worry.
Host Several Garage Sales
Moving can be expensive and the more items you move, the more it will cost. The best thing you can do to declutter your house is to host several garage sales before the big day.
This will allow you to get rid of clutter and items that you no longer want to keep. But more importantly, it will let you build up a little extra cash—and that’s cash you can use to help pay for your move.
If you’re not comfortable handling the garage sale on your own, see if some of your friends or neighbors want to get involved. This way, you’ll have someone to talk to between sales!
Now You’re Ready to Declutter Your House With Confidence
Moving can be stressful, but when you declutter your house before you start packing up boxes, the experience will be much easier. Keep these tips in mind and you’ll be able to get rid of clutter in no time.
Just remember to start as early as you can. The sooner you start going through items in your home, the easier it will be to get rid of the things you no longer need.
Decluttering your house is just the first step in getting ready for moving day. Check out our latest posts for more tips and tricks to streamline your upcoming move.
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