Moving home is the perfect opportunity to get rid of all the possessions that you no longer want. This allows you to enjoy a fresh start in your new home with only the belongings that you want and need. To help you declutter effectively before you move, here are some of the steps that you can take.
Start the process early
By sorting through your stuff early, you’ll give yourself enough time to decide what to do with your unwanted possessions – whether you choose to sell them, donate them or chuck them. Consider starting a few months before your moving date. This should give you plenty of time to put items up for sale or find appropriate disposal options.
Focus on one room at a time
Decluttering your home all in one go might be too much of a challenge. Aim instead to declutter room by room so that you can do it over several weeks (potentially one room every weekend). Each room that is successfully decluttered will feel like a small gain that will help spur you on to declutter the rest of your home. Start with the biggest clutter zones such as the loft and bedroom and work your way round to the least cluttered rooms such as the bathroom and living room.
Pack as you declutter
It could be worth packing as you declutter. Obviously there are some essential items that you may not be able to pack, however if there are items that you’re unlikely to need before your move, you may as well pack them there and then. Make sure that boxes of items that you want to keep are clearly distinguishable from boxes of stuff that you don’t want to keep.
Consider storage for items that require more time to sell
If you own rare or valuable items that you no longer want to keep, you may require more time to sell them. Putting these items temporarily in storage could prevent you having to take them to your new home while also giving you the time to look for buyers or authenticate items or possibly even restore items before sale. Look for movers with storage that can move your belongings and provide storage for you to save costs. Any storage unit should ideally be located near to your new home so that you can easily access it.
Hire a skip
Hiring a skip could spur you to throw away items there and then instead of keeping onto boxes and bags of unwanted stuff. You may also be more motivated to fill the skip, which could motivate you to chuck out more.
Get a helping hand
Decluttering can be emotionally challenging – many of us find it difficult to part with items that we may not necessarily want or need due to sentimental value. Getting a friend or family member to help could help you to be more brutal when choosing which items to throw away. They may be able to help you see the practical value of items more clearly.