A Guide to Decluttering Your Home Before a Big Move

When you have lived in your home for a long time, your belongings tend to accumulate. It might even seem as if things are multiplying in the cabinets, closets and other storage areas. Before you pack up and move out of your current home to a new one, it is a good idea to remove clutter. By getting rid of clutter now, you can have an affordable and less stressful move. Here are some tips on decluttering your home before a move.

Locate Every Item You Don't Like

Walk into any room in your home. Look in every nook and cranny, drawer and cabinet, bin and box and locate every item you don't like. Think about why it is still in your home. If it belongs to someone else, return it or give them a short time frame to get it back. If it doesn't fit, is unappealing, is uncomfortable or doesn't work as well as another item you replaced it with, get rid of it. Donate it if it's usable, toss it if it's broken, offer it in a free items group online or put it at the curb for the pickers.

Find Every Item That's Broken

Many people hold onto things that are broken, with plans on fixing them or taking them somewhere to get fixed. If that old CRT TV is still in your basement 10 years after you replaced it with a flat screen TV, it's time to get rid of it. The broken mixer that you kept around for spare parts can also go.

Gather Recycling and Trash

Go through each room and gather everything that needs to be recycled. Boxes for items you no longer own, old newspapers or magazines and packaging from consumable products should all be recycled before the movers arrive at your home. If there is any trash, including items that can't be recycled, bag it and place it at the curb. If you have a lot of recycling or trash, you might need to arrange a bulk pickup from your waste management service. When you're putting broken appliances, furniture or other large items at the curb, a scheduled pickup date is usually required.

Give Things Away

You could declutter your home before a big move and help others by giving things away. Make a list, take photos and create a post on your social media. Ask your coworkers, neighbors or friends if they want the items. In many areas, there are community garage sales that may accept items you no longer want. The proceeds usually go to funding a charitable group. If you can think of someone who might want an item, offer it to them.

Pretend You're Visiting

According to Becoming Minimalist, a good way to be tough on clutter is to pretend you're a visitor in your own home. If all the surfaces in your living room, dining area and kitchen are piled with stuff, what would a visitor think? Would a visitor want to shift the piles of stuff on your sofa so they can have a seat? Things that get shifted from one spot to another are clutter to get rid of before moving.

Health Safety

Packing up your items to move is an excellent time to wipe things down as you pack them away. This way they are clean as you unpack into your new home! It is also a good idea to research which moving companies in your area are adhering to health guidelines so that your family is kept safe. For example, a South Florida moving company is “limiting practices such as business transactions that put the customer in unnecessary physical contact with staff.” These practices are important for you, your family, and the moving company to stay safe.

Get a Price Quote

Now that you've gone through your entire home with a fine-toothed comb and removed all the things that are broken, no longer needed, no longer wanted or belong to someone else, it's time to figure out how big of a moving truck you need for the things you do use and love. You may be able to get a quote over the phone by providing information, such as the square footage of your home and how many bedrooms it has.

Although the best way to stay on top of clutter is to donate items once they are no longer needed, you might not know how long to hold onto some things. All of the unfixed, worn-out, damaged or obsolete items should be donated, tossed, recycled or otherwise properly disposed of. These tips help you identify the items in your home that you no longer need so that your new space can be free of clutter and your move will go as smoothly as possible.