Declutter Steps to Simplify your Move.
Declutter Your Move
Moving to a new home is routinely listed as one of the most stressful of life events. Whether you’re leaving the beloved home where your children grew up, you’re moving to a new city or country, or you’re otherwise starting a new phase in life, there are emotional stressors associated with moving in addition to the pragmatic issues that arrive. Finding a new place, packing and unpacking, redirecting mail, setting up services, and the financial burden of moving are definite challenges. But there are things you can do to make moving less stressful; indeed, one of the most effective strategies to simplify your move is decluttering. Here are some practical steps to help you declutter for an easier move.
Plan Ahead
Don’t wait until the last minute to start sorting your things. When you start early and identify things you want to keep and things you want to eliminate from your life, you might find yourself more motivated to get the move underway. One of the easiest ways to simplify packing is to declutter, but when moving day is pending and you’re in a rush to get things organized, you’ll only feel pressure. Alleviate that pressure by decluttering early.
Make the Time
A good rule of thumb is to allow for at least 2 hours per room to declutter your space. If you have a yard or other outdoor spaces, you probably want to allocate at least 2 or 3 hours for organizing and decluttering. Often during these decluttering phases, you’ll find that there are many items that you can start to pack because they are not used frequently. So, by decluttering, you can also get started on your packing in an orderly fashion.
Get Into the Closet
Speaking of fashion, don’t forget to declutter your closets. Old clothes, shoes, bags, and other “hidden” items can be sorted into “keep” and “purge” piles. Consider those items that you haven’t worn for a year or more and ask yourself if you want to keep them. Once again, you can also start packing seasonal items. And remember, if you’re getting rid of old clothes that are in good condition, consider donating them to goodwill, thrift stores, or local charities.
A Storage Wasteland
If you’re anything like me, your storage unit or spaces is often a graveyard for things you don’t need, want, or use. One of the many benefits of moving is you have an opportunity to reconsider the utility of many of your things – if you don’t use it, get rid of it! Get your storage organized and decluttered and then you can repurpose that space for things you’ve already started to pack.
Upsizing or Downsizing
Whether you’re moving into a place with more space or you need to downsize, your move is also a great opportunity to remove old furniture and larger items that you don’t enjoy anymore. Declutter these bulky bits well in advance and you’ll find moving day is more efficient and less stressful.
Trust the Experts
Finally, when it comes to removing your clutter, trust the 24 Hour Junk team to take it away. Not only do we take junk to landfill, but we are also committed to the principles of reduce, reuse, and recycle. We can transport items to charity or thrift stores as well as sort items for recycling. We’re friendly, affordable, and professional and we’re here to help you move!