The moving process is always going to be a stressful one, there’s no getting away from that fact. Where you are moving, whether it’s a few streets over or across the country, the moving process is always going to be a trying one. There are endless tasks that need completing in a very small amount of time; from packing up your entire home to cleaning each room so it looks like ‘new’–there’s a lot to do.
How To Decide What To Keep When Decluttering The Home
The good news is that although moving homes can be tiring and annoying, it doesn’t have to leave you feeling totally and completely stressed out. One of the best steps that you can take to make the moving process a less stressful one is to spend some time decluttering your home before moving day actually arrives. By doing this, you can make moving day, and the days leading up to it, much less stressful.
Bearing that in mind, the question is: what are the best tips for decluttering your home in the run-up to moving day? Below are 10 simple tips for the best ways that you can do that!
Moving Declutter Checklist For Homeowners
Using this declutter checklist, you can more effectively declutter before moving day and significantly reduce your stress level.
1. Start With One Room At A Time
One of the best hacks for making the process of decluttering your home before moving day easier is to start with one room at a time. If you try and declutter various rooms at once, the task becomes overwhelming. So it’s best to start at the top of your home and work your way down through the house as you go.
2. Implement The 12-Month Rule
When it comes to getting rid of things, sometimes it can be hard to know what to keep and what to chuck, this is where the 12-month rule comes in. Not sure whether to keep a certain item, ask yourself if you’ve used it at all in the past 12 months. If you have, keep it, if you haven’t, chuck it.
3. Be Organized
Ensure that any items you choose to keep, you store in an organized and efficient way. You need to implement a system that you can use to keep everything neat and tidy and easy to stay in control of.
4. Sell What You Don’t Want
Anything that you don’t want or can’t keep, sell. For anything that’s worth money, selling it can be a great way to get rid of it. By doing so you are reducing clutter and increasing your savings, it’s a win-win situation.
5. Have A Clothing Clear Out
Don’t hold onto clothing that you no longer wear or that doesn’t fit you. It’s tempting to hold onto these pieces but it’s not beneficial to do so. Instead of holding onto items that you don’t need, opt to donate them to worthy causes.
6. Clear Out That Junk Mail
While it’s all well and good holding onto letters and bank statements for future reference, there’s a limit of how much paperwork you need to hold onto. Buy a filing case and file away all the important documents and bin anything else – just make sure to shred these documents first. Bank statements aren’t necessary anymore as you can always access an electronic copy, should you need to.
7. Store Items You Want But Don’t Need Right Now
For any items that you still want or need but don’t require right now, it’s best to store them. That way you can get them out of the way but without having to get rid of them for good. If you do choose to store items, opt to use a service such as the one from Carmack Moving & Storage that is professional and budget-friendly.
8. Get Rid Of Old, Damaged Furniture
Take a moment to think about what you would like your new home to look and feel like. If there’s a piece of furniture that is old or damaged, or that you don’t think will fit well into your new home, now is the time to get rid of it.
9. Condense Down Your Collections
Say you are a bit of a hoarder, and you have a huge collection of scented candles, for instance, it could be worth condensing down this collection. Go through your collection and determine which items are worth keeping and which it might be time to say goodbye to.
10. Have A ‘Messy Box’
Everyone has that one collection of items that they don’t really need but also can’t bear to part with. Instead of spreading this collection around, pop it into one small box. Allow yourself that small box and no more.
Preparing to move house is no easy task, as there is just so much that you need to think about. However, taking the time to declutter your home beforehand can help to make the process a little less stressful. With the help of the above declutter checklist, you’ll always know how to decide what to keep when decluttering the home and more sufficiently prepare for your next big move.
