It is logical to think that tidying up your home should happen while you are packing for a move. Tidying before a move may seem tedious or even pointless, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. It is important to declutter and tidy your home before it is time to pack for a move.
If you don’t take the time to do it, then you will end up in your new home going through the same junk you didn’t want at the old place. You will open boxes expecting to find pots and pans, only to find 15 cookbooks that you have never used and will never use in the future. There are many benefits to decluttering and tidying up before packing including:
- not having to pack the entire home in a rush.
- not having to sort through the clutter at the last minute, or in the new home.
- you won’t be so overwhelmed when unpacking at the new house.
- you will be more relaxed in the months or weeks leading up to the move.
Here are some tips from our pro moving companies getting started:
1. Do small amounts at a time.
The key is to not overwhelm yourself. Choose a small area or even just one type of item (such as books) to declutter. Do a small portion each day until it is all finished.
2. Determine what you can live without until after the move.
You don’t want to pack up anything that you’ll need, or you risk having to dig through boxes that have already been packed away. Begin with the things you can wait for, or that are out of season. Some ideas of what you may be able to start with are:
- Seasonal decor
- Kitchen items that are rarely used
- Dishes used for entertaining
- Books
- Out-of-season clothing
- Toys that are not favorites
- DVDs
- Scrapbooks and photo albums
- Craft items
3. Keep a trash bag, a “donate” box, and a “packing” box with you.
When you are tidying and decluttering, you should spend time considering what each item means to you. You will be using up space in boxes, carrying, unpacking, and then putting the item somewhere in your new home. Consider how you would feel if that item didn’t appear in a box at your new home. Would you be sad or miss having it, or would you not even notice it wasn’t there?
If an item is damaged or worn it can be thrown out; otherwise, if it is in good condition and you think someone else might be able to use it, put it in a box to donate. You will want to keep the items you want to take to your new home and, if you can do without it for now, you should put it in the “packing” box.
4. Put everything where it belongs.
Dedicate a space in your home or garage to store your packed (and neatly labeled) boxes and put all the boxes you are taking to your new home in that area. The trash bag needs to be immediately taken out, and the donate box should be taken directly to the donation center. This prevents you from putting the items back into your living space and declutters your home before the move.
Good luck with your tidying up! You’ll be glad you took the time to declutter once you start packing for your move.