I’m not sure about you, but I love a good clear out and there is no better time for this than when you are preparing to move home. As you start packing the boxes, it is the ideal time to rationalise and rid yourself of the junk you have been clinging to but don’t want to take to the new house. By clearing out the unwanted items, you will have fewer boxes to move and will pay a lower rate to moving vans in the long run. Check out this guide from BlueBoxStorage.com
1. Plan Out Your Time
Before you begin decluttering, you should consider setting up some type of game plan. This is mainly to schedule when you want to tackle the rooms in the house and begin a declutter. Set yourself an appointment for each room and ensure that you stick to the time; however, you need to be realistic in your schedule. Some movers will be able to move through the full house in a single weekend, while others may not be able to move more than one room per week.
Another aspect you should consider is the issue of fatigue. When you start to feel tired – stop. While you may want to continue, it is important to take breaks to avoid becoming fed up or overwhelmed by the task. Choose a specific amount of time where you can make positive decisions and manage the workload with as little stress as possible.
2. Focus On The Lesser-Used Rooms
When determining where your efforts should be placed when decluttering, it is recommended that you begin with the rooms you spend the least amount of time in. The reason for this is that the rooms you spend more time in will likely be filled with clutter, but it is probably clutter being used. It is the room you hardly enter that will land upholding all the items that you can throw away before your move.
A lesser used room often becomes a haven for ‘odds and sods’ – the items you may have used once and never used again. We all have spaces like this in the house, so this would be the best area to begin decluttering. Of course, you need to remember that these rooms require more time to manage. Furthermore, they will more than likely contain emotional mementos, so you may take time to sort through the items.
3. Keep It Up in the New Home
You can complete the majority of your decluttering before moving houses, particularly if you are organised; however, the decluttering does not stop once you are in your new home. As a person unpacks into their new space, it is common that they find more items to be removed. This could be due to the space being very different from the old living area or unlike how you imagined it would be, so you do not need some of the items purchased. This is one of the reasons why decluttering once reaching the new house can be beneficial.
If you are planning to purchase new items to complement the new house’s design, it is recommended that you donate the older items to remain organised and uncluttered. One good rule of thumb is that you remove two things when you bring one new thing into the house. This will help ensure you remain decluttered in the new space.
Of course, there are items that you will not want to remove despite not having space for them in your new home. When this occurs, storage can be a beneficial option. Regardless of whether you need the storage for a few boxes or a full sofa that will not fit into the new house, it can be beneficial. There are numerous storage facilities across the country, all of which will help you keep your home free of clutter without needing to throw personal items away.