Tips for Decluttering Your Home Ahead of Your Upcoming Relocation
Moving into a new home signals the start of a new adventure. Your new place is there waiting for you to make it your own. However, this process will be stressful if you don’t take advantage of this golden opportunity to rid yourself of junk. With this in mind, here are a few tips from one Austin mover on how you can declutter your home before moving into a new one.
1. No More New Purchases
The best way to start the decluttering process is to cut clutter off at the pass. Commit to the stuff you already have in your home, and refuse to make any new major purchases until you move to the new home. This will make it easier for you to evaluate the utility of the things you already have. Likewise, it will reduce the amount of items you have to move.
2. Start Early
There is nothing worse than packing in a hurry. The added stress will likely lead to disorganization and frustration. As soon as you decide to move, begin formulating a plan to clear your space.
This plan can be as simple as committing to tossing a few items from each room each day. If you favor a more detailed approach, then you can create a chore chart. On this chart, include a list of tasks you would like completed in each room prior to the move. Clearing a drawer each day, for example, will help you get rid of items that likely have been long forgotten.
3. Focus on the Little Things
You may have a magazine rack full of 5-year-old magazines and newspapers. You may even have a junk drawer full of expired ketchup packets and coupons. Focus on getting rid of these and other small items that have gradually accumulated over the years. Individually, each item may feel insignificant. However, your home will feel more spacious and less hectic without them.
4. Hit Your Storage Spaces
Closets, cabinets, and attics are wonderful for storing items that you use infrequently. Unfortunately, having these items out of sight tends to make it much easier to accumulate more of them. Once they’ve outlived their usefulness, you are likely to forget you even own them.
Make these hidden spaces a priority in your quest to declutter your home. If you find items that you actually use, then go ahead and place them in a box to take to the new home. However, any unused items should be separated into three piles: sell, trash and donate. Gently used items can be sold online, at a garage sale or a thrift store. Alternatively, you can support charity organizations by donating these items to a worthy cause. Broken or damaged items should be tossed into the trash.
Moving can be a difficult process, but it does not have to be. Giving yourself the time to follow these simple suggestions will make your move a physically and emotionally cleansing process.
