Declutter First: Getting Rid of Useless Junk before Moving

Junk Removal

While moving is a stressful exercise, it allows you to clean your home by discarding items that you no longer need. Getting rid of these items comes with numerous benefits, and makes your moving easier. However, most people have a big challenge when it comes to getting rid of useless junk before moving, and they don’t know what you keep and what to discard.  

In this post, we shall discuss how to get rid of junk before moving.

Reasons to get rid of junk items before moving

The professional moving experts from Torex Moving say that getting rid of items that you no longer use when moving is the first step towards decluttering your home. This makes the packing and unpacking process easier. The following are the top 6 reasons why you should declutter your home when moving:

• Reduced moving costs – in addition to distance, the amount of items you have in your home also determines your moving costs. Thus, having fewer times to move will save you a lot of money. 
• You’ll spend less money on your packing supplies – the more items you have, you will also need more packing materials. Some of these supplies include boxes, furniture blankets, and bubble wraps, among other items. Decluttering your home reduces the number of packing materials required, thus reducing your budget. 
• Saves the environment – having fewer items to pack means you need fewer packing materials. Therefore, you’ll have less garbage to dispose of after unpacking your items. Also, having fewer items means you’ll have less weight on the moving truck, and this helps to lower fuel consumption. 
• You’ll spend less time packing – when you declutter your home before moving, you will have fewer items to pack, thus speeding up the moving process. 
• An opportunity to make extra cash – when you opt to sell some of the items that you don’t need, you are able to make some extra cash, which can help you to meet your moving budget. Check out a nearby London self storage unit where you can put these items temporarily.
• Helps you create extra space – when moving to a home with less storage space, getting rid of your junk before moving in makes it easier to create space for your remaining items.

Getting rid of your unwanted items

Now, this is where the challenge comes, especially if you’ve been in your current home for years. Identifying what to discard and what to keep becomes an uphill task. So, how do you determine the items that you should discard?

The first thing to do is to sort through all your items. This allows you to separate the items that you use regularly and the ones you rarely use. However, you should note this is a strenuous and overwhelming exercise, especially if you don’t have any assistance. 

With that, you need to ask yourself these three questions, as they will assist you to determine what to keep, and what to discard:

• When did you use the item last? If you’ve not touched that item for over a year, you don’t need it anymore. 
• Do you like the item? This will help you sort out your clothing. At times, we tend to keep outfits that we don’t like wearing—and you should get rid of them too. 
• Is the item of sentimental value? Some items like a wedding dress and antiques are rarely used—but that doesn’t mean you should dispose of them when moving. 

Steps to declutter your home before moving

1. Start early – starting early gives you all the time you need to sort through every item in your home. Also, you should plan how much time you need to declutter and clean every room. Don’t forget to check your outdoor spaces, like play areas, shades, and living spaces, as most people remember to declutter these spaces on the last day. 
2. Clear your closets – get rid of all clothes that you’ve not worn in the past year. If these clothes are in a good condition, you can donate them or sell them to get some extra cash. 
3. Don’t forget your storage rooms – yes, there’s that box which has been sitting in your storage room for years. Get rid of the box, together with other items that you’ve not touched for ages. 
4. Get rid of all large items – do you have bulky items like old furniture that you don’t need? Get rid of these items too before your scheduled moving day.