Packing to move can be a stressful and time-consuming project. The organizing, wrapping, lifting, and labeling can take days, even weeks depending on how much stuff you have. Moving is a great opportunity to sort your belongings and get rid of any unwanted clutter and junk. We’ve compiled some of our favorite and easiest decluttering tips to help you with the packing process. You can also check out our packing help section for more professional tricks of the trade.
- Start with a checklist – staying organized is the name of the game. Go through each room in your home and make a list of everything that you want to accomplish. Do you want to get rid of some of your kitchen supplies? Add it to the list. Do you want to sort your sock drawer? Add that too. When you get specific about your tasks, it’s much easier to handle.
- Spread it out over time – if you have plenty of time to prepare before your move, try and tackle your checklist a little bit at a time rather than all at once. Pick one room a day or week to focus on. Decluttering an entire house in one go might tire you before the packing process has even started.
- Separate your belongings into piles – make categories for items you’re taking with you on your move, items to be thrown away, items to be sold, and items to be donated. Listen to your gut instinct: if you need to sit and ponder a particular item for more than a couple of minutes, chances are you don’t need it.
- Have an in-person or online yard sale – any items that may be of worth can be sold on the front yard or online. Ebay, facebook marketplace, and etsy are all good online resources for selling items. Make sure that you properly clean and sanitize items before selling them.
- Deep clean as you go – use the opportunity to clean each room as you work down your checklist. Packing is much easier when there isn’t a lot of dust and debris. If you see an item that needs to be dusted or polished, do it during the decluttering phase so that once it’s time to put it in a packing box, it’s clean and ready to go.
We hope that these decluttering tips prove useful to you during your packing preparation. For any questions or concerns, contact Bekins!
