When prepping for a move, it sometimes feels easier to pack everything into boxes and plan to deal with the sorting later to decide what to keep and save. Unfortunately, this is a bad idea for at least two reasons.
First, moving items you may not even want will cost you extra money. Second, it’ll be challenging to wade through boxes to get to the items you need sooner rather than later. The best thing to do is to set aside some time to declutter areas of your home before you prepare for your moving day. Here are four top areas to tackle.
1. Kitchen
To declutter your kitchen of non-food items, start by going through cabinets and other storage areas. If you have items collecting cobwebs in the dark corners of your kitchen, these are good items to donate or give away. Next, turn an eye towards your everyday items – do you need two sets of dishes or more coffee mugs? If not, consider donating these items before packing; it’ll lighten your load.
One of the things you’ll have to do before moving is to reduce the amount of food in your kitchen. Movers have specific policies related to food—be sure to check with your mover before you start packing.
- Plan to eat perishables.
- Go through cabinets, drawers, and pantry and dispose of anything expired.
- Determine pantry items you want to donate or give away and set those aside.
Check out these additional tips to declutter your kitchen.
2. Bathroom
Bathrooms tend to get very cluttered over time. To reduce the number of items to move, take the following steps.
- Clear out the medicine cabinets; dispose of unneeded or expired medication.
- Organize soaps, shampoos, conditioners, and lotions, and only keep what you use.
- Dispose of old makeup and personal hygiene products long past their lifespan.
- Convert old faded or worn towels to packing materials or cleaning rags.
These four items can easily save you from packing a box or two and possibly more if you ask yourself these questions when decluttering your bathroom.
3. Closets
Over the years, closets tend to become jam-packed. Chances are there are numerous items you either don’t wear, don’t fit, or are out of style. It’s easy to get sentimental about clothing and shoes but resist this. Instead, encourage each household member to keep what they need for each season and donate, sell, or give away the rest.
4. Basement and Attic
You’ll probably need to set aside a fair amount of time to declutter your basement and attic since these areas where everything is not being used tends to end up. Consider downsizing the following items you’re probably not using anymore.
- Old and excess holiday décor
- Knick-knacks
- Sports equipment
- Cleaners, bleach, and laundry detergents
- Paints
- Tools
- Mousetraps
- Unused furniture
- Mementos no one remembers anymore
Start with these and see what other items you can add to it. Chances are you’ll be able to reduce boxes by quite a bit if you spend time decluttering these home areas.
Ready to Plan Your Next Move?
Decluttering your home before your move makes a lot of sense. While it’s not a fun task, it’s well worth the effort. When you’re ready, call us for a free quote!