Decluttering before moving house
Moving house can be so stressful, especially when you’re packed and ready for the move. But you can save yourself time and money by taking less with you. The less items you carry in our moving trucks, or storage containers the less expensive your move will be.
Here are a number of items you should consider decluttering before moving house.
Furniture
Your furniture is always the largest and heaviest to move, so do you really need to take all of it with you? Your sofas might not be the right size or shape for your new home, and perhaps your dining table and chairs will not suit your new décor. Even your desk might not fit snugly into the corner of your new home office.
Beds and mattresses are also sometimes not worth moving. Remember, you should change your mattress every eight years at least, so if you’ve had yours for a while, it might be worth investing in a new one rather than going to the trouble of moving it.
Clothes
If you haven’t worn something in the last year, are you really likely to wear it again? Many of us keep clothes and shoes after they’ve gone out of fashion in case they come back in style, or we lose enough weight to fit into them again. Free up wardrobe space in your new home by getting rid of everything you don’t wear.
While you’re here, you should also take a look at your collections of handbags, scarves, hats, jewellery and other accessories. If it has no monetary or sentimental value, let it go.
Kitchen appliances
Modern kitchens are built around the appliances, so your current washing machine, dryer, fridge, and dishwasher might not fit in your new kitchen. If your new kitchen has a stove and dishwasher built in, you don’t need to take your old ones.
With your smaller appliances, how many do you regularly use? Of course, you need to take your kettle/coffee machine/toaster. But any items which have been left on shelves or stored in cupboards for more than a few months and not used all the time, such as juicers, bread makers, and slow cookers, can be sold, passed on to friends and family, or donated to charity.
The money you make from selling your items, and the savings from reducing the weight of the move, will help to pay for shiny new appliances in your new home.
Outdated technology
You’ll never need those old mobile phones you’ve kept in your drawer, so now’s the time to recycle them. The same goes for the old desktop computer, mouse and keyboard you kept for spare parts, the speakers maybe don’t work, and the printer has never recovered from a paper jam a few years ago.
Do you even need your CD or DVD players anymore in the age of streaming? If you’re getting rid of these, take the opportunity to offload all your old CDs, DVDs and computer games you’ll never play again.
Soft furnishings
Your cushions, rugs and throws probably won’t coordinate with your new décor, so it’s time to move them on. Your existing curtains usually stay in the house you are selling Your bedding may be tired or outdated it too can be recycled, giving you a fresh start in your new home.
Home accessories
Do you really need all the vases, candles and ornaments you’ve collected over the years? Are all the pictures on your walls still to your taste, but will they suit your new home? It makes sense to declutter as many knick-knacks as possible before you move. If you don’t love it, don’t keep it. It all helps to make the removal quicker lighter and less $ for you to pay.
Books and magazines
Are there paperback romances still sitting on your bookshelf? Do you have a pile of magazines you haven’t had time to look at and they are outdated by now Books and magazines are extremely heavy and will certainly add $ to the cost of your move? Heavy coffee table books and boxed book series should be sold or donated and if you’re keeping your children’s storybooks, it’s better to donate them to friends with young children.
Fitness equipment
How often do you use your treadmill, exercise bike, or cross trainer (don’t lie)? If they’re gathering dust beside the golf clubs in the corner of your garage maybe it’s time to sell them. Is it really worth moving that weights bench? The answer is only yes if, you really can’t live without it!
DIY supplies
Your garage is probably full of leftover bits and pieces from previous DIY endeavours. Half-empty tins of paint, old wallpaper, tiles, and bits of wood are common, as well as nails, screws, grout, and glue. You’ll never use them again, so there’s no point taking them with you. Most men sheds or council recycle depots will be more than happy to take them off your hands
The same goes for old screwdrivers, paintbrushes, and rollers, ladders or even a wheelbarrow – if they’re worn out and you can’t do any more DIY jobs yourself donate them.
Contents of your cupboards
Clearing out your cupboards is an important job before you move. Please don’t be tempted to throw everything in bags and take it with you saying you will sort it later because it will add $ to your move. This is a good time to get rid of all those out of date tins and packets of food. It is a good idea to return any medicines you haven’t used to your local chemist who will know how to dispose of them.
You’ll probably have a box or two of old makeup, perfumes and aftershaves that nobody will ever use again and you certainly won’t need those old face masks or waxing strips either!
Old cleaning products are also a waste of packing space because you can easily stock up on these when you reach your new home.
Pantry goods – If you must take them, make sure lids are securely taped so you don’t end up with your sugar or oil leaked all over the contents of your packed box. If your goods will be stored in a container for some time it is best to empty all contents into the bin.
Toys and games
Precious items like photos of your kids with their first teddy bear, first ball, and first bike are definitely going to be kept, but you don’t need to keep items they’ve outgrown or no longer play with. Choose the toys and games they love and can’t live without. Any that are in good condition can be given to family friends with younger children or ring a local charity and they will be more than happy to collect the items.
Garden equipment
How many of your garden tools and accessories are you really going to need at your new home, especially if you are downsizing? If your new yard is all decking or artificial turf, you won’t need the lawnmower. You may need to take a rake/shovel and bucket/mop and broom. These can be all tied together to make them easier to move about. Your sun lounges patio table, umbrella and chairs might not be the right size colour or style for your new backyard, so save money by not taking them and have some fun and buy a new setting to suit your new backyard.
Car supplies
l can only guess that you probably have more than the usual bucket, sponge and car wash. Most of us buy the chamois, specialist car shampoo, dashboard wipes tyre shine products. If you don’t have time to wash the car yourself and prefer to get the professionals to do it for you that’s another lot of products that can be recycled to friends, family and recycled depots, making your removal even smaller than before.
Before moving house, make sure you redirect your mail at the post office and advise all of your utility suppliers the date of your move and your change of address. It’s a good idea to switch to paperless billing, to reduce clutter in your new home. It will be well worth it. You will save time as well.
You don’t need to keep bills you’ve already paid or documents for an old car you sold if it has been more than a few years. Likewise, all those envelopes you’ve written people’s phone numbers on can be thrown away. Transfer the numbers into your phone and have the numbers backed up on a memory stick just in case your mobile crashes and cannot be redeemed and recycle all the paper. You can probably do the same with your address books, too!
Moving house can be easier and much more affordable when there’s less to move. For more tips and advice about moving, please do not hesitate to contact Prestige Moving as we are here to assist you in anyway we can.