If
you have ever fantasized about your relocation day, chances are, decluttering
for a move was not a part of that fantasy. Buying new furniture and
redecorating may have been elements of that day-dream, but not the cleaning.
Unfortunately, decluttering is a significant segment of every move, and it
cannot be avoided; unless you hire somebody else to do it for you, of course.
But in case you are looking for a more efficient and less time-consuming way to
do it by yourself, you are at the right place. We offer you a few creative
solutions for decluttering for a move.
Begin
With Mental Decluttering of Your House
Before
you put your hands to actual work, try to make a mental image of your house.
The same way you would imagine your home improvement possibilities before they
happen, try to imagine the decluttering flow first. This may seem trivial or a
waste of time to you, but it is, actually, a very effective strategy. Rather
than just roaming around the house picking random objects, make a solid plan. If you know where to start, you are already
one step closer to your goal. The idea is to separate the useful items from
the waste. Once you make a categorization in your head, it is much easier to
complete it in reality.
Decluttering
For A Move in Reality
In the reality, it would be the best thing if you could avoid the last-moment decluttering. People tend to leave this task for when they begin packing or, even worse, for the moving day. But that is not a good idea since this day is going to be exhausting even without decluttering. Try not to plan anything besides moving on a moving day. The unforeseen situations are quite common on that day, so try saving your energy for those. There are a few additional strategies for decluttering in reality.
Dividing Items Into Categories
Before
decluttering, you could select your items according to their categories. Go
around the house and pick the items that belong to the same category. This way,
you will form groups of similar items. Keep those items close to each other.
You can also label each of these for easier identification. Depending on the
groups, you can pack or throw away these items together later on.
Room By Room Decluttering For A Move
Or,
you could start clearing things up room by room. Which strategy you choose
depends on your preferences. The room-by-room technique may be more practical since it is easier not to leave out something
that way. This also means you will not have to wander around the house and
waste additional time finding objects. Everything will be right there, in front
of your eyes, the whole time. You can execute this strategy in the following
order:
●
Choose a starting point in your
house, flat, or office.
Keep in mind that the starting place could also be your ending point. So,
preferably, choose the most spacious room for this purpose.
●
Only once you have decluttered that
space will you proceed to the next one. This way, again, you avoid unnecessary
confusion and walking around.
●
You can still divide the items into
categories but
keep everything within the same room you found it in. This way, you are
preventing misplacing any of the items.
●
Buy enough quality supplies for
decluttering and for packing. You
don't want the litter spilling around. Strong trash-bags and wide boxes are
some of the examples of these supplies. When it comes to packing, the original product packaging boxes are always
the ultimate solution.
●
Do not throw anything before the
decluttering and packing are done. In case you realize that some of your valuable items are
missing, you can still search for them if the bags stay within the house or
garden.
So,
Where To Begin?
With
all mentioned above in mind, there are a few excellent places to start your
decluttering. Keep in mind that you want to start with more spacious and less
cluttered space.
Your Basement or Your Attic is A Good Starting Point
Even
though these are usually the most cluttered parts of any house, they have the
advantage of spaciousness. Once you
clean all that space, you will get yourself a vast working station for the rest
of the project. Besides, most of the items in your basement or attic have
been condemned to be eventually disposed of anyway. So, in a way, you have
already done the categorization of goods there during all the previous years.
The only thing left is to get rid of everything.
Decluttering Your Living Room First
In the case you don't have a basement or attic, the next best option is your living
room. It may not be as wide as the previous two, but it won't be as cluttered,
too. The living room is also usually the closest to the exit door. And that
means less distance carrying everything out in the end.
Bedrooms
If
you prefer to start from the bedrooms, that is not a bad idea either. Some houses
have master-bedrooms bigger than living rooms. And even if you have less space
for work, at least you can declutter a few rooms at once. Because most of the
rooms have similar objects and similar clutter, they can be disposed of in the
same bags.
Leave Your Kitchen and Bathroom For The Last
Kitchens
and bathrooms are specific in their contents. One should declutter them last,
therefore. This way, you avoid the unwanted spillages and contamination of the
rest of the house at the initial stages of your cleaning. Besides, valuable
objects are rarely to be found here. So decluttering your bathroom and kitchen
should be quick and easy. And if you are planning to modernize your outdated kitchen, you can leave
most of your old appliances behind.
Renting
Storage Before Decluttering For A Move
For
those more sentimental among us, who cannot say good-buy to the memories just
yet, renting storage could be an excellent temporary solution. The huge
advantage of the storage is that you get that extra space for the items you
don't want in your new house, but you don't feel like throwing them away yet.
One of the advantages of renting a storage unit is that it is much easier to deal with pests to avoid damage. Also, you can opt for the
temperature-controlled storage units if you have some sensitive items.
No matter where you begin the decluttering for a move, your goal should always be the same- the maximum efficiency for the least amount of time invested. Just don't forget to start on time and use all the advantages of the most spacious rooms in your house. Good luck!
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