You’ve just been handed over the keys to your new place and that rush of excitement takes over. You start planning how to decorate your house, which color of paint you should choose, and what furniture to take that would match the ambience of your home.
And then it hits you! You need to start packing. What should you pack and what should you throw away? How can you systematically minimize your clutter so you can save time, enjoy purging and avoid having a moving-out meltdown?
First of all, breathe! Everything can be done only if you plan ahead of time. Purging means tossing away the stuff you do not need to take with you. These may include things like unworn clothes, unused appliances, old books or toys and many others that you won’t be needing to take with you.
Packing and decluttering can be drastically overwhelming, but it doesn’t need to be if you follow a few simple steps. Below are some guidelines to help make your pre-move purge easier and faster without that additional stress.
1. Start Early
After receiving keys for your new place, it’s time to start packing. However, moving with the things you don’t need may take up your time, money and space – the three important factors that you need to focus on before moving. Therefore, when you start decluttering, start ahead of time. Use as much time as you have to purge, even if that means waking up a little earlier than usual.
2. Use cardboard boxes
Buy some cardboard boxes. These are super helpful and have a lot of space for you to pile your things in. Keep aside some boxes for you to toss your unwanted things and label them accordingly. Without labelling your boxes, you may have a mix-up that will just ruin your effort, time and your day! These are the ones you can go through later to decide whether you want to throw it away, donate or put it up for a yard sale. You can also call up junk removal and hauling services at AAA Rousse to clear out any unwanted items if you don’t have the time for a yard sale.
3. Gather Tape for Packaging
Make sure you purchase a lot of the necessary items that are required when you begin to pack. Tape is one of those essentials that you’ll need to secure the boxes. You can also get organizers, markers and stickers and create a checklist of the things that are being packed or tossed away.
4. Work Through One Room At a Time
Decluttering one room at a time can take off the pressure of packing and sorting and help you be more organized.
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Start with your bedroom
As you sit there with your boxes and luggage wide open, you begin to wonder where to start from. Let’s go with the one that may take most of your time: your closet!
- Old clothes: any outfits you haven’t worn for the past year and you have no intention of wearing later should be purged or donated.
- Bedsheets and Blankets: If you plan on buying a king-sized bed for your new home, then toss your queen-sized bedsheets into the donation pile. Though blankets are useful, if they are torn or stained, it is better to buy some new ones.
- Shoes and Jewellery: Torn up shoes or jewellery that doesn’t have any sentimental value to you should be tossed out.
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Work through other bedrooms
Do the same with your children’s rooms and toss out old worn-out clothes, damaged or unused toys, shoes, socks and bags that are not being used anymore.
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Purge your living room
Furniture: Decide on which furniture you’d like to take with you. If you’re moving to a smaller place, measure out the furniture to check if they’ll fit and whether or not it’ll take up too much space. Moving furniture can also cost you money, so if it costs you more than replacing it, it is better to choose the latter.
Electrical Gadgets: These include gadgets that are broken or you don’t use anymore such as radio, CD or DVD players. If you have an old box television, it’s time to purchase a brand new one. New televisions can be wall-mounted which takes up less space than the “box” ones.
Rugs and Carpets: Stained rugs or carpets can be tossed away. Also, if you prefer matching your rugs and carpets with the new wall paint color of your living room, you can donate the old ones and purchase new rugs.
Old Books and magazines: Needless to say, books and magazines that you don’t plan to read can be donated or sold.
Table lamps: How many lamps do you need in your new home? If it’s your primary source of light or your favorite one, pack it up! If not, then it’s better to let it go.
Artwork and picture frames: Decide on which artwork and picture frames go with the ambience of your living room and then keep the ones you like.
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Purge your kitchen
Toss away things that are damaged, unused for over a year or damaged or worn out utensils. These include appliances such as bread makers, air fryers that haven’t been used and that you don’t intend to use in future should be purged or donated. Other things include old mugs, potholders, scratched pans and an excessive amount of silverware and dishes that you don’t need. Donate or sell them away and take only the things that you’ll need. It may be a difficult decision but you need to stay strong and let go! Finish off purging your kitchen by throwing away expired food that has been taking up space in your pantry.
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Finish off with the bathroom
Last but not the least, finish off purging your bathroom, basement and storage rooms (if you have any). Get rid of old towels, expired medications, shampoos and conditioners, and unused lotions. In addition, you can get rid of unused or damaged tools, old holiday decorations, and even washers and dryers. Usually, when you buy a new house, washers and dryers are included within the deal, so you don’t need to take them. As for bathroom tools, it is unsanitary to pack your toilet plungers and drain stoppers, so throw them away before you move.
5. Make a Checklist
Prepare a checklist of the items as you pack them. Number and label your boxes and mention that number right beside the name of the item on your checklist. This way you’ll know which things are kept in which box and it’ll be easy for you to find them. The last-minute moving day packing can become hectic so you need to simplify the process early on.
6. Sort Sentimental Items Last
Parting away from something of emotional value can be tough. So until and unless you know that it can be replaced and with a reasonable price, you can hang on to it. For example, your child may prefer large toy vehicles that take up a lot of room, but transferring them would cost you money. So, you need to take the decisions wisely.
7. Research and Replace
Research on the things that’ll cost less if you replace them rather than moving them to your new house. These may include table lamps, bags, toys, new gadgets etc.
What To Do With The Things You Tossed Away?
Here is what you can do to get rid of the stuff that you have deemed to be unnecessary to take with you.
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Have a Garage or Yard Sale
If you have the time, you can sell away unwanted items such as old books, unused gadgets and appliances, rugs and carpet, artwork, anything that is in good condition but due to lack of space you are unable to take them. Earning some extra cash may make you feel better about letting go.
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Donate to Charitable Organizations
You can also donate some things to the charity such as old toys, books, bed sheets, blankets or old clothes.
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Sell Items Online
Items such as jewellery, electrical gadgets, kitchen appliances can all be sold online for a reasonable price. You can use social media groups to advertise your products and earn extra profits.
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Give Them Away To Friends And Family
If your aunt or sister needs that waffle maker, it’s best to give it away. That way you’ll be able to get rid of most of the stuff quickly and without any hassles or stress.
In a Nutshell
Purging your things before moving can be enjoyable if you’re not overpaying the movers or stressing out about how to get rid of your household junk. Therefore, you must start off purging your home as early as possible, so you’d have enough time in your hands to pack the important stuff.
Pack up as much as you can instead of keeping things for the last minute so you’ll have only the necessities to pack on the day you move. Remember that adequate planning is the key!
Salman is a prolific environmental writer, and has authored more than 500 articles in reputed journals, magazines and websites. He is proactively engaged in creating mass awareness on renewable energy, waste management, sustainability and conservation all over the world.
Salman can be reached on salman@cleantechloops.com
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