Why You Should Declutter Before Moving (& How to Do It Right)
You might be thinking about moving sometime in the next year or you may have a list date coming up pretty soon. Perhaps you are planning a renovation to improve your current home or you're starting a custom build of a home you'll eventually move into. Whatever situation you may find yourself in, getting organized is essential to ensuring a smooth transition and it must start with decluttering your home! Today I’m going to share how getting rid of things that no longer serve you or that won't work in your new space will save you time, money and energy in the long run - not to mention how decluttering makes your home look so much more desirable to potential buyers.
The Most Common Reasons People Fail at Decluttering
People are usually overwhelmed at the thought of decluttering their homes especially if they have not done so in a very long time. Years often go by where we add things to our homes and don't get rid of older things at an equal pace. This is especially true as we go through life transitions like getting married or divorced and raising children. We end up with way more stuff than we need or even want.
You might get bored at the thought of going through your things or deterred by the realization that there may be some difficult decision making involved. "Should I keep this?" "What if I need it in the future?" "Oh, but my grandmother gave this to me." "I feel like I should keep every piece of my kid's artwork because I don't really know what else to do with it." You may even start the process but give up once you've bitten off more than you can chew or you remember that the last time you decluttered it didn't last long term.
Since there are so many variables involved, we often just ignore the task and let the things pile up to deal with them "some day"- this is procrastination at its finest! When it's time to renovate or sell your home though "some day" quickly becomes "today." Do you really want to spend the time and energy boxing things up, paying to move them, then storing them away again (likely for many more years) in your new home? Countless times I have been called in to unpack and organize a client's new home, only to find boxes and boxes of things they do not even want to unpack and place in their new home - because they don't need any of it. I’m urging you to declutter before you move, not after, by thinking about how good it will feel to start over fresh. It’s doubly important to declutter before you move because a neat, tidy and simplified home enables potential buyers to envision themselves in your home with their things by not being distracted by yours.
The Top Consideration for Decluttering that Lasts
The best way to declutter with confidence and with the best chance for long term success starts with focusing on what is most important to you. Start from within and really think about how you want to live and feel in your new home.
Do you want to fill your new space up with junk you haven't used in years in case you might need something one day? Do you want to replace older decor with newer furniture and wall art that complements your new space better? Do you feel like finding precious space for those old appliances or gadgets? Will it feel good bringing worn out or out of style clothes or even clothes that don't fit into your new closet and life? Do you want to relax more and not be surrounded by useless stuff?
I promise you it will feel so nice to start with a clean slate, not living in the past but living in the present, in a clutter free home that you can more easily manage. The trade-off for keeping your clutter around is more time spent packing things, storing things, moving things to clean around them, and wasted time, money and energy constantly reorganizing your space, buying duplicates and not being able to find what you need when you need it. If you find your stuff is stressing you out and holding you back from the life you want to live, commit to decluttering once and for all. Say "no" to clutter and "yes" to a minimized, simplified home and life. And no, this doesn’t mean you have to become a “minimalist.” It just means a more minimized version of where you are now - surrounded by things that are useful or meaningful to you.
The Best Ways to Tackle Clutter Once and For All
Now that you have a foundation for your decisions, come up with a plan to tackle your clutter. My number one piece of advice to clients, family and friends is to start small. Choose one closet, one dresser, one drawer, one room or one category (such as books) in your home to declutter and do not start on a new space until you have finished the last one. Make a list of the areas you want to declutter and follow it in order. Schedule days and times on your calendar if you need to with the deadline well before the start of a renovation or a real estate photo shoot date. This is also the best way to stay focused and motivated to move on to other spaces later because you will not overwhelm yourself.
To declutter, pull everything out of that space, sort it by the type of item it is, and then once you have a good visual of "like items" grouped together, you can then edit the pile. Have trash bags and extra boxes ready to go. Throw away junk, broken items and trash. Collect items that are in decent shape for donation. Fill another box with things that need to be repaired. Prepare another box for items that belong to someone else. Designate an area for things you plan to sell and photograph and list them soon thereafter. Once you have completed this purging process, put back only the items you truly need and use or really love.
If you are decluttering specifically with the intention of listing your home for sale, a real estate agent is going to want you to go a step further in decluttering for the purposes of listing photos and showing your home. This means that while you may declutter by keeping how you want to live in mind, you likely will need to "hide away" even more of the things that you are intentionally keeping and do plan to move with. This can mean boxing things away in a designated closet, basement storage room or the garage. If there is a lot you're keeping but don't want to show, sometimes a temporary storage unit is the answer. Listen to what your realtor recommends for your specific home - he or she usually has a plan for staging your home to sell at top dollar.
decluttering can become a long term practice
You can declutter for long term success if you remember what's important to you. Decluttering your home after many years will seem like a daunting project, but once you tackle it in small chunks and with your intentions set, you'll be motivated to declutter regularly going forward because your mindset will have shifted (and it feels oh-so-good)!
When you're feeling stuck, remember to complete just one space at a time. Ask yourself questions like "Do I use this?," "Do I like this?," "Can I and will I display this memory so that I am doing it justice?," "Can I easily replace this item should I need it again in the future?," "Will this work in my new space?" and lastly, "Does this support my goal of living clutter free in my new home?"
If it's still a struggle for you to declutter or you are short on time, we can help you with our professional decluttering and organizing services in the Denver metro area. At Organized by Meg, we know how to quickly sort and categorize a space or your entire home, doing all the dirty work and heavy lifting for you, while walking you through the decision making process. We even haul away the trash and donations so you can get back to focusing on your life.
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Sending you organized vibes,
Meg
