How to declutter when moving home

How To De-Clutter When Moving Home

Most of us have been there; that heart-sinking moment when you realise you’ve got to fit all of this into boxes and then unpack all of that in your new home. Despite these initial moments of panic there is plenty that you can do to reduce the burden, stress and those palpitations! before the man with the van arrives

The number one rule of de-cluttering is, ask yourself this: “will I sincerely regret getting rid of it?” If the answer to this is a resounding “YES” then of course you should hold on to it, but if you can’t conceivably see yourself pining after that 7^th picture frame waiting for the right photo, then it’s time to let go. A helpful way to help you decide, should you find this an impossible question to answer, is detailed below. You can also use our Man and Van rubbish removal service in Manchester.

For items of practical use:

• Do you still use it, or have you ever used it?
• Have you used it within the last year?
• Does it even work? If not how long have you been meaning to fix it?

For knickknacks / pictures and decorative objects:

• Does it give you pleasure to look at it?
• Will it fit in with your new look in the new home?

Now, once those decisions have been made and a degree of ruthlessness shown, the ‘to let go’ pile should, in fact be split into 4 piles.

1. Bin it
2. Sell it
3. Charity it
4. Carboot it

Organising your home before moving

As far as lists go it is self explanatory and in the 21^st century you’ve got plenty of avenues in the UK to explore for list 2 from car boot sales to eBay, Gumtree, local ads, Music Magpie for those unwanted DVDs and CDs and the various online mobile phone purchasers for the old phones you have lying about to name but a few options.

eBay is particularly useful for downsizing your wardrobe, trimming the shoe collection, selling the dresses you are keeping for occasions that never come around, getting rid of those suits that you’ll never fit into again and even cashing in on old football shirts that can be quite collectable. If you’ve had children and they’ve grown out of their kid’s clothes, then boot sales are the way to go as children’s clothes fly off the tables as do toys, prams and other accessories. Charity shops are also grateful recipients of any of the above should you wish to avoid the hassle of selling and help out a good cause. Of course, Oxfam is a leading UK charity for global poverty there is also lots of other local charities for worthy causes that will accept items, the most likely and feasible solution involves a bit of both, hence piles 2 and 3! Man and van can help with taking larger unwanted items of furniture to the local tip

There is no doubt that letting go of items and lightening the load feels good and saves a lot of time the other end. As exemplified by the range of options for items in pile 2, you can also make a bit of money as well. Perhaps most importantly, the relief achieved as you watch the piles dwindle in size, is priceless, as any little reduction in stress helps when moving home.