Moving house provides an ideal opportunity to declutter your possessions. You have to sort through everything you own to pack it, so why not declutter as you go?
This is one reason why I prefer to do my own packing, rather than employ a removalist to do it. We have all heard stories of someone whose rubbish was packed by removalists and brought to their new dwelling.
Moreover, (and don't tell my family I said this) other family members are less likely to notice if something of theirs goes missing if you declutter their stuff when moving house.
Decluttering is especially productive if you know where you will be moving, and have an idea where you will put things. If you are moving a long distance and don't have a relocation allowance you may prefer to sell or give away most of your possessions as transport costs can be very high.
When we moved from Melbourne to Adelaide I hadn't seen a layout of the house I would be renting, and I thought I would only be living here briefly, so it was difficult to picture what I would need and what I could leave behind. My biggest surprise was the lack of storage in this house, which has made clutter a very real issue.
The new house has a double garage with a storage room at the back, a bigger kitchen than here (although not a particularly big pantry), an underground cellar (common in century-old Adelaide homes) a big linen cupboard and plenty of laundry storage. The main bedroom has a walk-in wardrobe and two of the kids' rooms have built-ins. We will install a wardrobe in the third kids' bedroom.
Fridays are going to be my main packing days, so I hope to make a delivery of unused and outgrown items to the Salvos every Friday afternoon for the next few weeks.
Tips for Decluttering When Moving House
This is one reason why I prefer to do my own packing, rather than employ a removalist to do it. We have all heard stories of someone whose rubbish was packed by removalists and brought to their new dwelling.
Moreover, (and don't tell my family I said this) other family members are less likely to notice if something of theirs goes missing if you declutter their stuff when moving house.
Decluttering is especially productive if you know where you will be moving, and have an idea where you will put things. If you are moving a long distance and don't have a relocation allowance you may prefer to sell or give away most of your possessions as transport costs can be very high.
When we moved from Melbourne to Adelaide I hadn't seen a layout of the house I would be renting, and I thought I would only be living here briefly, so it was difficult to picture what I would need and what I could leave behind. My biggest surprise was the lack of storage in this house, which has made clutter a very real issue.
The new house has a double garage with a storage room at the back, a bigger kitchen than here (although not a particularly big pantry), an underground cellar (common in century-old Adelaide homes) a big linen cupboard and plenty of laundry storage. The main bedroom has a walk-in wardrobe and two of the kids' rooms have built-ins. We will install a wardrobe in the third kids' bedroom.
Fridays are going to be my main packing days, so I hope to make a delivery of unused and outgrown items to the Salvos every Friday afternoon for the next few weeks.
Tips for Decluttering When Moving House
- Think like William Morris: he wrote "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
- Be sensitive when packing others' things: despite my facetious remarks above, I would never dispose of any of my children's most treasured books or toys without checking first, even if they appear to have outgrown them. (Ugly school-made craft items are another matter entirely!)
- 3 box packing: As you pack, have a rubbish box, a giveaway box, and a packing-to-move box with you at all times.
- Think about hiring a skip:if you have large items and/or garden waste to dispose of
- Shred any documents: if you are disposing any documents that include personal details, please use a shredder. Identity theft is a real issue.
- Consider a garage sale: I have never held a garage sale but moving house is of course the ideal time to have one.
- Think about where you are moving to: the layout of the house, if you know in advance; the cost of transportation; the climate - friends who moved from Canada to Adelaide now have no use at all for their winter gear and sporting equipment.
Do you have anything to add? Please leave a comment.
