Packing your house in preparation for relocation is exhausting enough as it is, and when you’re lugging around unwanted furniture, clothing, and knick-knacks, you’re making the job even harder for yourself.
Before you even start collecting boxes to pack your belongings, you should devote an entire week to the decluttering process.
The items you no longer need can be thrown away, donated to charity or sold, depending on their condition, and you’ll free up lots of room and time in the process. Here are a few simple steps to decluttering your home so you can start with a clean slate.
#1: Get Rid of Multiples
The quickest way to accumulate clutter is to have more than one of anything that’s only intended to be a solo.
Common culprits include potato mashers, brooms, ironing boards, and slow cookers. If you see more than one of any item that doesn’t come in a set, keep the one that’s your favourite and send the other one packing.
#2: Follow the One Year Rule
You might have heard of this one when decluttering your wardrobe, but the “If you haven’t worn it in a year, throw it out” rule can be applied to the entire house.
Go through all your belongings from the kitchen to the bathroom and even the laundry, and get rid of the things that haven’t been used in over a year, as this is a pretty good indication that you’re holding onto them for the wrong reasons.
#3: Organise Your Wardrobe
The toughest area for some to declutter, and the place where we accumulate the most stuff, is our wardrobe. Use the one year rule here as well and get real with yourself about whether or not you’ll ever wear it again. The clothing that’s still in good nick can be donated to charity so that someone else will get some use out of it.
#4: Goodbye Random Furniture
We all have that one odd chair sitting in the dining room or a coffee table that hasn’t seen a cup of coffee on it in years, so don’t go dragging them to the new house with you. Take a long, hard look at your furniture and say goodbye to the pieces that simply don’t fit or have no use anymore in your home.
#5: Outdated Items Must Go
The bathroom and kitchen are two of the biggest problems areas for this, so it’s easy to declutter them quickly. Look for anything that’s out of date or no longer in good condition, and throw it in the bin. This includes makeup and skincare products, items in the pantry, cleaning supplies, old magazines, mail and letters that are no longer relevant, and anything else that has passed its prime. A common mistake is keeping opened items that are only good for a certain amount of time, such as ointments (regardless of what the use-by date is), so be sure to check everything.
#6: If In Doubt Chuck it Out
Once you’re down to the final few items and are wondering whether or not you should throw them out, chances are you probably should. You’ll know straight away if something is useful, sentimental or worthy of keeping, so if you’re umming and ahhing, then you can assume it’s okay to go to the donation pile.
The team at Eastern Suburbs Removals are here to make your relocation process easier than ever, so speak to us on 1300 886 625 about how we can assist. Our professional staff have over 20 years of experience in Melbourne removals and know how to make the task easier for you, whether it’s the home or office you’re relocating.
