Declutter Your Life As You Move To A New Home

One advantage to moving to a new home in the same city is that you can take the time to declutter your life so you don't move the same old junk into your new residence. Look at this as an opportunity to get into the new house with a clean slate, and with fewer items to take up space. Here is how to make your next move a decluttering event.

Get a Storage Locker

The first step is to find a convenient storage locker. This will be used as a staging area as you move to the new home. Look for a self storage rental facility mid-way between your current residence and your new home. If there isn't one mid-way, locate one closer to your new home. This will be beneficial if you keep the storage locker for awhile to keep the clutter out of your new home.

Set Up Sorting Areas in Your Current Residence

Clear out three places in your house in which you can place items that you'll deal with later. The three categories of items will be:

• garage sale items
• thrift store or charity items
• recyclable items

As you go through your house, you'll also categorize personal items as:

• items that you'll soon need in the new residence
• items that won't be needed for weeks or months

With the storage locker, sorting areas and these categories in place, you're ready to declutter.

The Initial Walk-Through

Go through every item in the house and decide whether you will sell it, give it away, or recycle it. Move the item to the appropriate sorting area. The remaining items will be part of the move and you'll want to decide if you'll need the item right away in your new residence or it won't be needed for several weeks. To help with packing, tag the items that won't be needed right away.

After the initial walk-through, you can plan your garage sale, make a trip to the thrift store, and take items to the recycling center.

If you have a large house or several rooms to declutter, divide up the house into various areas that you'll walk-through at different times. The decluttering process won't seem so overwhelming if you do it in small chunks.

Decluttering While Packing

This gives you another chance to go through your belongings and decide if they should stay or go. As you handle each item to pack it, ask yourself if you really want to keep it and, if so, do you need it in the new home immediately. When you're done, you may have additional items for a garage sale, the thrift store or recycling center. You'll also know what items you need at the new house right away.

Moving Day

This is where your efforts really pay off. Let the movers know which items should go to the storage locker because you don't need them right away. For example, if it's June, you won't need the box of Christmas lights for several months. The movers will load those boxes on the truck last so they can drop them off at the storage locker for you.

When the movers get to your new home, you will have moved a minimal amount of items into the home that you'll need soon. This gives you much more open space to deal with.

After Moving Day

Once you're settled into the new house, you can decide if you want to bring items over from the storage locker or leave them there until you need them. This keeps the clutter out of your home until you are ready for the items. When it's time, you can swap out the summer pool toys for the boxes of Christmas ornaments in storage, and keep your home clutter free.

For more information, contact a company like Bill King Moving.