How to declutter before moving into a new house
You have the keys, the moving day is set and you have all of the cardboard boxes you could ever need. While moving into a new house is exciting, it can also be a stressful experience if you’re not prepared. Before packing anything, you need to devise a plan to declutter your current home of the non-essentials (you may even choose this fresh start to begin living a minimalist lifestyle!).
While it can feel easier to just transfer everything to your new house, it will mean much more time and effort spent packing and relocating and you will end up creating a ‘future me’ problem instead of sorting your things out first.
Don’t perpetuate the cycle of hoarding! Declutter consciously by donating items, passing them on to friends and family or holding a garage sale. Consider a mini skip for items that cannot have a second life.
6 tips for decluttering before moving into a new house
Overview
Declutter the kitchen & bathroom cupboards
Time to tackle the kids’ rooms
Over time, clutter seems to be magnetically attracted to us. While it feels like a daunting task in the beginning, going through your possessions with a fine toothcomb can be therapeutic once you get in the swing of it.
By keeping things you love/need, and throwing away the rest, you can create a home that is organised and clean. Not to mention, you’ll have fewer possessions to pack and transport to your new home!
1. START DECLUTTERING EARLY
Don’t wait until the big moving day to start decluttering your home! To ensure you’re setting aside enough time, you need to assess how bad your clutter is. You may only need a full weekend to declutter if it’s your garage or the spare room. If however, you want to go through your entire house, you’ll need a few weeks minimum.
The best way to manage your time, is to try to tackle one room or cupboard each day (or weekend). By working in smaller sections, you will avoid overwhelm and won’t be tempted to just throw everything into a box and move it to the new house.
2. THE ONE-YEAR RULE
If you can’t remember the last time you used an item, it shouldn’t come with you when you’re moving into a new house. This includes kitchen appliances, sporting equipment, gardening tools, clothing and more. If you haven’t used the item in a year, it’s a good bet you won’t need it at the new house.
Don’t hesitate – “If in doubt, throw it out!”
3. Clean up your backyard
This is something most people forget to declutter before moving into a new home. If you have old gardening tools lying around the backyard or unfinished DIY projects, it’s a good idea to throw them out.
Don’t forget about green waste! This is especially important if the house may be unoccupied for a while and is situated in a bushfire-prone area. Clean out any piles of grass, leaves, branches and other organic material in case of bushfires.
If you have a lot of green waste to get rid of look at hiring a green waste skip bin! The future owners will thank you for it!
4. DECLUTTER THE KITCHEN & BATHROOM CUPBOARDS
Kitchens and bathrooms are notorious for collecting clutter. Over time, cutlery, pots and out-of-date food build up in the kitchen, while unused shampoos and expired makeup collect in the cupboard. When you start packing up your kitchen/bathroom for the big move, throw away anything that is expired or past its best-before date.
If you have appliances, furniture or anything else that’s broken – and you haven’t fixed it in the last six months – it’s time to throw it out. Be honest with yourself; if you haven’t found the time, you probably won’t in the future. These broken items are just taking up valuable space. If they are worth taking to the new house, fix them up (before you move) and take them with you.
It’s also a good idea to ensure you’re not doubling up on anything. If you realise you have four identical spatulas, it’s time to throw out the excess. This is even more important if you are moving in with someone – ascertain what common items they are bringing to the new home and avoid double-ups!
This might be a nice opportunity to consider how you would like to do things in the kitchen in the future. Maybe you could say no to individually packaged items and move towards a more sustainable and ultimately more aesthetically pleasing method.
Ahead of your move, find your new local food co-op or farmers market, and keep all your jars and containers to go into your new pantry for tidy food storage. This will avoid future, ongoing unnecessary waste.
5. TIME TO TACKLE THE KIDS ROOMS
If you don’t have kids you can skip this section but if you do – chances are your kids are the ones contributing to most of the clutter in your home. They may have outgrown old toys, clothes, and books so it is a great place to tackle before making a move to a new home.
Avoid accumulating more junk after the move and teach your kids how to be less materialistic, we could all do with a lesson!
6. GET TO WORK IN THE GARAGE
The garage seems to be where a lot of clutter accumulates. The easiest place to start (if it applies to you), is any boxes filled with stuff from the last move that you haven’t touched in a while. Unless these boxes hold sentimental items or antiques you don’t have the space for in the house, it’s a good idea to go through them and throw out anything unnecessary.
If you are moving from a house with a lawn to an apartment, don’t keep the lawnmower. It may be tempting to keep items for down the track but it is easy enough to acquire them again when you need them. Move them on and make your move with fewer items, saving you the hassle.
Finally, get rid of excess furniture, gym equipment you don’t use and so on. This is especially important if you are downsizing. If you find yourself hesitating, follow the golden rule: if in doubt, throw it out!
HOW TO MAKE DECLUTTERING EASIER
So, that’s your declutter house checklist for moving into a new house! A cluttered home is hard to move, so make things easier by cleaning out your old house first. If you have piles of stuff you need to throw out, a skip bin is your go-to. This will ultimately save you time transporting items to the tip yourself.
We recommend a mini skip bin for decluttering homes as it can be difficult to dispose of household waste through regular household waste services. Mini skip bins are perfect for general household items such as boxes, toys, rugs, old pillows, old furniture, white goods, office furniture, vacuum cleaners etc.
Check out our skip bin sizes and prices and book yours or get in touch with us, tell us what you are planning and we can advise you on the best option for your decluttering job!
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I start decluttering before moving?
The earlier the better! As soon as you know you are moving you can make a start. Consider the size of the home you are moving to and the storage available and work out just how much you need to discard. Do so consciously by donating items, or passing them on to friends and family. Items that cannot have a second life can go in the skip!
How do you declutter before moving in together?
A spreadsheet is going to be your best friend to avoid double-ups. You don’t want to move into your new home only to discover you have both brought a toaster/fridge/lounge etc! Be organised and pick the best quality items from your possessions to keep and let go of the rest.
In what order should I declutter my house?
This is unique to each home. It is best to declutter one room at a time to avoid overwhelm. A good place to start is in the kids’ rooms – they add stuff to your home most regularly. You will also feel like you are making great headway after decluttering the toys!
People also read:
Halloween waste statistics that will keep you up at night
Household clean ups: what can go in a skip bin?
How to make a raised garden bed
