Planning to move anytime soon? Decluttering ahead of time and preparing your belongings for moving day will ensure a smooth, seamless transition into your new apartment. Besides getting renters insurance for your new location, sorting through your possessions is probably the most important and helpful thing to do in preparation for a move – you’ll have fewer items to pack and transport, and you’ll also have a good start into your new home, enjoying a neat and tidy space.
Here’s how to declutter and organize your items before moving – plus some creative ways to jumpstart your move and make it less complicated!
What decluttering actually entails
You need to look at your possessions with a critical eye and let go of the items that no longer serve you. From clothing to books, papers, electronics, appliances and any other household items, there probably are a lot of things in your home that you haven’t use in a while. Decide what you are keeping and sort the rest of the items in separate piles: to donate, to sell, to recycle or to throw away. Deal with the piles as soon as possible – decluttering is complete when all the items you deemed no longer necessary are out of your home.
Decide on a decluttering method
Everyone agrees that the main goal of decluttering is to get rid of items you no longer use, need or want, which are simply taking up space in your home without bringing any benefits. However, when it comes to the best, most efficient ways of decluttering, there’s far less consensus. Professional organizers and regular people have various ways of tackling the task, and you need to find the method that works for you and your lifestyle:
- Declutter by room
Decluttering room by room is probably a good idea for families living in larger apartments. It makes sense to declutter children’s rooms and your bedroom separately, as the categories of belongings in these spaces don’t really overlap. Also, the work is easier to manage, and it’s rewarding to see the results after finishing up a room.
- Declutter by category
Decluttering by category means that you start with a category of belongings (clothing, books, paper and documents, collectibles and so on), and you deal with that category, regardless of where you keep them in your home. The big advantage of this method is that it’s easier to appreciate how much stuff you own from each category. If you have multiple items that do the same job, this is a great way to decide what you should keep and what you should let go of.
However, the main downside is that your entire home gets messy all at once until you’re done with the respective category. This decluttering approach works best for single people and couples that share smaller apartments, as you probably have your clothes, books and so on, in more than one room.
- Do your entire apartment in one big effort
Some people prefer to start and finish in one big burst, even if it takes them an entire weekend of hard work. That’s a good method, obviously, if you can allocate the time. However, it can be quite daunting and intimidating to perform such a big project in one go. If that’s your case, don’t worry – you can still declutter, even if you do it gradually and on a smaller scale.
- Do it in small, daily rounds
Doing a little bit of decluttering each day works very well for people with busy or irregular schedules. Set up goals you can complete in a short amount of time: decluttering one closet, a few drawers, a couple of kitchen cabinets. There’s one important advantage attached to this method: since you’re doing just a little bit of work at once, you’re more likely to do it thoroughly and get rid of absolutely everything you no longer need.
Regardless of how you choose to approach decluttering, the important thing is to have it done prior to moving – even a few weeks before moving day. Such a timeframe offers enough time for packing also.
Speaking of packing, decluttering can be the perfect time to prepare the items you don’t use on a daily basis for the move. Here’s what you need to do:
Rent self storage to make moving (or living in a big city) easier
Self storage provides valuable help for people in the process of moving. Rent a self storage unit close to your new apartment and, as you declutter, pack and store in it the belongings you don’t use on daily basis. This way, by the time moving day arrives, a significant portion of your belongings are already conveniently located in a unit near your new apartment.
Here are some categories of belongings you can start packing ahead of time, as you are decluttering:
- Out of season clothing and footwear.
- Seasonal decorations.
- Books, papers and documents.
- Sports equipment that you don’t use at the moment.
- Furniture you can do without for a few weeks.
Getting the right storage unit size for your needs is important too. You should rent a unit large enough to comfortably hold your belonging. This is how much stuff you can store in some of the most popular unit sizes:
- A 5’x5’ storage unit is recommended if you only plan on storing some boxes with stuff, or maybe a couple of pieces of small furniture (pliable table and chairs, compact desk, twin bed stood upright).
- A 5’x10’ unit allows you to store some boxes with clothing and other items, plus the equivalent of a bedroom’s worth of furniture.
- A 10’x10’ storage unit is a lot roomier, and you can fit inside basically all the contents of a small apartment, furniture included.
Besides its use during moving, self storage is also a space-saving solution for renters living in big cities, where living space is at a premium. Assuming you live in a small apartment or share it with a roommate, it’s very likely that you don’t have enough storage space at home. In such cases, a small storage unit can pick up the slack – you can use it to store sports equipment, out of season clothing, extra furniture, tools or appliances.
Decluttering and organizing your belongings in self storage prior to moving day is a good method to make the process smoother and less complicated – give it a try during your next move!
