Taking the next step to move cross country is a big achievement. Right before you can move, though, there are things you should do first, such as condensing your current space. It does seem like a lot to do, but when you first get started, you’ll notice how easier it is to move fewer things onto the moving truck. Let’s spend today exploring various tips on downsizing your home before a move.
Record Your Inventory
Everywhere you look, there’s clutter. Don’t get yourself down because you have more items to sort through. We aren’t trying to tell you this is an easy process because it isn’t, and moving from ample space to something smaller is difficult.
As you come to terms with moving, start your process slowly by recording everything you own, such as furniture, clothing, and family documents. Sorting through everything, make sure to categorize your things. For example, furniture must include the living room, dining room, and bedrooms.
Everything else that you’ve grouped should be underneath its appropriate tag. After recording everything, you can go through each room and sort items into different piles. The actual reason for simplifying your life is to get rid of the unwanted things that take up too much space.
Essential Moving Tip
Follow a three-step process to make decluttering the house a breeze. First off, develop a set date to start and end your project. Second, record and develop a sorting system that works for you.
You can use anything to keep track of things, like an organization app, notebook, or computer document file. The third thing you’re going to do is purge the heck out of every room, taking everything out that needs sorting and no longer belongs.
Start With One Room at a Time
Now that you have a system, it’s time to go through every room and take everything out. Try dedicating each day to one room as you plan—one day could be your bedroom, and the next day, the bathroom. A system like this helps streamline your process and creates less stressful days.
Make Downsizing Faster
The best way to make decluttering go faster is going through one room at a time and getting rid of duplicate items first.
If you have more than one of the same item, it’s best to toss it—trust us, you don’t need multiples of one item. The rooms that are the easiest to clean out are the kitchen and the bathroom. Do these two rooms first since they collect the most junk.
Divide Everything Into Piles
Now that you’ve cleaned the rooms and removed everything, you need to organize everything into one of four piles: donating, yard sale, giving to family, and throwing away. You may need a dumpster to sort your situation out when throwing things away. A 12-yard dumpster rental can save you from a headache with sorting everything you don’t want.
If you’re passing something down to a family member, ensure that it’s in working condition and not beaten up. Depending on the object, you want to clean it thoroughly before giving it away, or else the receiver might throw it away themselves.
Your donation piles should include gently used items that don’t require organizations or thrift stores to take a long time cleaning or fixing. Be generous when creating donation piles; throw things away if they’re broken or have an odor.
Yard sales are a fun way to downsize and a little extra for any new furniture pieces you need in your new space. Everything from furniture to kids' toys can be in the sale. Still, make sure everything is in good condition before selling.
How To Downsize for Seniors
Many seniors may not know the best ways to condense since they tend to have more sentimental feelings towards everything they’ve collected over the years.
This could be a perfect moment to sit down with your senior family members and help them learn how to hold onto fewer things before moving. Here are some ways to help seniors condense their spaces:
- For better recordkeeping, take photos of everything.
- For items that feel nostalgic, write out a description and a memory that’s connected to the article.
- Make a list of family members who want specific items.
- Donate other items in workable condition to charity.
- Make use of the things, such as creating a blanket.
Transfer Photos and Videos to Digital Files
Even with older family members, there are some items they love, such as family photos that have no additional copies in existence.
The best way to keep memories living longer is by placing them into your digital cloud. A digital cloud creates files of all photos and videos families can look back at to feel nostalgic, and that doesn’t take up too much space in their next home.
The Benefits of Going Digital
When using a digital filing system, you can better view all photos, videos, or documents at once. Older family members can relish knowing their memories are stored safely and access them whenever without misplacing any critical memories.
Organize Those Storage Spaces
When possible, utilize storage spaces. If there is a pile you’re unsure about, place it in storage space. It can be anything from a rented space to a rarely used closet. Keep it all organized by using storage.
The Unlikeliest Places for Storage
You may find that your only option is the attic or basement, but there are other unlikely spaces you haven’t thought about, such as open spaces in the wall and built-in areas. For areas hidden behind doors, start placing up hooks to keep everything neat and clutter-free.
Also, if you have space underneath the stairs, you can place containers; try doing that so you can avoid accidents when moving up and down the stairway.
Don’t Buy New Furniture Yet
The best way to not clutter your space any further than it is correct is to avoid buying new stuff. Cut up those credit cards or have someone hold onto them until you know what you need to replace in your new house. Measure every room to ensure everything fits after measuring. Write down what items to replace after the move.
Develop a Timeline
The last step is making time to declutter everything. It doesn’t have to be done in a day or week—simply making time over the next few months before your move-out date can help put your mind at ease when packing everything up. Remember the three-step process from above? Do those three things to help you learn how to downsize your home before moving out.
Be Patient With Your Process
The process takes time, and you’re going to stumble a few times. Let those stumbles happen, as they welcome opportunities to take a break and reanalyze your process before taking any further steps to downsize.
Condensing every room down before leaving for your next home will be hard. We won’t let it be hard. Vine Disposal has your back when needing to remove all of your junk from your home so you can move without extra items taking up space. Contact us today for more insight on dumpster rentals for your condensing needs.
