Before moving day arrives, you should consider how, and more importantly when you’ll declutter your belongings.
In the end, time can work for or against you, making it the key factor that determines whether it’s more important to declutter before or after the move.
We’re here to tell you that you don’t have to dwell so much on this. You don’t really have to choose just one option because there are so many ways to declutter your life. The most important thing is to get started.
Why Declutter Before Moving?
If you’ve been living in your old apartment or house for a while, you may wonder how you’ll fit all the stuff you collected throughout the years into the new space. The truth is— you shouldn’t even try to do that. Chances are, there are lots of things you want (and
should) get rid of before your move.
However, decluttering before a move isn’t about simply reducing the number of things you can transport to your new home. The point isn’t only to get rid of as much as possible to make your move a bit less overwhelming.
The main goal here is to streamline your move and ensure setting up the new place doesn’t take ages. So, decluttering before a move comes with a number of benefits you don’t want to miss out on.
You Can Take a Detailed Inventory
Decluttering before a move could help you discover some real gems you may have overlooked throughout the years. Plus, once you move into your new home, you’ll know what exactly you should or shouldn’t buy to ensure you have everything you need to continue your life.
When you inventory everything you own, you may find that you can also sell or donate stuff before moving. By selling your unnecessary belongings, you could earn some extra cash for the move or for decorating the new space. Alternatively, you may make someone else’s life a bit better by parting with things that are still in great condition but are basically useless in your life!
You May Save Money and Time
Since you won’t have to move everything you own, your moving fees aren’t going to be as high as expected. The remainder of the money you allocated to the move can then be used to buy the stuff you don’t already own — and might have wanted to get for a while.
Another great benefit here is that decluttering before a move may save you time while packing. Every item you have to box up will probably need to be categorized somehow. But doing so for lots of stuff you will get rid of anyway is pretty pointless and time- consuming. It’s much better to make some hard decisions before the move and get rid of stuff in the process!
You’ll Probably Unpack More Easily
With fewer things to find a place for in your new home, you’ll have the boxes unpacked in no time.
Besides, if you come with carefully assorted boxes filled with stuff you’ve already cleaned, you won’t have to spend weeks trying to unpack. All you’ll have to do is move the right boxes into the right rooms and start organizing.
You May Save Space in Advance
Bringing fewer belongings with you when moving would, of course, let you save some space in your new place. That may sound like a problem for some people, but in reality, it gives you options in the future.
Even if you don’t have much use for all that blank space after the move, you will figure out how you could fill it up at some point. And since there won’t be much clutter around, you won’t have to clear that before finding another purpose for empty corners!
Don’t Forget to Do Some Post-Move Decluttering Too!
Provided that you set aside enough time to go through all your belongings, and you have time to also donate or sell stuff, you may get away with simply arranging your stuff around the new place and calling it a day.
That said, we believe there are some situations in which it’s a good idea to declutter after the move too.
Moving in a Rush
If you are moving on short notice, it makes more sense to declutter once you move in. Juggling your everyday commitments may chip away at your free time and thus force you to pack everything you own.
Once you move into a new place, you can then commit to organizing your belongings and decorating your home at the same time. It may seem like a hassle, but it’s doable!
Moving in With Someone
Naturally, decluttering after a move also makes sense when you’re moving in with someone, like your partner. You may own some stuff they don’t, and vice versa, so it’s best not to throw away anything beforehand. Plus, there’s a chance you may bring duplicate items (same dishes, decor, etc.). In that case, you should definitely declutter again to avoid having your home in disarray!
When in Doubt, Declutter Pre- AND Post-Move!
In the end, if you have time and willpower to keep decluttering even after you move — do it! Both methods can be crucial to making your home liveable.
Better yet, a combination of the two should provide you with the best benefits and results! A great advantage of post-move decluttering is that you can sort your belongings further to ensure they fit your new space well.
Though you may have done an excellent job beforehand, it’s possible that you may have been unsure about what to do with some stuff.
When you’re finally in your new home, you will likely realize that some items don’t fit the aesthetics or won’t be of any service to you. In that case, decluttering your belongings again by categorizing them into even smaller groups ought to help you make your new home super-appealing and, more importantly, comfortable!