Going to a new home is often a complex and lengthy process. You need to dedicate time to view new properties, place your offer, and organize all of the paperwork before you can even begin to think about packing up your belongings.
But the preparation for transitioning into a new house begins long before you make any offers or sign any legal documents. It begins several weeks or even months beforehand, and it starts with decluttering.
What is Decluttering?
As the name suggests, decluttering involves getting rid of clutter. To effectively declutter, you need to throw away the things that you no longer need, use, or want in order to make more space in your home.
What Are the Benefits of Decluttering?
You can declutter at any time, but it’s especially helpful when you’re planning on going to a new home. There is less to organize, and you’ll feel less physically and mentally stressed during the whole process.
Decluttering enables you to have more space when you’re packing your belongings, and it also means you have fewer things to transfer, which can save you a lot of time and energy. Plus, the fewer boxes you need to book with the moving company in Fort Collins, the less you will spend.
When you own fewer possessions, you’ll have less to clean when you’re leaving your existing home too. Cleaning is an activity that many of us dislike, so reducing this mammoth task is always a bonus!
How to Declutter Properly When You’re Heading to a New Home
Before you can book your moving services in Fort Collins, you’ll need to spend some time decluttering.
As tempting as it might be to dive straight into throwing some of your old things away, there are some necessary preparatory steps that you need to take first. Skipping your preparation can slow down your decluttering process further down the line or make it less effective.
Once you have prepared yourself physically and mentally for the decluttering process, you can get started! To make this task as stress-free and enjoyable as possible, here are some top tips to help you declutter.
Set a date
Firstly, you should set a date. This should be at least a month before the day your movers in Fort Collins are due to arrive at your current house to transfer your things over to the new property. This will give you plenty of time to organize other things after you’ve decluttered.
Make sure you leave a full day free to go through all of your belongings. Ideally, it should be a day when you know you won’t get distracted by children, pets, work colleagues, and your partner. Your decluttering process will be quicker, easier, and more enjoyable when you’re alone!
Give yourself a deadline for when you’d like to complete your decluttering. This will keep you motivated and on track for your big day.
Tackle one room at a time
It can be daunting when you’re decluttering your whole home at once. To prevent becoming overwhelmed, tackle just one room at a time.
Create a schedule and aim to compete for each room within a specific amount of time. This ensures you don’t spend too long decluttering and keeps your mind as relaxed as possible during the process.
Create separate piles
When you’re getting rid of your belongings, you might want to give some of your unwanted items to charity or gift some to your friends and family members. Some of the older and more worn-out items might only be suitable for the bin!
Creating multiple piles makes it easier for you to organize which things you want to give to charity, friends, or family and which things you’re going to throw away in the trash. Keep the piles well separated, so you don’t get confused and end up throwing away usable items! You can get some empty boxes to store things separately or keep each pile in a different room.
Responsibly get rid of hazardous items
When you’re decluttering, you might end up throwing away potentially hazardous things, such as old batteries, phones, and fireworks. You should always dispose of these correctly to avoid causing any harm to yourself, your family, your pets, or passers-by.
Research online to identify the correct ways to dispose of certain substances. In particular, it’ll be the electronics that you need to pay attention to, as these usually have batteries that can decompose and leak out.
Think of yourself as a first-time visitor in your house
It can be difficult to declutter properly when you’re attached to your belongings. You attach sentimental value to certain things, and you know how long you’ve had certain items in your house, which often makes you less willing to give them away or throw them out.
However, you need to be stern with yourself while you’re decluttering before you head to a new property. Try and see your house through the eyes of somebody who is entering the property for the very first time.
Consider what first impression you’d like to give to people who are new to your home. Write this down if you find it helpful. This will help you to see each room with a brand-new pair of eyes.
Use the 12-12-12 method
If you're really struggling to get rid of things in your house, try using the 12-12-12 method. This involves identifying 12 items to give someone you know, 12 items to sell or donate to charity, and 12 items to throw away.
Using this method enables you to declutter 36 belongings while also giving to others who want or need these items. It’s great for those of you who feel reluctant to part ways with the things in your home, and it simplifies the decluttering process.