Decluttering Before You Move House: What to Edit Before the Packers Arrive
Once a moving date is set, it is tempting to put everything in boxes and deal with it later. In my experience, later rarely comes. Boxes of things you were unsure about end up in the loft, the garage or the spare room of the new house, and the fresh start you were hoping for gets a little lost.
Decluttering before you move is one of the kindest things you can do for your future self. Here is how I approach it with clients.
Start six to eight weeks out
A calm declutter needs time. Starting early means decisions can be made at a gentle pace rather than in a panic the night before the removal van arrives. It also gives you time to sell, donate or pass things on properly.
Begin with the spaces you use least
Lofts, garages, sheds and under-stair cupboards are the best place to start. They are usually full of things that have not been touched in years, and clearing them early takes a lot of pressure off the final weeks.
Think about the new home, not the old one
The most useful question is not "do I like this?" but "where will this live in the new house?" If you have a floor plan, use it. A smaller kitchen, fewer wardrobes or no garage all change what makes sense to take.
Every box costs money
Removal quotes are often based on volume. Sorting before the survey can genuinely reduce the cost of your move, and it means fewer boxes to unpack at the other end.
Make decisions in clear categories
Rather than room by room, it often helps to sort by category: all the coats, all the books, all the kitchen gadgets. You see exactly how much you own, and duplicates become obvious very quickly.
Be gentle with sentimental things
Photos, letters and children's keepsakes are the hardest to sort, so leave them until last when you have built some momentum. You do not have to decide everything now. A clearly labelled memory box is a perfectly good answer.
Label for the room it is going to
Pack and label each box for its room in the new house, not where it came from. It makes unpacking far quicker and stops boxes landing in the wrong place on moving day.
Planning a move?
All my moving home work runs through Your Moving Day, the specialist decluttering and unpacking service I run with my business partner Ruth and our small, female-led team. Read more on my moving home page, or go straight to Your Moving Day to tell us about your move.