De-Clutter Your Home Before You Move!

Moving home is difficult enough without having to pack a large amount of items you really don’t need. This can be hard for people who are “natural hoarders”, but now is the time to get rid of all those things you don’t use anymore.  If you have a loft, start there. This is the one place people tend to store items they can’t bring themselves to throw away.

Rules on Clearing out your Loft

If something has a thick layer of dust on it, make a beeline for this first. I’m not advising you to throw away family heirlooms or precious photos that date back several generations because these are of sentimental value to you. What you should do is decide what items have been sitting in your loft for years and are never used.

If you find yourself thinking “blimey, I forgot I had this” it’s likely there is no place for it in your life. If you come across anything that’s simply not useable, throw it away! It will take up space in the removal van, and this will cost you more money. 

Go into your loft armed with large plastic bags, and be prepared to fill them. Believe me, the satisfaction you’ll get when you’ve managed to reduce the amount of items in your loft by at least half will put a smile on your face.

 Wardrobes

Clothes are heavy when they’re all packed together, and this will also cost more money with the removal company. Be ruthless with your clothes. Anything you haven’t worn for a year or more should go to the local charity shop. There’s no use in hanging on to a top that doesn’t fit anymore simply because you like the colour!

Books and Papers

Again, books are heavy and if you’re an avid reader, the chances are you’ll have a pretty large collection. Take a look at the books you have and donate any that you’re not going to read again to a local library or charity organisation. DO NOT keep a book just because you think you “might” read it again. These days, it’s relatively inexpensive to download digital books, and this will cost you less than it will to move the books you have now.

Everyone keeps important papers such as bank statements, mortgage papers, and information on credit cards, and all sorts of other things in the home. If you can, scan these into your computer and keep them on an external hard-drive. MAKE SURE you password any information that’s sensitive and shred what you now have on your hard-drive. You’ll be amazed at the amount of space this will save, and it will also amaze you that it can be kept on something that fits in a handbag.

The Rest of Your Home

We all have things stored away in cupboards, so this should be your next move. If you find objects stuffed in the back of a cupboard that hasn’t seen the light of day for a while, get rid of it. This is also true of items you have on show. If you find yourself looking at an ornament and thinking “you know, I really don’t like that”, give it away. 

A Few Final Words

Reading this might have stressed you out to the max, but honestly, when you’ve finished de-cluttering your home before you move, you’ll feel 10lbs lighter! It will also make packing much easier for you and, as said will save you money because you’ll have less to move.

Once you’ve managed to de-clutter and you’re ready to look for a removal company, take a look here http://www.theroadahead.co.uk/ for a really easy way of finding a professional outfit to help you.