Decluttering for move

[LlamaFluff]

Can anyone offer good advice where to start with decluttering with impending move please? I feel a bit overwhelmed!

I mean what would you start with first, and what would you leave last? If anyone done this recently I’d love to hear what worked well and what maybe wasn’t as important?

• [Note from MNHQ - we've edited the typo in the title]

That's an unfortunate typo in the title OP!

I'm pretty ruthless with getting rid of stuff but I wouldn't throw that away just yet...

Crying at the title 😆

Apparently you should leave 'sentimental' things to the last.
I'd start with old tech, old charging cables, stuff nobody uses any more etc.

Thought this was going down a different route and I was wondering what a declitter was :)

I started with books, then kids toys then clothes. Decide what you are going to do with it, charity shop, car boot sale or put it on vinted?

Leave the clit til last.

I know it’s pretty overwhelming but just start. Pick a room and blast it. Be ruthless it’s just stuff

Me too 😂 I was wondering if a declitter was is some type of vagazzle using glitter.

Start with 1 room, wardrobe or cupboard first and start ASAP. Have 3 boxes- charity shop, bin and keep. Be ruthless- when was the last time you used it/wore it? Does it fit? Does it have moth holes/broken zips etc. Can they be repaired?

Ouch 😂

Sorry OP only here for the title. 😂

How long do you have before you move?

Tackle the clit first.

Love the title 😁

I love a good de-clutter. I usually set myself an amount of bin bags to do each day, and make sure I have a slot at the tip booked to get rid of it.

Realistically, I don't take stuff to the charity shop, and will only sell high value items on vinted (not lots of bits for £1-2) so do take more stuff to the tip.

I would just set myself the task of doing X bin bags and start somewhere easy - for me that would be kids clothes, or my clothes (so easy to find socks with holes, things that no longer fit etc).

Then as I go through the house I would get rid of anything I haven't used in the last 2 years that doesn't have sentimental value. Things like extra mugs, tupperware that's missing lids...

Great thread title OP 👏

Pick a room and be ruthless. Anything you haven't used for 12 months goes. Anything broken or needs maintenance to be usable goes. Anything you're keeping "just in case" goes.

Once you get into the swing of it you'll find it easier.

When we moved I swear we got rid of half the contents of the house. Makes the moving & unpacking process a lot easier

Well that’s one way to get attention 😂 (it wasn’t intentional though!)

Thanks, I’m not too bad with hanging on to stuff and pretty minimalistic in general, but have found myself switching from room to room without a clear plan.

I hate listing anything so would only do it if it’s something like furniture.

My biggest bugbear are electrical items - charity shops don’t take those, I don’t want to faff around with selling a bloody diffuser, but it’s also a shame to just bin.

When we decluttered DM’s house before she moved in with us, we did a room at a time and we were ruthless.
Organised things into Bin / Charity / Bring with her

I started off with bedding as that is bulky and unsentimental. I also take two things out of our bedroom each morning usually absolute tat.

You need to get rid of the ‘shame just to bin’ mantra because turning your new home into a bin is not good.
I moved for the last time a few years ago after my dad died so had two homes to do. His was my old family home. A lifetime of stuff.
And I got rid of so, so much it felt so tough and emotional but I do not miss one single thing I binned.
Been able to keep my home now at a level I can manage.
Go into a room and start with a floor. Have some space outside where you can put stuff - I agree with PP I’m not really into selling stuff.
I did take anything decent to charity but most went to the tip!
And believe me there are lurkers there so anything decent disappears….
You will feel so much better.
And in my home now everything is sorted so when I do pop off some poor sod won’t have to rifle through a shed or a loft full of crap!

Grab a bag.
Choose a space.
Fill bag.

It really doesn't matter where you start. Just start.
I basically did the whole house twice - but i had 6 months warning.
So, go through an area, get rid of the really obvious stuff - either to the bin or donate or sell. Do another space the next time. You can always go back and have a more thorough go if time allows.

Our local tip has an area where you can put working electrical etc they do try and reuse anything decent

In terms of making your move cheaper and easier, start with large and heavy stuff. The sooner that's gone the smaller the van you'll need for the move.

It isn't a shame. Just bin it! I would do a room at a time. Be ruthless. Anything you havent used/worn/read in a year, get rid. Clothes that are too small/big/worn- chuck. Books are notoriously difficult to get rid of in my area, so I have resorted to putting a few in the bin every week or so.
Do your kitchen by chucking out unused dishes. Then go through spices etc and get rid of anything out of date. Any electrical equipment unused? Give away.
Probably the easiest room to start with, is the bathroom. Do you have ornaments that are dust collectors? Chuck. Any old perfumes or beauty products unused for a year? Chuck. Then you can close the door. Job done. That will help you get started.
I have done this over the years.

Put stuff like working electrical goods on your local whatsapp / FB buy/sell/give group for FREE and specify deadline.
Or they should go to tip. Electric goods in bins cause fire / pollution.

Clothes is where I would (and did start). Get rid of anything that doesn’t fit (and hasn’t for ages), that you don’t wear anymore or for kids probably won’t fit in the next season it is worn - last summer’s clothes etc. then pack the off season stuff that won’t be worn before moving day.

Then go for stuff in attic/shed/garage that is basically stored and you don’t use and win’s be using before moving - DIY stuff beyond basics, Xmas decs, stuff that only gets used on special occasions.

Then go with decorative stuff, books, toys and DVDs leaving the more used ones unpacked until the last few days.

Then I’d probably hit the kitchen and bathroom.

Hopefully That should leave you able to just pack up everything else room by room in the last week/few days.

Definitely find a spot for all the stuff you don’t want to pack until the very last minute and try and keep that together. You don’t want to be unpacking boxes to find that document you know you have somewhere.

I started with clothes, be ruthless.

Then storage, understands cupboard next, then the shoe cupboard, then the junk drawer.

Next is ornaments and pictures.

I am making a conscious effort to use up kitchen items, jars tins etc rather than buying more.

Start early. It will take longer than you think. We just went through everything.

We sorted into 4 categories:

1 - Charity shop
2 - Bin
3 - Stuff we wanted to keep but not day to day items we regularly needed. We packed this is boxes and piled it up in the garage ready for the remover.
4 - Day to day items. We keep these out.

Once you only have no.4 left in the house it looks much less daunting, and it’s pack rhese up in the last few days before you move.

Clothes certainly. I do those regularly. Shame I can’t persuade DH to go through the stuff he hasn’t worn for years, instead of wearing the same stuff over and over. If you aren’t going to wear it or use it or it’s beautiful, sell it or bin it. You’re paying to move, so what’s the point in paying for more space than you need.

I thought we’d been ruthless last move. Nope, there’s still stuff that we’ve had to sell or ditch. It’s an ongoing process and the stuff you keep because it might come in useful one day, never does.

I’m doing this and it feels slightly overwhelming. Been here a lot of years and I’m hoping to halve the size of my home. I’m starting with the loft. Everything out and things that are not obviously going to the dump/charity into the garage. Followed by going through a room at a time. One room every weekend. 11 rooms, three months, I’m planning on charity shops/giving away on local sites and the dump, no selling apart from bikes/things with a bit of value. Then the garage last because I’ll need some help with it.

I’m in the home my DC grew up in, bought XH out when we divorced, it feels like a mammoth task alone. I work full time and travel so Monday to Friday is a write off. This is the only way I can get my head around it tbh. Once I’m there I’ll put my house on the market, I don’t want the pressure of doing it beforehand as I expect it to sell really quickly.