When you’re moving, organization is the key to success. From making lists before you start packing to keeping an inventory of what’s in your boxes, the more structure you can give your process, the more smoothly your move will go. For best results, though, you need to think about organizing before moving even starts. By organizing and decluttering before moving, you’ll make your move – and your life – easier. Where do you begin?
When you’re trying to figure out how to organize before moving, the first thing to determine is where to start. Decluttering and getting rid of some things is probably the first order of business. The more you can remove from your house before you start to pack, the less you’ll have to move, and the easier it will be to organize what’s left. Some people like to go room to room organizing and purging, while others find that decluttering by category is more efficient. However you choose to do it, be ruthless and start as early as you can. Picture your new home as a clean slate and carefully consider every single thing you intend to bring into it. Need help organizing your purge? Here are some ideas to get you started.
- Empty all the junk drawers. What do you have in there? Do you even know? Moving provides a great excuse to get rid of all that junk. OF course, not everything in your junk drawer is trash. Throw out everything you obviously don’t need and then sort treasures like loose batteries, rubber bands, and so on in small zipper storage bags.
- Pull all the linens from everywhere they’re stored. You may have a central linen closet, and that’s great. If you’re like a lot of people, though, you’ve got towels in the bathrooms, throws in baskets in different rooms, dish towels and cloth napkins in the kitchen and dining areas, and so on. Before you move, gather it all together and assess. Old linens you don’t want any longer can be made into cleaning rags or drop cloths or donated to animal shelters. What you do intend to keep can be immediately put to good use wrapping your fragile items as you pack.
- Sort all of the clothes and shoes. Things that don’t fit, haven’t been worn in more than a year, or are in bad shape should be tossed or donated. The same thing goes for clothing items that don’t have anything really wrong with them but just aren’t clothes you enjoy. If you’re adverse to throwing away clothes – because, let’s face it, there’s a ridiculous amount of textiles in the landfills – consider looking for a textile recycling drop off in your area. Go through your accessories with the same critical eye and eliminate what you don’t or won’t wear.
- Be extremely selective with your knickknacks. It can be very hard to part with treasures that have been passed down in your family or carefully curated for your personal collection. In fact, we don’t suggest it! Rather, look at your collectibles with a critical eye, releasing any that don’t bring you joy in favor of free space in your new home.
- Clean out your pantry. Check expiration dates and toss anything that’s past its prime. Then consider carefully which non-perishable items should go with you to your new home and which can be donated to a local food pantry. Toss old condiment packets you’ve been storing. While you’re in the kitchen, get rid of any broken or damaged appliances and decide which small appliances you can donate. Gather all your cookware, kitchen tools and utensils, assessing your collection for duplicate items and things you don’t need or use. Take a hard look at your plastic containers, matching lids to each one so that you can see which lids are missing. Toss or donate water bottles and travel mugs you don’t need, and edit your cookbook collection so that you’re only keeping the ones you use or that have sentimental value.
- Be smart about your medicine chest. You’ve probably got a wealth of expired medications, whether over the counter or prescription. Don’t haul all of that junk to your new house, but don’t dispose of it irresponsibly, either. Old medications should never be flushed down the drain or dumped into the trash. Learn more about proper disposal of medication with this helpful information from the Drug Enforcement Administration.
- Declutter the bathroom. Go ahead and take unopened toiletries, toothbrushes, and floss, but throw out anything that’s almost empty. For bottles that still have plenty of product that you want to keep but are already open, seal them by opening them, putting plastic wrap across the opening, and closing the lid again. This will keep them from spilling in transit to your new home. Dispose of old cosmetics, and consider decluttering beauty tools like hairdryers, flat irons, curling irons, makeup brushes, and even combs and hairbrushes, if you have extras.
Organizing before moving can make your move go more smoothly; calling Firefighting’s Finest Moving & Storage can ensure that it’s a success from start to finish. We are dedicated to providing efficient, safe, and professional commercial and home moving services, as the moving partner you can rely on. Founded in 2001 by two off-duty firefighters, we’ve grown to serve not only the Dallas/Fort Worth area, but also Houston and Austin as well. A locally-owned-and-operated business, we exceed all state and federal requirements for a moving company and can handle all of your moving needs. Call 844-715-6625 or visit our website for an estimate.
