Category ArchiveDeclutter Your Home

How to Declutter Your Home Before a Long Distance Move

A long-distance move is hard enough, but it’s even more difficult when you have rooms of belongings to go through that you’re not even sure you want to take with you. Here’s a pro mover tip from Cheap Movers Las Vegas (site): before you move, do a deep clean on your entire space and get rid of everything you know you won’t need. Not only will it save your back, but it’ll also save you money on supplies and manpower that you don’t need to spend.

If you’re unsure about how to get started decluttering, start with these ideas.

1. Clean Out Your Pantry

This doesn’t have to be the first thing you do, especially if moving day is a still a few days or weeks away, but eventually, you’ll want to get rid of all those chips and unopened cans of vegetables that you never got around to eating. But don’t just throw those perfectly-good groceries in the trash, look for a food pantry that you can drop them off at or use a service like Move for Hunger to help give them to people in need.

2. Choose What to Donate and What to Sell

Once you’ve decided on what to get rid of before you move, make a list and decide what you want to sell and what you want to donate. The choice is up to you: selling puts items in your pocket now, while donating can come with some sizeable tax benefits. Keep in mind too that if your belongings are outdated or not working, neither may be an option, so it’s best, to be honest with your list now before you drag everything downtown. Once you decide, call the appropriate people and let them declutter parts of your house for you.

3. Be Brutal With Clothing

Are you ever going to wear that lime-green jumpsuit you bought for the St. Patrick’s Day party two years ago? Most likely not, so it’s probably a good idea to not haul it across the country with you on your move. Though not every choice may be that clear-cut, use a very critical eye to go through your closet and decide what’s keeping and what’s not. Best of all, you can donate your clothes to a qualifying charity and help people who are in need.

4. Throw Away Hazardous Materials

Things like fireworks, propane tanks, and fire extinguishers are not safe to transport over long distances, much less throw in the back of a moving truck for a cross-country move. The varying temperatures can cause them to leak or even explode, which is why most long-distance movers do not even allow them in their trucks. It’s best to throw those things out now before you end up with something explosive in your living room and don’t know what to do with it. Be careful not just to dump them in the trash, however. Hazardous chemicals need to be disposed of properly, so call your local home improvement store or fire station to ask for advice.