5 Tips for Decluttering After a Move

Often, we only know how many things we truly have once it comes time to move everything to a new location. You may not have realized the sheer amount of junk that you have collected until you must stuff it all into boxes and fit it into your car or a moving truck.

During the moving experience, you may find many belongings you have not seen in years.

However, going through such an experience is an opportunity because it allows you to evaluate which things are truly important to you and which you no longer need.

It can be hard to let go of things sometimes, especially since it’s easy to assign sentimental value to every item, mentally labeling each as a memento of a certain time in your life. Memories are important, but believe it or not, they will last long after the item is gone.

Moving to a new home is an important transitional moment, as it marks the beginning of a fresh start. Therefore, in the spirit of turning over a new page, purging your unnecessary belongings and decluttering can certainly help.

After all, do you want your fresh start to begin by finding places to store dusty junk that you are not going to touch again until your next big move?

How to Decide What Should Stay and What Should Go

Of course, decluttering does not mean that you have to get rid of all your possessions. However, only tossing out one or two things cannot be considered proper decluttering either.

So, it is important that you find a happy medium and mentally prepare yourself to discard an appropriate amount of items after your move. However, how can you decide what should stay and what should go?

1. Evaluate your things

The physical act of picking something up, packing it in a box, and then carrying that box to a new place can give you perspective on what you’ll keep. As you go through these motions, it is a good time to question your ownership of these things.

Ask yourself if you own these things for a reason, if they provide you with something significant, and whether you want to keep them. If the answer to any of those questions is “no” for certain things, then it may be time to get rid of them.

2. Look for dust

Another trick that helps with determining how useful something has been for you lately is to check for dust. If an item is caked in dust, that is generally a good indication it has not been used for quite a while, meaning its usefulness may be questionable.

If you do not want your new home to be full of dusty things right off the bat, get rid of them!

3. Challenge your collecting or hoarding tendencies

When you live in just one space for a long time, you end up collecting things, slowly adding to your possessions.

Most people find themselves getting into this habit to varying degrees, but collecting can turn into hoarding, which is an unhealthy habit.

Sometimes, you may only realize that your collecting habit has progressed into hoarding once you start a big move. However, a move is a perfect time to recognize this behaviour and put an end to it moving forward.

4. Get outside opinions

Because of the sentimental value that we tend to attach to the things we collect, it is often hard to sever ties with them because of the emotions involved.

That is why it is crucial to invite friends or family to be part of the process. This way, you can get some objective opinions from people who do not have an attachment to these things in the same way you do.

If you ask them whether something looks good or not, whether it seems useful or not, or whether it is worth keeping or not, and they tell you “no,” trust their judgment and get rid of it!

5. Organize everything into piles

If you’re still having a tough time deciding what should stay and what should go, your best bet may be to start organizing things into piles.

Begin by telling yourself that at least 50% of everything must go in the “no” pile, and the rest can go in a “yes” pile. Then, simply get rid of everything in the “no” pile.

If you are really in the mood to declutter, go through one or two more rounds of this process, cutting down your “yes” pile each time.

When you stack your belongings next to each other, and you are forced to compare them, you can truly get a sense of which things are most important to you.

How Junk Works Can Help You Declutter

Although deciding on what to keep and what to get rid of may be the hardest stage in the decluttering process, it is only the first.

Next comes the important step of actually getting rid of things, and that is where Junk Works comes in. Our team of junk pick up experts can help you haul away almost anything as long as it is not hazardous waste.

Our professionally trained technicians will remove all your junk in a prompt and organized fashion so that you can avoid dealing with it any longer than necessary. We also like to keep things easy for our customers, so you can do some preparation work for us before we arrive.

All you need to handle is making the appointment, and we will happily take care of the rest.

No matter whether your junk is stored in your yard, basement, or even your attic, we will go wherever we must to collect it and get rid of it for you.

Of course, we will also make it our priority to avoid disturbing you or making a mess while taking things away. We always respect our clients and their property and take every necessary measure to ensure that no damage is done during the junk removal process.

For more information about our junk pick up services or to book an appointment, call Junk Works at 1-888-888-JUNK or contact us here.