Ways to declutter when you move

Moving into a new home is the beginning of an exciting life chapter, but the process can be overwhelming when organizing and executing the relocation at the same time. Still, if prepared well, the move can be both stress-free and budget-friendly. To do so, we have to do some "clutter control" before and during packing. Unnecessary stuff piled in our houses steals precious time and space and can even create health risks if not addressed timely. After exploring different ways to declutter when you move, you'll understand how big of a burden these things can be. The clutter we create is our way of living in the past, and while letting go can be tricky, it's necessary in order to move forward.

The sooner you start, the better!

You can always get rid of unnecessary stuff, but to do it most efficiently, start as soon as you decide to move. That way, you will have time to be thorough and second guess your decisions. Starting early will make this task almost effortless, and you will benefit both mentally and financially. There are many ways to declutter your home, but the most practical one is to make a list of stuff you will be taking with you while getting rid of the rest. Lists are imperative if you want to avoid losing or misplacing any of your precious belongings!

Do the heavy lifting first

Think about the big and heavy stuff in your house that you have no use for anymore. Is there a place for it in your new home? Will it match the rest of the design? If both answers are no, put them on the declutter list. This goes not only for the furniture and appliances but for your attic and garage content as well. Most of us use the garage as a storage unit, and moving all of that into a new household can be costly. By decreasing the weight of your possession, you'll be decreasing the price of your relocation.

Establish a method

There are many ways to declutter when you move, but the one you choose will depend on the time at your disposal. Using the room-by-room method is wise if you plan to purge before packing. That way, you can turn each room into a zone and start clearing things out.

But, if you plan to do it during packing, creating categories might be a better option. Organizing things this way will make unpacking much easier.

You might need help from a friend

Sometimes we have a hard time letting go of things that have sentimental value. If that is the case, a second, objective opinion can be of great help! Call your friends or family members to assist you with the task. That way, decluttering will not only be efficient but fun as well. Run through your old memories, and make a decision. What do you want to bring to your future?

Decide what you want to do with things

There are different ways to declutter your home. Whichever method you choose, you will have to take care of the things that end up in the declutter pile. Here are a few suggestions:

• offer them to your friends and family members,

• donate to charity,

• sell them online,

• organize a garage sale,

• or simply throw them out.

Still, if you're having second thoughts about getting rid of some stuff forever, consider renting a long-term storage unit. This is an excellent idea if you're struggling with space and have a lot of things that you haven't donated or sold yet. Keeping them safe will make you feel better because you might want to give them another shot someday.

Selling things online is one of the best ways to declutter

If you start re-evaluating your possession early in your moving process, you will have time to put everything up for sale online. No matter how time-consuming this might seem, remember that you will be able to earn some money along the way. You will not have to bargain or underprice your things, like in garage sales, if you take the time to do it right. Be creative while photographing your items. Making the product visually appealing will help you sell it faster and at a higher price.

Naturally, decluttering by selling online is a good option only if you're not tight with time and money at the moment. If you need extra cash right away, you will get less money, but be done with it sooner.

Keep your paperwork tidy at all times

Having order in your home, whether it comes to furniture, cabinets, or paperwork, can save you many inconveniences. Therefore, make sure to keep your essential documents tidy and labeled with easy access to them. Remember, you might need some of them during or after the move. So, keep documentation involved in the process safe and neat, so the entire process is as stress-free as possible.

A word of wisdom

Sometimes we find it hard to keep ourselves and our living space organized. Having chaos in our lives, no matter how small it might seem, could lead to many problems in the future. Hence, finding ways to declutter when you move is crucial for a stress-free and healthy life. You might find it hard to dedicate your time to explore and apply different techniques of organization. But remember - your new home is your new chance for a better and improved life, so make sure to use it!

How to Utilize Your Garage as an Organized Storage Solution

For most people their cars are an expensive investment that needs to be taken care of well, therefore a well-built garage is a must-have for almost everyone. The garage can be used for a lot more than just housing your car, with proper technique and organization you can use your garage as an organized storage solution. There are a few steps that can help you organize and plan your garage; the first step is setting aside a day for the cleaning and repair of the garage. Set aside three zones on the day of your cleaning. The pile to be kept, the sell or donate pile, and then get rid of piles that should also contain all expired chemicals that require special disposal and broken beyond repair household items and toys.

Draw a Floor Plan for Your Garage

The second stage is to draw a plan for your garage; take down measurements of your garage, pay attention to switches, space your car takes, windows and doors. Then the plan should follow the criteria; heavy items put on the corner to avoid people tripping on them. Things used together should also be stored together for ease of access. Everyday items like bikes should always be closer to exits, this is to make it easy to access them and finally seasonal items should be kept at the furthest points as they are rarely required.

Garage Storage Solutions

You should then research garage storage solutions, things that will help you organize your space. You can also customize your garage storage equipment; this would make it feel like part of the house and also help organize your space by fitting into tight spaces. It is also important to consult a professional to help you plan and organize the garage. Get storage bins that can be stacked on top of each other to conserve space, also lockable storage to store chemicals safely. Add open shelves and vertical storage to help with organization.

Store the Sorted Piles

The final stage after the planning and installation of the shelves is the packaging of the items from the keep pile. The packaging should be orderly and according to usage, with items used for the same purpose packaged together. The packaging bins should be stacked together to conserve space.

The garage is a space when properly organized can help you store a lot of the extra stuff you have laying around that you don't want to lose.

Closet Organizing: What to Invest in and What to Donate

One of the most difficult and dreaded areas to tackle when organizing is your closet. Since most of us already have a surplus of clothing, it can be difficult to know what clothing items we should keep, which ones we should invest in, and which ones we should donate. While every closet clean out will be different, our goal for this guide is to help you on your journey to a more organized wardrobe:

What wardrobe basics should every closet have?

It’s safe to assume that your closet is already filled with the essentials every wardrobe needs, but if you’re on the fence about the basics, here is a brief list:

Durable Undergarments: The category of clothing you probably wear most often is your undergarments, so make sure they’re of high quality. For women, this means owning or investing in long-lasting seamless underwear that is both comfortable and reliable. For men, this means upgrading to durable undershirts that aren’t stained or worn out from everyday wear. While these items aren’t the most glamorous closet additions to invest in, they are a practical necessity that you won’t regret having on hand. 

Quality Socks: When was the last time you went through your sock drawer or even thought about how many socks you own? If it’s been a while, now is the time to ditch any socks that have holes in them and purchase new, quality socks that won’t rip after months of wear and tear. 

Formalwear: Everyone should have some kind of formalwear option in their closet that they feel good about. Whether you need a suit for an upcoming wedding or a dress for a summer baby shower, if you don’t know the rules of formal attire or have a dressier clothing option ready to go in your closet, it’s time to go shopping! 

Outerwear: By outwear, we simply mean having weather appropriate jacket options. Since you’ve probably built up a collection of coats over the years, take some time to examine each jacket that you own. Do you have a rain coat for the wetter months you can rely on? When was the last time you replaced your winter jacket? These are the kinds of questions that will help make organizing your closet space and donating old items easier!

Casual Basics: Finally, make sure that as you purge your closet you keep and leave room for the casual basics you love to wear. From your favorite plain white t-shirt to an old, but still sturdy pair of jeans, the casual basics are what make your wardrobe yours, and they’re what you’ll wear the most. 

How do I know what to donate?

A good rule of thumb to stick to when donating is the six month rule. For every piece of clothing in your closet, ask yourself if it has seen the light of day in the last six months. One caveat to this rule, however, is to consider if you regularly wore an item before the pandemic. In some cases, you might not have donned a certain outfit in the last six months simply because you had no reason to leave your house! If this is the case, keep the item and reassess donating it at the end of the summer when you’ve had more opportunities to wear it. 

Aside from the six month rule, another thing to keep in mind is the sizing of your clothes. If you’ve been holding onto something you hope you’ll fit into one day for over a year, it’s probably time to let that item go. Don’t let clothes that don’t fit hold you back from having an organized and curated closet space! 

How do I organize my closet after donating and curating my closet basics?

Ultimately, how you choose to organize your closet is based on personal preference, and the size of your closet space. If you are organizing for the whole family and not just yourself, be sure to read into closet organization tips for large families. Either way, here are a few organizing options for anyone who is unsure of where to start: 

By Color: One of the most popular closet organizing techniques is to rearrange your clothing by color. You can have fun with it and hang each item in order according to the rainbow, or keep things more practical and put your favorite colors in the most accessible area instead. 

By Item: Seemingly the most convenient way to categorize your clothes is by item. Hang all of your shirts/blouses together, all of your pants side-by-side, and all of your cardigan/blazer options in the same area. This will help keep things efficient when getting dressed in the morning and makes things look very clean visually.

By Season: If you don’t have enough space in your wardrobe to hang all of your seasonal clothes at once, you should be organizing your closet based on the weather. Pack your winter clothes away in stackable storage bins and give your spring/summer options the space they need to shine. 

While organizing your closet and upgrading your clothes is not always a fun task, it can be quite rewarding in the end. Hopefully this process will help you to curate a wardrobe that you are truly proud of, while also decluttering your space!

Guest Post - How to Optimize Your Work Environment and Make Your Office Space More Efficient

Every successful business is fueled by high efficiency. But, as everyone knows from everyday life, attaining that much necessary efficiency is difficult if the space around is full of clutter and not that well optimized. Just like you can’t finish any job in your house if you are constantly tripping over stuff, the workers can’t fulfill their tasks if they are surrounded by chaos.

So, let’s take a couple of neat ways to optimize the work environment and make your offices far more efficient.

Split the space into open zones

By open areas, we mean the recreation area, productivity hubs, places where people can take a break and hang out for a bit, sofas, collaborative spaces, and so on. The benefits of such an open design are numerous. First, by tearing down the artificial boundaries, you are getting a lot more space to use more productively. Second, when your workers feel tired, they will be able to easily transition to some other, more comfortable workstation without taking an active break. Open space also feels less constraining, as well as encourages chatter and brainstorming.

Cut the excessive storage

In previous decades, the main goal of every space – offices and homes alike – was to squeeze in as much storage space as possible to keep the clutter under control. Fortunately, the offices no longer have that millstone around their necks. Namely, by focusing on Cloud tech and digital documents, modern offices are cutting their print volume and reducing the number of necessary equipment (e.g., shredders, bins, etc.). This solution is also very eco-friendly, innovative, and in tune with the modern business environment, so there's no good reason to skip it.

Start from the scratch

In some cases, trying to adapt the existing space that simply wasn't built with productivity in mind takes too much time, money, and effort to pay off truly. If you are facing this problem, you should consider starting from scratch and building your offices around the specific needs of your company and your staff. This solution can prove to be more financially beneficial in the long term as well. Take, for example, a modern modular building that packs excellent price, strong durability, and all other requirements necessary for utilitarian constructions like offices.

Maximize natural light

In terms of interior design, natural light is a true blessing that should be utilized to the fullest extent.  First and foremost, expanding the available window space opens up the room and makes the enclosed, dark environment seem larger. In turn, allowing more natural light into the office cuts the need for bulky light fixtures and reduces the energy bills. Finally, natural light has a very positive impact on the overall mood in the office. According to recent research, exposure to natural light has a very positive impact on the sleep, activity, and quality of life of the workers.

Use multipurpose furniture

In one of the previous sections, we have mentioned that you should keep the number of storage pieces at a minimum. But every office needs some storage to be functional. That is why you should put more focus on the multipurpose furniture pieces like, for instance, storage islands with a work surface that double-down as a neat co-working space. Storage units can also be squeezed underneath the sofas, desks, and even chairs. Wall-mounted foldable desks and standing pieces with casters are the ideal solutions when you need an on-the-go place to perform some critical duty.

Resort to small-scale furniture

Last but not least, we have to mention the size and scale of your furniture. Since you are aiming for optimization and efficiency, you should try to get the pieces that are as slender as possible. This also goes for the large multipurpose units that will be the centerpieces of your new, reorganized office space. As for the decoration, this is the case where you should try to be conservative as possible. If you want to make your office trendier, decorate strategically with wall-mounted units. Using expansive mirrors will open up space even more while raising the overall visual impression.

Wrapping up

We hope these few tips gave you some general idea about the ways you can declutter and open up your small and cramped offices. Human beings are not well-adjusted to chaos. In order to thrive, they need a peaceful and organized surrounding. So, if you want to keep your workers at the optimal level of efficiency, be sure to make their offices as clean and as organized as possible.

About the author: Mike Johnston is an avid blogging enthusiast and experienced freelance writer. He’s a regular contributor to numerous online publications where he writes about real estate, construction, home improvement, and interior design.