One of the most common phrases we hear at Vault Moving and Storage is ‘we don’t have much stuff’… when in fact, most of us have far more than we realise.

If you are thinking of moving and or storing your belongings, here are some handy tips on the how to declutter before packing up! This will make the move smoother for you and will ensure you are not wasting time moving items you don’t want or need anymore.

Tip 1.
Get yourself ready, both practically and mentally. We all have those things we know we need to get rid of.. but we don’t. It’s time.. you can do it!

Tip 2.
Start one room at a time. Set the goal to finish that room before you move onto the next. It is very easy to get distracted and start on the ‘next thing’ before you finish the job you just started.

Tip 3.
Have 3 categories for each room: Rubbish – Give Away – Keep.
This will help you have a very clear plan for each item. Make sure all 3 sections (or bags or containers, however you are doing it) are clearly marked, so they don’t spill into each other.

Tip 4.
Make sure once you have completed each room you get rid of all those unwanted items quickly… actually make it the first thing you do, otherwise if they are sitting around, you will be tempted to hold onto them (we’re all guilty of this)!

How do I decide what to cull?

Here are a couple of quick ways to assess whether things should be kept or not!

Bedroom: It’s time to get rid of old clothing, along with any of those clothes that you are going to wear ‘one day’ or ‘squeeze’ back into – free yourself from those clothes!

Linen Cupboard: Only keep 2 of each item per family member (eg. Towels, Beach towels, Sheets & pillow cases) Then you can rotate while one item is in the wash. Get rid of those odd bits that don’t belong to a set.

Bathroom: Go through all medications and lotions and get rid of anything that has expired.

Panty: Once again, get rid of all expired food items.

Kitchen: Get rid of any chipped or mismatched dinner ware or those endless spares that you think will be useful one day. Now is also the time to let go of those items that you don’t use regularly, like that juicer hiding in the back of your cupboard.

Office: Digitalise what paperwork you can. Any old photos scan to your computer.

De- cluttering can be fun, get someone to join you, put some music on and enjoy the process! You will feel so much better once you have finished a thorough de-cluttering. It will also make the impending move so much easier.