You have decided to move and perhaps you have bought a new home. If you haven’t sold your existing home already it is essential to use our best decluttering tips to get the best price that you declutter your home, not only to make it easier to move but to present your property in the best light and get the best price.
A clutter-free home is more attractive to potential buyers, can increase the perceived value of your property, and reduces the amount of belongings you’ll need to pack and transport. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the best strategies to declutter your home effectively before selling and moving.
Why Decluttering is Essential Before Selling Your Home
Decluttering before listing your home for sale has several benefits, including:
- Better First Impressions – A tidy and organized space looks more spacious and inviting, making it easier for buyers to visualize themselves living in your home.
- Higher Selling Price – Homes that appear well-maintained and spacious often sell for higher prices.
- Easier Packing and Moving – The fewer items you have to move, the less time and money you’ll spend on packing and transportation.
- Reduced Moving Costs – My motto is “You don’t want to pay to pack and move something just to throw it out.” Most removalists charge by time, and they estimate their time based on volume, so work to reduce the volume.
How to Declutter before moving
1. Start Now
Decluttering is the first step toward getting ready to move and it takes time, so it’s best to start as soon as you decide to move. Commit to getting it done but giving yourself a few weeks or even months ensures you won’t feel rushed or overwhelmed. There is never a better time than now to declutter than when you are moving.
2. Put together a decluttering plan and get moving.
Break the decluttering down into smaller, manageable sections.
You can do this in one of two ways. The first way is to start with the larger items that you are not going to keep. Think about what is not going to fit, either physically or from an aesthetic point of view into your new home. Follow this with sorting
The second way is to focus on one room at a time, it is recommended to start in areas like spare rooms and offices where unused items get dumped because you don’t want to think about them. Now is the time to think about them!
If you are decluttering before downsizing to move into a smaller property, you need to really think about what furniture is going to fit and be needed in your new house and probably be a little bit ruthless.
3. Sort Items into Categories
Famous for her KonMari Method, Marie Kondo, says that you should finish discarding first, so focus on what you are going to Dispose, Donate, Sell and Recycle first.
We recommend using the Four-Box Method to organize items into the following categories:
- Dispose – Broken or unusable items that must be thrown away.
- Donate/Sell – Items in good condition that you no longer need
- Recycle – Items that cannot be donated but can be recycled.
- Keep – Items you use regularly or have sentimental value.
There are other methods for decluttering such as the “ski slope method”, or “Swedish death cleaning” however we have found this to be the best way.
Don’t forget to check our article on packing tips for moving.
4. Declutter Room by Room
Living Room
- Remove excess furniture to make the space feel larger.
- Clear coffee tables and bookshelves of unnecessary items.
- Store away personal photos and memorabilia to create a neutral environment for buyers.
Kitchen
- Get rid of expired pantry items and duplicate utensils.
- Clean out your junk draw
- Declutter countertops by storing small appliances you don’t use daily.
- Organize cabinets and drawers to showcase available storage space.
Bedrooms
- Sort through clothes and donate or sell anything you haven’t worn in the past year.
- Work through your wardrobes and closets bottom to top, this is the best way as the least used things will often be at the bottom.
- Clear out under-bed storage and bedside tables.
Laundry
- Clean out under the sink and work through the laundry cupboards throw out items that are no longer used, or useable
- The laundry can attract items that don’t have another place so can be overly cluttered.
Bathrooms
- Dispose of old toiletries, expired medications, and empty bottles.
- Store personal items out of sight to make the space feel more like a hotel bathroom.
- Minimize countertop clutter by keeping only essential items visible.
Garage and Storage Areas
- Sort through tools, equipment, and storage boxes.
- Get rid of anything broken or unused.
- Consider renting a storage unit for large items that you want to keep but don’t need during the selling process.
- Never Say “Oh I will sort it out when we get settled”
I have heard and seen this dozens of times, procrastination will just cost you money in your move and headspace at a time when you are going through a lot of stress. I have seen people with boxes full of belongings and paperwork that have been moved multiple times. You don’t have to be ruthless (or you can be), but if you haven’t used it in a year or more, you probably are not going to.
6. Sell or Donate Unwanted Items
Consider selling valuable items through online marketplaces or hosting a garage sale. Donate used items in good condition to local charities, shelters, or second-hand stores, for smaller items this can be as simple as putting it in a donation bin. Not only does this reduce clutter, but it also helps those in need.
Check out our article on Selling on Marketplace, Gumtree and eBay.
7. Hire a Skip Bin or Rubbish Removal Service
If you have lots of junk to clear out, you should think about hiring a skip bin. These range in size from around 2 m3 up to 12 m3.
How big is a m3 (cubic metre)?
- It is 1m x 1m x 1m.
It is the equivalent of
- 4 large wheelie bins or
- a load in a 6’ x 4’ trailer.
When it comes to stacked rubbish, it is not very much, if you are moving out of a 3- or 4-bedroom home with a large garage that you have been living in for many years, you may need to have a skip emptied multiple times.
Skip Tip:
Get a Skip Bin with a lid and put a lock on it overnight. If your neighbours (and even people just passing by) see an empty skip, they may (read absolutely will) just drop a few items they have been wanting to get rid of, after two or three separate midnight deliveries to your skip, there will be no room left for your junk!
If all this sounds like too much work consider hiring a rubbish removal service to dispose of unwanted items efficiently, you still must make the decisions as to what has to go, and what stays but at least you don’t have to do the heavy lifting
8. Deep Clean Your Home
Once you’ve decluttered, give your home a deep clean. This will mean there is less to do on moving day. Dust surfaces, vacuum carpets, wash windows, and ensure everything is spotless.
9. Store Items Off-Site
If you are decluttering before sale, then moving some of the larger furniture or excess belongings to a storage unit makes sense. You can book a removalist to do this for you and it might be a bit of a trial run for how the removalist you have chosen works, in a low stakes’ situation. Once you have a storage unit it can make sense to move some of your packed boxes there, so you are not living with packed boxes and bags, but still have access if you need it, albeit off site.
10. Maintain the Tip Top Look
Keep your home tidy throughout the selling process. Once you tidy your house you don’t want to have to do it again! Regularly do quick clean-ups to ensure it remains in top condition for viewings and open houses.
11. Ask for Help
Don’t be afraid to ask friends and family to assist you in decluttering your home, remember you don’t have to do it all yourself and working with friends can make the task of throwing items away and packing more enjoyable!
If you don’t have people available to help for free the good news is there are professional services that can help you with organising and packing your entire home or you can just get them to work with you on a room or two.
I have had clients just get a kitchen packed by professional packers prior to removal, saving them the stress of packing the fragile items in their kitchen.
The Final Step: Moving Day Preparation
After decluttering, packing becomes significantly easier. Label boxes clearly, pack similar items together, and use quality packing materials to prevent damage. Hiring a professional furniture removalist can further simplify the process, ensuring a stress-free move to your new home.
Conclusion
Organising your whole house before selling and moving makes a real difference. If you haven’t sold it yet it will make your house more appealing to buyers and often increases its market value and reduce time to sale. Most importantly it will make your removal easier and less expensive. If you following these tips, you’ll set yourself up for a smooth transition into your next home while maximizing the benefits of a fresh, clutter-free space.