Packing or Parting Ways? A Smarter Approach to Decluttering

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When our clients start decluttering to sell, I always tell them to ask: Will I use this in my next home? If the answer is no, the decision should be easy, it’s time to throw it, sell it or donate it. There’s no use in packing something up, paying someone to move it, only to let it sit unused.

There’s also no point in doing this exercise twice if you can help it. Decluttering isn’t easy work, it’s time intensive and exhausting. The garbage bins can only hold so much and how many trips can a person take to Goodwill in one weekend? It’s also a tad depressing, being overwhelmed by the stuff we accumulated is not a good feeling. It feels wasteful, so we start to look for reasons to hold on. We tell ourselves we may use it again one day. . .

But deep down, we know that’s not true. So don’t let it those feelings get in the way of a clean slate. Moving is an opportunity for a fresh start. Let’s embrace our past and eagerly look forward to the future.

A good place to start when decluttering to move is the surfaces. Do a cursory pass through in every room and remove any unnecessary items from your surfaces and the piles that have accumulated on the floor. This will ensure you’re ready for pictures and showings before moving on.

A good rule of thumb is to aim for half. You want to create space for the eye to rest. This is especially important for pictures. Online listings and real estate marketing rely heavily on photos to make a first impression. Overcrowded pictures overwhelm potential buyers.

From there move to the closets. Start with one closet at a time and just like surfaces aim to remove half. The majority of buyers are looking for more space, a jammed packed closet will appear smaller than it actually is.

Start by emptying the closet, then give the walls and floor a quick wipe-down. Before putting items back, remember to ask yourself the question above and be selective. Pack up and store seasonal pieces and keep the floor clear to instantly create more space. If you must store items on the floor or top shelves, this is the one time I’ll encourage buying baskets, they keep things tidy and visually appealing.

Move to the kitchen and then do the bathrooms next. Once again, I’m going to encourage you to remove everything and wipe everything down before putting anything back. (I like to use my vacuum cleaner to get everything that ends up jammed in the corners.) Throw away expired food and half used containers of all the forgotten products on your bathroom shelves, anything that is chipped or broken and the frayed bathroom and kitchen towels. This is also a great time to part with all the extra appliances you don’t really use, like the juicer or that bread maker.

Now that the surfaces, closets and cabinets are cleared we can move to the big stuff. Nothing makes a room feel smaller than too many pieces of furniture. Do you really need 3 dressers? Or that chair in the corner? Ask yourself if it’s serving a necessary function or is it just taking up space?

Finish with the storage rooms and finally the garage. And please don’t forget to clean out the rafters.

A few things to keep in mind.

• Be honest with yourself and if you can’t, call a friend.
• Take action immediately. Don’t let piles that should be thrown out or donated sit around. Reserve time at the end of the day specifically for this task.
• Consider renting a dumpster, it will make it easier to throw things away if you don’t have to wait another week for the garbage cans to empty.
• DO NOT donate things that are worn out, stained, torn or broken.
• Don’t get discouraged, I promise the work you are doing now will make moving day easier.

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As always, from all of us here at Matt Engen Group, thanks for reading.

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