Four forgotten areas to declutter before packing to move
Moving house is always stressful, but it doesn’t have to be chaotic. A little bit of strategic decluttering can make a surprisingly big dent in the packing burden, cutting back on craziness and cost in one, super-effective step!
David Jacobs, Regional Manager for Rawson Property Group, shares his favourite (and frequently forgotten) clutter collectors that can be safely weeded out long before moving day.
Linen cupboard
Linen cupboards are one of the most overlooked clutter collectors with a surprising amount of old, unused, mismatched, or plain worn-out items hidden underneath things we use every day. Take a thorough inventory and get rid of anything not used in twelve months or more. Nobody needs a whole stack of moth-eaten towels or a collection of children’s cartoon duvet covers when no longer needed.
When it comes to bulkier items you need to keep, like spare comforters or guest pillows, vacuum bags can be a huge help. They dramatically reduce the amount of packing space they take up and keep them dust and moisture-free until you’re ready to put them to use.
Pro tip: Don’t throw old or threadbare sheets, blankets or towels in the bin – rather donate them to a local animal shelter to keep rescues clean, warm and snug!
Crockery and glassware
Most crockery and glassware cupboards tend to hold all manner of orphaned items whose set-mates have long since disappeared. It may be tempting to hang on to these odd pieces (who knows when you’re going to need three mismatched parfait glasses?), but you’ll regret that decision when it comes to packing time.
Unless you want to spend days individually wrapping each and every fragile cup and saucer, do yourself a favour and weed out anything that isn’t part of a complete set. That set can be two or four, or whatever makes sense for your family, but anything that doesn’t fit should be thrown away or recycled if possible.
Sock drawers
Glassware isn’t the only household item prone to leaving orphans – that big dryer in the sky has claimed many a lonely sock in its time.
Moving house is the perfect time to empty sock drawers and bid farewell to lurking loners. It may not save you a huge amount of packing space, but it will make for a neater, cleaner closet in your new home.
Pro tip: Single socks make great dusters and polishers and can be very useful for last minute clean-ups. Keep a few on hand at your old home to wipe up spills or surprise dust bunnies and then toss them in the bin on your way out – no mess, no fuss!
Pantry and freezer
Pantries and freezers have a habit of hiding items well past sell-by dates and there’s no point in packing up and moving stale or rancid food. Set aside an afternoon a week or two before moving day to defrost the freezer and clear out any expired food that may be hidden in the ice.
De-icing the freezer before you move also means there’s less chance of leaking melt-water damaging anything in transit. While you’re waiting for it to defrost, take a swing at your pantry and clear out any expired cans and dry foods there as well.
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