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Decluttering before a move

Big cleanouts · 7 minute read

Removalists charge by volume and time. Every unnecessary box is money spent moving something you'll throw away at the other end — and the other end is where you'll have least energy to deal with it.

The six-week sequence

Six weeks out — the easy wins

Start with categories that require no emotional decisions: expired food and medicines, broken items you've been meaning to fix, obsolete cables and electronics, worn-out linen and towels, and anything in the garage you haven't touched since you last moved.

Four weeks out — sell and donate

Anything with resale value needs lead time. List furniture and appliances now, because a piece that hasn't sold three days before the truck arrives becomes a disposal problem. Book donation pickups early; charities that collect furniture often have waiting lists.

Three weeks out — room by room

Work through each room with four piles: take, sell, donate, dispose. Finish a room before starting the next. Wardrobes, the linen cupboard and the kitchen usually produce the most volume.

Two weeks out — the hard categories

Paperwork, photographs, sentimental items and children's artwork. These take longest because each item is a decision. Set a container limit in advance — one box for sentimental items, and if it's full, something comes out before something goes in.

One week out — book the disposal

By now you know what's actually leaving. Book a rubbish removal or check council collection availability. This is the point at which most people discover their council's next hard waste date is after they've moved.

Moving day — after the truck

A final sweep of the empty house always turns up more, particularly in the shed, garage and side passage.

What removalists won't take

Removalists generally refuse flammable liquids, gas bottles, chemicals, paint, fuel, aerosols, batteries and firearms. Some won't take plants, opened food, or fridges that haven't been defrosted. Check with your removalist early — finding out on the day leaves you with a pile and no plan.

The garage rule

Garages and sheds hold the highest proportion of material that will never be used again, and they're always tackled last when energy is lowest. Do the shed first instead. It's the single most effective change to this process.

A note on "just in case"

The most common category of moved-then-discarded item is the thing kept "just in case." A useful test: if you needed this item and didn't have it, could you replace it for under fifty dollars within a day? If yes, and you haven't used it in a year, moving it costs more than replacing it would.