What Not to Bring When You Move
Moving is an excellent opportunity to declutter your home and start fresh. If nothing else, the motivation of not having to carry your junk to and from the moving truck may inspire you to purge some unnecessary items before your move. But in the face of packing up your whole life, deciding what’s important and what’s not can feel daunting. We’re here to help with this summary of things that you are really better of leaving behind - donating, recycling, or properly disposing of - before getting unpacked and relaxing into your new place!
An obvious place to start is with your clothes. Take some inspiration from Marie Kondo and make a donation pile of all the items that no longer bring you joy. Dresses that have been pushed to the back of the closet, shirts stuffed in the bottom of your drawer, and pants that still have the tags on after a year or so. Passing on these items will allow them to be appreciated by someone else and save you on suitcase space.
How many random papers, notes, and mailers do you have lying around your home? GET RID OF THEM! Obviously, keep your important paper - think medical, financial, gov. - but everything else can go. Face it, if you still haven’t read that magazine from 6 months ago, it’s probably not going to happen.
Want to tackle a small room that will make a big difference? Take on the bathroom. Your bathroom cabinets are full of expired meds, old makeup, and towels that have seen better days. Atleast if you start new with all of these products in your new house, you’ll have a date (move in day) to refer back to when you’re inevitably trying to figure out how old that bottle of tums is.
Things that are dusty! Search out the things around your home that are collecting dust (other than decorations, we’re not judging your cleaning habits). That treadmill, drum kit, or massage chair may have seemed likea good idea at the time, but now it’s time to pass that opportunity on to someone else.
Clear out your old technology. Laptops from days gone by, DVD players, old speakers, and lonely charging chords tend to collect in homes over the years. Now is the time to find their hiding places and take them to your nearest electronics disposal site. Many of these items can have new lives if you give them the opportunity - check out Best Buy’s electronic’s recycling program for free disposal.
You probably don’t need that futon from college anymore. Sure it’s functional, but you’re an adult and deserve that daybed upgrade. Donating or giving away furniture that nolonger fits your home and lifestyle AHEAD of time is a great way to lighten the load and decrease the clutter come moving day.
Put a pass on the hazardous materials. Your garage is likely hosting quite a few nasty chemicals like fertilizers, solvents, and pest control products. Moving these things can be dangerous and the potential for spillage means they could ruin your other belongings. Find a hazardous materials dump, or find friends working on projects who need these materials and pass them along.
