The Best Declutter Tips And Moving Checklist For A Minimalist Moving

Hello, beautiful people, ready to be amazed with valuable and practical tips to know how to declutter before moving?

Here you will find the best declutter tips (backed by science and declutter experts!). 

Not only this. 

These tips and downsizing hacks are basic principles to declutter anything; clothes, shoes, papers, etc.

Affiliation Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. So, I may earn a commission if you decide to buy something from these links at NO EXTRA COST to you. This helps my business and blog grow. I hope you find this article useful, thank you for stopping by!

Why Downsizing Before A Move?

Photo by Philipp Berndt on Unsplash

No matter the reason or when you start, downsizing your home and purchasing a more conscious minimalist lifestyle makes your life easier and more enjoyable.

Best Declutter Tips And Moving Checklist

Really? 

Yes, dear. I’m not saying this without data.

In the International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology, the research Towards a Theory of Minimalism and Wellbeing published in 2020 found 5 valuable benefits people experienced thanks to their minimalist lifestyle.

The 5 best benefits are:

  1. Autonomy; 
  2. Competence; 
  3. Mental space; 
  4. Awareness; 
  5. Positive emotions.
  1. Autonomy

Researchers found that many participants felt authentic and liberated by being congruent with their true needs. 

This meant choosing what’s best for them, instead of surrendering to societal expectations and the hedonic pleasure of new purchases.

It was also noted that by having less clutter and possessions participants had more time for their lives and felt freer.

As they could choose to create experiences and spend time with family or friends instead of cleaning and organizing. That’s why you should find the best declutter tips and moving checklist to help you make the experience even better.

  1. Competence

Participants reported that before adapting minimalism they felt a lack of control over their environment. 

However, when they implement minimalism principles they feel competent and confident about their ability to control their personal space, their home. 

  1. Mental Space

Participants reported a minimalist lifestyle improved their clarity of mind. 

Some of them explained this benefit because of the connection between the physical space and the mind. Explaining that one’s physical space reflects one’s mental space and vice versa.

However, one of the participants also reported something that I have previously mentioned: decision fatigue.

As they explained that by downsizing their wardrobe the decision of what to wear was easier therefore you don’t waste energy choosing your wardrobe but invest it in more important tasks. But if you have the best declutter tips and moving checklist, you can avoid it easily.

  1. Awareness

One positive consequence participants reported after practicing minimalism was an increase in awareness. 

Awareness of their values and what is important to them.

By savoring their daily experiences they noticed more positive experiences in their lives; including their exchanges with family, friends, and life simple pleasures.

  1. Increased Positive Emotions 

As a consequence of the previous benefits, participants felt less stressed and experienced more positive emotions like joy and peacefulness.

In conclusion, minimizing your belongings brings mental benefits because you’re changing your mindset.

You are choosing to be more aware of your purchases and what you own. 

This gives your time to focus on high stake dilemmas and important life experiences instead of wasting time on low stake decisions. And now that you know the best declutter tips and have a moving checklist, you are set for success!

Here is a Declutter Checklist for Moving to help you:

You can get it from here for $5.59

Costly Declutter Moving Mistakes To Avoid When Moving

Photo by Samantha Gades on Unsplash

Moving can be very stressful

It drains mental and physical energy.

Best Declutter Tips And Moving Checklist 2

But, it can also make you waste time and money.

Although, moving can be less stressful, cheaper, and faster if you avoid the 5 most common mistakes people do, which are:

  1. Ignoring Deadlines

Without a deadline, things don’t get done by themselves. 

As human beings, we tend to procrastinate if we don’t have a clear goal and date to make it

This is why if you are going to move, start early and set a deadline for each room and the tasks that you need to do. But when you have the best declutter tips and moving checklist, you have an easy job.

This will save you the hassle of doing everything at the last minute and have enough time to go through each of your items to see what you are going to keep and why. 

  1. Unorganized Decluttering 

Another common mistake when downsizing or decluttering a home is that you don’t follow an order or clear methodology.

If you don’t have a clear methodology you may go back and forth between different rooms, wasting time and mental energy!

Instead, you can establish a room by room or by product category declutter order. 

For example, you could start with the living room and with your knick-knacks, then with your books, then your prints, and so on until decluttering all the things in the living room.

Tip: Start with the items that have less sentimental value. As those will be easier to donate, sell or throw out than a high valuable sentimental object.

  1. Packing Before Decluttering

According to the clean and organization expert Marie Kondo it is best to clean and declutter before moving NOT after.

Besides the mental benefits of starting clean and with order, this tactic also has practical benefits such as saving money.

For example: if you are moving an old fridge or heavy item, think twice, as it could be more expensive to move it rather to buy a new one!

Lesson? Always check how much your moving company will charge and ask yourself how many items you need to keep for your new home.

  1. Forgetting To Register

The devil is in the details.

If you want to save time, register and take note of your tasks, deadlines, reminders, and results. Now what do you need for this? 🙂 The best declutter tips and moving checklist.

This will save you time as you won’t have to constantly remind yourself what to do next or what has been done.

  • Extra tip: 

If you have time and want to track how many times you use an item here is an example of how you could do it:

Frequency Parameters

  • High Frequency: At least 3 times a month;
  • Medium Frequency: At least 2 times a month;
  • Low Frequency: 1 time a month or less.

Note: If you don’t want to use paper you can use a note app like Evernote or Notion and create a folder for each item that you are unsure if it’s worth keeping.

Why is this important? 

For anyone who wants to minimize their life, it is crucial to track how many times an item serves you.

If it’s just one time per year, but that one time brings high value then it’s ok to keep.

However, the goal of tracking is to be conscious of the purpose of your possessions in your life and the benefits they bring you.

  1. Lack Of Inspiration 

To finalize, I would like to remind you that you need to get inspired!

GO and save some Pinterest home design board.

Check your colour and style preference and visualize the type of home you want to live in

This is a great idea to always remember the kind of space you want to have, therefore you will keep only those objects that get as close as possible to your dream home.

So, don’t forget these common mistakes while you are using your declutter checklist for moving

Why is Getting Rid Of Things HARD? (And How To Fix It!) 

Best Declutter Tips And Moving Checklis

Photo by Minh Pham on Unsplash

Here is a declutter checklist if you want to go rogue:

You can get it from here for $1.31!

According to the science article Our possessions, our selves: Domains of self-worth and the possession–self link it is hard to get rid of things because we link our worth to our possessions

As a consequence, we resist letting go of things because we perceive we are losing self-value, rather than just losing an item. However, once you know the best declutter tips and own a moving checklist, you won’t be bothered anymore.

On the other hand, in a study published in the National Library of Medicine  about how the brain of hoarders react scientists identified the symptoms of people with hoarding disorders are influenced by factors such as:

  • Low tolerance to uncertainty;
  • Low emotional awareness;
  • Difficulty in persisting goals when upset.

These two researches add a broader perspective about the emotional difficulties people experience when getting rid of things. 

So, even though you may not have a hoarding disorder it is evident that our mind has an emotional connection with objects

Losing objects make us feel insecure about our worth and low tolerance to future uncertainty.

So, what strategies and questions can we apply to solve this problem? 

There are quite a lot, but I will just highlight the 2 most important tactics that will help you  

decide to get rid of things. 

  1. The 3 most useful declutter questions;
  2. The Yes-Maybe-No Box Strategy.
  1. The 3 Most Useful Declutter Questions

Marie Kondo, a renowned organization and declutter expert is known for the question: 

*  Does this spark joy?  *

This is a good question that has helped people to declutter their homes, but for some, it is not practical and maybe too abstract.

This is why I thought of the 3 best questions to declutter that are aligned with Marie Kondo’s question, but with a more practical approach:

  1. What is the purpose of it?;
  2. How many times do I use it?;
  3. What are the benefits of it?.

I’m going to explain these questions through practical examples so you can visualize these questions in action, here we go:

  1. What is the purpose of it?

Pick an item and think about its primary purpose. 

For example, let’s take a book, a personal finance book to be more specific.

What is the purpose of this book? 

It could be knowledge or decoration.

Ok, pick the most important purpose for you. In this case, let’s say it’s knowledge. 

Now that you have the purpose clear let’s move on to the next question.

  1. How many times do I use it?

You read it 4 times in 5 years

The first time you didn’t understand everything very well, the second time you understood half of it, and the 3rd time you understood all the book principles.

By the 4th time, it was like a reminder of all the things you were already practicing.

You didn’t learn anything new, but it was nice to refresh the knowledge.

However, you haven’t used it in 1 year and you are using other books as coffee table decorations.

So, here is the next question: 

  1. Why are you keeping it?

Because I may need it at some point” I hear you say.

But, you already learned the book topic.  

You can take notes and have them on your laptop too. 

So, unless you are going to use it as decoration for a coffee table tray, why are you still keeping that book?

To solve this situation and figure out if you should keep the book you can write down the reasons why you are keeping it and apply the maybe box declutter strategy. With this article about the best declutter tips with a moving checklist it is going to be easy!

2. The Yes-Maybe-No Box Strategy 

This is a great tactic to downsize your possessions when you are unsure of what to do. 

This strategy consists of choosing what items go to the yes box (keep), maybe box ( grey zone), and no box (donate, sell or toss out).

And, you need 3 things to successfully apply this strategy:

  1. Set a timer;
  2. Set a deadline;
  3. Set an inspiration Pinterest board. 
  1. Set a timer

If you don’t set a restrictive time you will just stay minutes and minutes doubting. 

NO!

This is not a death or life choice. 

Set a timer, 5 minutes max, and ask yourself the 3 declutter questions I previously discussed. 

If you are not sure yet then throw the item into the maybe box.

  1. Set a deadline

As we saw in the declutter mistakes to avoid, not setting a deadline is a costly mistake to make. 

In this case is the same, set a deadline of when you’ll start this strategy and when you will revise the maybe boxes.

You can choose your preferred deadline, but a good time is between 3 months to 1 year. 

If by that time you have never needed or even thought about those items, then why are you keeping them? 

The time has proved that you can spend months living without it! Now is the time to pull out your best declutter tips with the moving checklist and get going!

Note: Special clothes or special items like holiday decorations do not apply to this rule as they serve a purpose for very specific circumstances that are not frequent.

  • Extra Tip: 

If you are struggling with getting rid of sentimental items, take a photo to remember and honour the memories linked to it.

You can save it in your drive and take a look whenever you want 🙂

This is a backed science tip according to the Journal of Marketing and scientists of the Ohio State University.

As they found that it is easier to break emotional attachments to objects if you take a photo of them.

Remember that the memories and experiences won’t go away, just the object.

  1. Set an inspiration Pinterest board.

If you want something: 

  1. Set a goal;
  2. Set a deadline;
  3. Pick an inspiring model. 

Just like we look after successful business people to see what they have done and learn from them.

Likewise, we can get inspired by aesthetically designed rooms that reflect our tastes and preferences.

This way it’s more difficult for self-doubt to get you, as you have a clear picture of what you want.

The 7 Principles To Check When Decluttering Your Home

So, after reading all of these mistakes and tips, here is a curated list of the principles to check for minimizing before a move.

Note: Some of these principles will be explained as practical examples in the following section.

  1. Set deadlines;
  2. Categorize products;
  3. Prioritize your present life needs;
  4. Identify high vs low used items
  5. Check items proportion and scale;
  6. Delete twin items
  7. Get rid of expired and old items.

How To Declutter Your Home Before Moving? 

Best Declutter Tips And Moving Checklist 4

Photo by Elena Kloppenburg on Unsplash

Get a digital declutter plan before you get going!

Get yours for $3.78!

Here you are I will show you minimalism and decluttering tips to declutter your home room by room.

All of these examples apply the tips I have previously discussed but with practical examples so you can visualize how to apply them and use the best declutter tips with the moving checklist.

Also, all of the rooms have an item category list you can use. 

Nonetheless, those are suggestions, as you can categorize your items however you want.

Time to be ruthless when decluttering! Apply all of the best declutter tips and start ticking off your moving checklist.

  1. Kitchen

A clean and organized kitchen brings calm and joy.

When your kitchen only has the necessary utensils and appliances you save time and relax.

As cleaning is easier and takes less of your time.

  • Categorize products

Do you remember one of the most costly mistakes of decluttering before moving?

Answer: Unorganized decluttering. 

Exactly! You must establish a declutter method besides a deadline

So, in case you have decided to start with decluttering the kitchen here are the categories you need to consider:

  1. Food storage containers (e.g. baskets or jars ).;
  2. Food preparation tools (e.g. ice cream maker or knives ). ;
  3. Cookware and bakeware tools (e.g. rice cooker or mixing bowls );
  4. Kitchen cleaning tools (e.g. bottle brush or soap dispenser ); 
  5. Tableware accessories (e.g. dishes or spoons).
  • Identify high vs low used items

Let’s be practical.

Let’s say you love blueberry ice cream, and you use your ice cream maker quite a lot, at least 1 a week. 

This is an item you must keep because it has a high usage frequency (48 times a year to be exact).

On the other hand, the fancy food slicer that you bought on a Black Friday it’s used 1 a year, having a very low usage frequency!

So, if you want to downsize your kitchen for a minimalist moving it is logical to say goodbye to your fancy food slicer; yes it is nice and all but does it serve an important purpose? 

Keep your food slicer if you use it for an important special event that brings you joy.

If not, it is just taking space.

But, wait a minute, what if you also have two kitchen tools that serve as an ice cream maker?

That is a good question. This leads us to our next minimizing tip:

  • Delete twin items

There are two types of duplicated items. 

Best Declutter Tips And Moving Checklist 5

Photo by Ryan Christodoulou on Unsplash 

Two identical items, and two that serve the same purpose. 

The first case does not need further explanation, if you have two identical coffee mugs, sell or donate the extra one, you are not a kitchen store.

Now, for the second case, two knives can peel an apple but an apple slicer just peels an apple (maybe a pear too, but you get the point)

The first tool (a knife) is multi-use while the second one only has one purpose.

In that case, if you are trying to create a minimalist or clutter-free kitchen for your new home, what tool should you keep?

Answer: The knife

Why? Well because special kitchenware should only be bought if they match with your daily eating routine habits. 

If you are an avid apple eater and you need to shorten your cutting apple time then by all means, please keep the apple slicer. It is a tool that for your context is highly important. 

But if that’s not the case, you can make do with just the knife. See? With the best declutter tips and moving checklist it wasn’t even that hard.

  1. Living Room 

The Living Room is the heart of the house.

It symbolizes the house owner’s personality; its favourite design colors, style, and overall vibe.

In this room that has different purposes, we share and build memories, entertain guests, have parties, and/or read a book on a cozy afternoon.

Therefore, this room should be a peaceful place where there are only elements that enhance the mood you want to set. 

  • Categorize products

There are different types of furniture in a living room, an easy way to classify the items here is by their purpose, here is an example:

  1. For Seating (e.g. Chairs);
  2. For Lying (e.g.Sofas);
  3. For Entertainment (e.g.books or tv);
  4. For Decorating (e.g. prints, plants, rugs);
  5. For Storage (e.g. bookshelves);
  6. For Holding (e.g. side tables, coffee tables).

Living Room furniture serves different purposes as you can see. 

However, whether it is for seating or for decorating, the items of our living room should serve a firm purpose, be in harmony with the house style and serve your needs. 

This is why after categorizing each item you should analyze your current needs. And if needed, apply again the best declutter tips while using the moving checklist.

But, what does this mean?  

  • Prioritize your present life needs

All the furniture you hold has to serve a purpose.

Functional (e.g. sitting chairs) or emotional (e.g. decorations).

However, it is vital to note furniture can serve both of these purposes.

For example: A well-designed chair can be comfortable and make you feel as you have an exclusive art piece at the same time.

So, to decide what to declutter you must check two scenarios:

  1. Items that do serve a functional purpose in the present but do not make you feel good, lacking the emotional benefits.
  1. Items that previously served a purpose but they are lacking present functional and emotional benefits.

Let’s see two examples of these cases.

Example 1: Functional Benefit (yes) Emotional Benefit (no)

Imagine this:

10 years ago you bought a 3 seater mustard velvet sofa. 

It is a wonderful piece of furniture, is comfortable (serves a practical purpose) and your friends/family think it is a luxury staple that oozes elegance, so it is all good, right?

Yes! Except, love is not mutual. 

Time has passed and you don’t feel it clicks with the current you nor the design you want for your future home.

Why? Reasons can vary, it may be that:

  1. You bought the sofa because it had an amazing discount;
  2. You got  influenced by friends and/or family tastes;
  3. You just wanted your home to look elegant and bought it.

No matter the reason, did you spot the problem in those situations? 

Warning: Impulse buying and pleasing other expectations! 

Don’t feel bad though, human beings are social beings so it is normal we get influenced by our peers, especially if they are close. 

On the other hand, the feeling of losing something valuable (discounts) even though you don’t need it is also very common.

However, you must be conscious about these buying decisions if you want to be truthful to your needs and style preferences. That’s when you can go back to the best declutter tips and moving checklist to helpyou out.

If a piece of furniture does not represent your current style, then don’t feel guilty about saying goodbye.

You will be doing a favor to yourself and others if you donate it or sell it.

Example 2: Functional benefit (no) Emotional benefit (no)

Here let’s take a look at books again, as downsizing books is a common problem people struggle with.

Photo by Julia Peretiatko on Unsplash

So, reading brings you new knowledge (served a practical purpose), but what should we do after it has served that purpose?

One solution to this is that you can replace them with a kindle version to achieve a clutter-free minimalist living room. 

Then your love for reading will be kept as tossing away those books does not mean your knowledge will be lost! 

This serves with books but also with personal documents or work papers, save in your computer what you think you may need and then recycle or reuse the paper.

  1. Bedroom

Your sanctuary, a place that reflects the colours and textures of your soul and personality essence. 

If you want a welcoming bedroom and need to declutter you should divide this task into 2 major categories: clothes and bedroom accessories.

For clothes, I highly recommend you to check out my article Declutter Motivation Tips- How To Be Ruthless When Decluttering Clothes.

In that article, I wrote my top practical professional tips to minimize your wardrobe. Now in this one, I am sharing my best declutter tips with a moving checklist.

Now, for an idea of how to micro categorize a bedroom here is an example:

  • Categorize products
  1. Clothes (eg. work clothes, casual clothes, sport clothes);
  2. Outfit Accessories (jewelry, bags, hats);
  3. Shoes (sport shoes, work shoes, multi-use shoes);
  4. Bedroom furniture (mirror, lamps, nightstands);
  5. Bedroom decorations (plants, prints, rugs).
  • Check Furniture Proportion and Scale 

This tip will prevent you from having headaches as you realize your furniture doesn’t fit the new room.

The most common problems that could arise if you don’t check proportion and scale are:

  1. Furniture is too small and your bedroom seems like a toy room; 
  2. Furniture is too big and your mobility is compromised. 

To prevent this and save you valuable time here are some pro strategies to correctly place your new or old furniture:

  • Use free room design apps: Apps like Roomstyler 3D Room Planner or Play Your Room are easy online free apps that will help you visualize your new home space and plan accordingly to the room size. 
  • Optimize space: When placing your furniture at your new home remember to create a spacious space that serves you. For this, you need to place furniture in areas that do not interfere with walkways or main entry points. 
  • Get rid of the excess: if you have a small bedroom remember to not over furnish the space. Invest in multi-use items like storage beds. If you want to learn more strategies for a small bedroom, read my useful article 7 Mistakes To Avoid In A Small Bedroom.

Decor Tips:

  1. If you have rugs or want one, and want to learn how to place them, read my handy article: rug placement and styling.
  1. In my article A Sanctuary- Your Bedroom you can see different bedroom moods to get you inspired about bedroom decoration, there is a little bit of everything there to get you inspired.
  1. Bathrooms

The Bathroom is a sacred place to rest, to clean yourself. 

A cluttered bathroom is a highly stressful area, as the bathroom is a place to feel clean and wash away your stress with a relaxing tranquil shower, ready to restart. 

When you declutter your bathroom here are the categories I suggest looking at:

  • Categorize products
  1. Bathroom equipment (eg. Mirror, curtains);
  2. Personal hygiene products ( eg. Toothbrush, handsoap);
  3. Beauty equipment (eg. makeup, skincare products);
  4. Storage equipment ( cabinet, vanity storage) ;
  5. Organizing equipment ( toothbrush holder, shower caddy);
  6. Cleaning supplies (toilet cleaner, sponges);
  7. Medicine.
  • Get rid of expired and old items

This is a common mistake that occurs in the bathroom, how many ibuprofens have expired already? 

Or how many beauty appliances like hair dryers are old and do not function like before?

Those products are just taking space.

It is not beneficial to bring them to your new bathroom.

Instead, they could be donated or recycled for better use

Also, a major problem in the bathroom and other rooms of the house is the lack of storage solutions

Because of this, I have highlighted functional, minimal, and eco-friendly suggestions for your home at the end of this article.

  • Pro extra tip: Register your routine and habits

When you are decluttering your bathroom and are applying all the minimizing principles, take inventory of all the expired and old items that repeat constantly, like beauty creams or hair products. 

Why? 

This is an amazing one of a time opportunity to spot your consumerism habits and realize what you keep buying over and over again but do not use very much (frequency of use).

  1. Storage Rooms (e.g. Garage, Attic or Basement)

This could be one of the hardest rooms to declutter as its main purpose is to store.

However, it is possible, and as the other rooms, the first thing you need to do is to categorize.

So, how to categorize these products? 

  • Categorize products

An easy way to do so is by: 

  1. Size (big or small);
  2. Condition (broken or not);
  3. Sentimental attachment (strong or low).

So, you could start with the small, broken, and low attachment items to begin.

Then leave the in good condition, big items, and strong sentimental attachment items for last as these are the hardest items to get rid of. 

In the garage two principles are very important to apply: 

  • Deadlines and visualization 

This is especially important in the garage or storage room because here you will encounter a lot of items that need to be fixed or that old and hold sentimental value

With such a mix of items, what should you do?

The best strategy after categorization is to set micro deadlines, that will allow you to go through each category little by little

This will make you gain confidence as you see progress day by day and you won’t feel so overwhelmed with the clutter.  

On the other hand, visualization is extremely important in the garage because here you are more tempted to think what if, what if in one year I need this? 

To this dilemma, I present you a solution: 

Visualize the situation where you will need the item, let’s say you have a flower gray pot and maybe sometime in the future you’ll need it. 

Ok, that’s valid. But, if the post costs 18$, and you can buy that in the future, why are you keeping it? 

If there is a possible way of obtaining that flower pot in the future there is no reason to keep it. 

Solution? 

Set a deadline. If a year has passed and the flower pot is still there (taking a warm dust shower), then it’s time to say goodbye!

Note: The visualization + deadline tactic is a powerful declutter your life checklist tip too! 

Why? 

Because a dream (visualization) without taking action (deadline) will just drain your energy and confidence, cluttering your mind with self-doubt. 

Instead, be assertive and straightforward about what you want and when you’ll do it.  

Ultimately, you may have more rooms in your home. 

However, these tips and situations can be applied to all of them, just follow the principles and the examples to have an idea of what is the optimal strategy while using your free declutter checklist for moving!

Getting Rid Of Everything And Starting Over Strategies 

Sell 

Selling things before moving out is a great strategy to gain some money and getting rid of things.

Nonetheless, this is a strategy that is best if you have sufficient time.

Selling things can take its time and if you are in a hurry the best thing may be to donate or recycle. 

Mistakes to avoid when doing a yard/garage sale:

  • Profit first and deals second: Although one of your goals is to make money, the primary objective is to get rid of things as fast as possible so deals should be your priority. For example: you can offer bulk deals to make it more appealing!
  • You have few payment options: Try to have as many payment options as possible including PayPal or TransferWise as sometimes people don’t have cash or have their money on different platforms.
  • Not having an inventory: Keep your organization even in your garage or online sale, as you need to have accountability of the things that you sell, track the profit, and the n° of things you could get rid of.

Extra useful garage selling tips  

  • A great way to know if something is worth selling is to check out the cost-efficient radio. In the moving context, this means it’s better to sell the product if it costs more to transport rather than to buy a new product. 
  • If you want to sell online Craigslist, eBay, and Facebook Marketplace are good places to publish your things. However, it is also a great place to figure out a good start pricing point for your belongings.
  • If you want to gain the higher profit possible it may be better to sell things online or in a consignment shop instead, where people are willing to pay more.

Resell Resources

  • For local selling: You can google local selling apps in your region and the best app for you will appear however Next Door and LetGo are popular local selling apps available in different countries that help with local selling!

Recycle

There are a lot of things you can recycle before moving out, some examples are:

  1. Old electronics and phones;
  2. Old work and personal papers;
  3. Broken Glass;
  4. Used Oil;
  5. Old Batteries;

Recycle Resources

  • TerraCycle is a social enterprise available in 21 countries with the mission to reduce waste through free recycling programs funded by brands, manufacturers, and retailers around the world. Check out if your country is listed!

Donate 

Your old things can be donated to people that really need them.

For example, Career Gear is a non-profit organization that helps women that can’t buy working clothes for their interview. 

However, there is a grand variety of local charities which I’m sure will benefit from your help. 

Just remember that you’re free to choose which values and organization you want to support 🙂

Donating Resources

  • The  Charity Navigator List is a clear and concise tool to find efficient charities around the world, it even has an advanced search feature for specific types of charities.
  • Freecycle is a nonprofit community where people are giving and getting things for free in their towns and neighborhoods. The website membership is free. 
  • Medicine donation: It is important to know donating unused medication will vary from country to country. However, if your medicine has expired and you can’t find a place to donate please check out the Safe Disposal of Medicines Resource List of the FDA (USA food and drug administration)

Organizing Items To Create A Clutter-Free Minimalist Home

Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash

In this section, I’m going to recommend two types of items to you. 

  1. Packing products: For a smooth and smart packing experience. 
  2. Organizing products: For a minimalist clutter-free home. 

Ready? Let’s go! (And, don’t forget to use these packing products with the ultimate decluttering checklist for moving at the end of this article!) 

Packing Products 

  • Reusable Eco-Friendly Storage Bags

Instead of buying a bunch of new cardboard boxes, why don’t look for reusable eco-friendly alternatives? 

These storage solutions can serve as storage for your blankets, pillows, clothes, or household items! And the best part? You can keep using them regularly after moving, no need to toss them!

  1. HIYAGON – Black V Design Storage Basket
  2. Budding Joy – 6 Pack Clothes Storage Bins
  3. Sorbus – Storage Bins Set with Large Window

Benefits:

  1. Portable;
  2. Multifunctional;
  3. Foldable.
  • Home Moving Labels

If you are moving you need to label your boxes.

It is a crucial tactic to easily recognize what each box has but also to help the movers identify where they should put the box.

Here I leave you some practical choices + garage sale stickers to save some time and have lovely price tags if you host a garage sale!

  1. Home Moving Labels for Packing;
  2. Garage Sale Stickers;
  3. 14 Rolls Color Coding Labels.

Benefits:

  1. Eco-Friendly Ink;
  2. Removable Adhesive;
  • Environmentally friendly protective material 

Lastly, an essential item in any moving packing kit is protective material. 

There are different types but not all of them are eco-friendly. 

These options are efficient and easy to use protective materials that won’t end in the landfill as extra toxic trash. In the end, we can move without creating more toxic waste. Cool, right?

  1. U-Haul Enviro-Large Bubbles Roll;
  2. U-Haul Furniture Protection Pad;
  3. Folded Pack – ExpandOS Protective Packing Material.

Benefits:

  1. Made from reusable materials;
  2. 100% reusable.

Minimalist Storage Ideas

  • Kitchen organizers and customized labels 

As you enter your kitchen to grab some coffee you delight yourself at the customized elegant labels your food containers have.

And, while you leave some fruits in your cute fruit bag you go and grab some pasta in your pantry to cook some delicious tomato based-pasta. 

Kitchen labels make it easier for you to organize your food.

Besides, it makes your kitchen look chic

  1. Handmade Vegan Storage pot;
  2. Customized Labels -multiple fonts & colors
  3. Multi-Purpose Cloth Bag.

Benefits:

  1. Vegan-friendly materials;
  2. Durable materials.
  • Makeup Organizers

Look pretty, but don’t waste time by doing so.

If you want to level up your game in time efficiency, while looking beautiful, these cosmetic storage products are for you!

They will help you organize your space and bring a sexy smile to your face because you won’t waste precious time searching for that sneaky lipstick.

  1. Cosmetic Storage Box;
  2. Black Makeup Drawer – (12 drawers).

Benefits:

  1. Environmentally friendly PP;
  2. Non-toxic and odorless. 
  • Bedroom Storage Bags

Photo by swabdesign on Unsplash

We all want a clutter-free clean bedroom.

An unorganized room makes you stressed but also leaves you with less time for important things as you need to search for things and lose time trying to figure out where things are.

If you want to maintain a minimalist, clean, and organized home, don’t think twice about investing in storage organizers.

Let the bags organize your belongings, so you can use your room for what is it for: rest.

  1. Under Bed Shoes Organizer;
  2. Non-woven lingerie organizer;
  3. Custom wardrobe dividers.

Benefits:

  1. Durable fabrics;
  2. Increase bedroom storage (perfect for small bedrooms!).
  • Minimalist Storage Boxes/Bags

If you want to optimize your storage space one of the best ways of doing so is by investing in multi-use storage solutions.

Nonetheless, I want to give you a special plus, minimalist multi-use storage boxes that are elegant, minimal, and sustainable.

You can use these boxes made of recycled materials to store your houseware, personal care, or any type of small to medium size items you have!

  1. Elegant leather basket;
  2. Paper-Maché Bag;
  3. Italian artisan-made storage box;
  4. Beige crochet baskets

Benefits:

  1. Unique minimal designs;
  2. High-quality materials;

Conclusion 

So, are you still doubting why you should downsize your home?

Whether it’s because you are moving or because you want to have fewer things, minimizing brings benefits to your mental health and saves you time for what really matters; living.

This is why you have to remember 3 important points:

  1. Make intentional purchases, things need to have a purpose;
  2. Set deadlines, if not is just a dream;
  3. Choose a method, by category or by room.

About the 3rd point, I will like to highlight that this is an important declutter before moving tip because it breaks big tasks into smaller doable tasks.

It is quite different if you say “I’ll declutter my home”, than saying “I’ll declutter the clothes in my bedroom”

Spot the difference?

The first one is overwhelming, the second is doable.

I hope you enjoyed this article and you have found a checklist that would benefit you!

Summary of the checklists:

You can get it from here for $5.29

You can get it from here for $1.31!

Get yours for $3.78!

https://www.pinterest.com/karmenrozsa/

One thought to “The Best Declutter Tips And Moving Checklist For A Minimalist Moving”

Comments are closed.

Want to learn more? Subscribe now!

Receive my weekly newsletter.