Super Easy Tips for Clearing a Room for a Move

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When getting ready for a move, it's a great time to visit all those unopened boxes and unused stuff that may have been brought to the existing home before it continues with you to your destination. Getting rid of them now will help you save money on shipping them to your new home. It will also protect your body from carrying them. Don't you want to get rid of the unwanted stuff now? So, in this post, I am going to explain the process you can do with your Professional Organizer or friend/family member when clearing a room for a move.

Super Easy Tips for Clearing a Room for a Move

First, we picked the room/space that you don't use often. Most likely it will be a spare bedroom or spare closet. This particular client used her home office to store boxes that she hadn't used in a while.

We started from the entrance of the room and worked our way around the right side. We followed the wall because it created a path for us as we began to purge. This consultation was about 3 hours long. Since there were many boxes, we were only able to do half the bedroom in these 3 hours. We got rid of bags and bags of stuff that were old and worn. Many things in the boxes were not used for several years. Since the person I was working with was a retiree and had knee issues, she couldn't carry the boxes down the stairs. So, to rectify the issue, she found and purchased several boxes of heavy-duty paper grocery bags with handles to make it easier to transport and manage the donating items. The handles made it easy for her to carry a few down the steps at a time. Because the bags were paper, she was able to write what the "action" was for that particular bag right on the paper bag. It was a brilliant idea! We used it throughout this project and other future projects.

Sorting items into different areas is vital in this process.

We created areas of the room and started sorting the items into these areas. Primarily, the sorted piles included Recycle, Sell, or Donate. We used plastic bags for things she didn't want to recycle, so she knew they were trash and needed to go to the dumpster. Additionally, we sorted some of the items into To-Dos tasks and "find a home" actions.

One by one, we went through the boxes. Purging, sorting, and deciding on what the item was - was it still useful - and where it should go. By working top-down and along the wall, we worked through the room taking our time. While I asked several questions, it helped her make up her mind on what she should keep. I didn't pressure her, nor did I give her any of my opinions on the object. She had to decide for herself.

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"No one can decide on what to do with the owned item but the owner them self." ~ Sabrina Quairoli

Below are before and after purging stuff transformation! I hope they motivate you to get organized!

Before and After Spare Bedroom Purging Transformation

After photo bedroom — After Bedroom photo

What a transformation in only 3 hours! It's incredible how boxes create clutter and hold so many unwanted items. It takes time to go through each and every box. But when you do, you really appreciate your accomplishment and the room you free up.

Taking the time to go through these items is crucial. Everyone works at their own pace and determining how long and how slow or fast they can handle is up to them. If you have someone helping you, be sure to communicate to them your process and what is the best way for you to get through the mess. Enjoy the process of getting rid of stuff.

***AD*** from Released Repurpose Reorganize: My List Simplified journal is a wonderful organizing tool for planning a move or a renovation. Use it to corral all the to-dos.