Declutter Your Home First, THEN Plan Your Next Move!
Declutter your home first. Whether aging in place, preparing your home for sale or simplifying your life by downsizing your possessions, making space means decluttering first. As we age, clutter becomes a safety hazard, home maintenance obstacle and mental distraction. To prevent overwhelm, here are 5 steps to declutter your home:
1. Toss the Trash
We often become “clutter blind” in our home. If loose mail is waiting to be sorted, handled, and discarded, magazines and newspapers you intended to read (but probably won’t), and things that need to be recycled, donated, or thrown away, do that now. Go through every room in your house with a garbage bag and a donation bag. (Be sure to shred any sensitive documents so this information doesn’t fall into the wrong hands!)
2. Pare Down Furniture
If you have rooms overstuffed with furniture, they’ll appear too small and unwelcoming. Eliminate all unessential furniture and any upholstered items that are threadbare or excessively worn. It’s better to have less and use your best pieces, especially to stage your home for sale.
3. Depersonalize
Your home probably contains your favorite collections, cherished photographs, children’s artwork, postcards, and memorabilia. These items should be placed in specially marked boxes and tucked away for your move or to give to family members. This will help potential buyers imagine how the home will look with their items.
4. Visually Clear Surfaces
Look at every flat surface in your home. Things tend to collect on countertops, tables, and shelves, making a home look crowded and
give an impression that there is no room for fun and relaxation in the space. If a surface has more than a single decorative item (or a
related grouping of three things), it may appear “busy” to a potential buyer or add mental distraction for you as the owner.
5. Unstuff the Closets
To create needed storage or prepare for listing your home, make every closet more spacious by eliminating unneeded items. Crowded closets become too small to use. To start, remove everything except for the in-season clothes you often wear and enjoy. Everything else should be packed up or donated. Linen closets should be organized with a maximum of two fresh changes of sheets and pillowcases for each bed. Keep only your nicest towels and washcloths. Retire the ratty ones to the rag box. The hall closet should hold jackets and coats for the current season and have enough room to accept visitors’ coats.
Endnotes
Declutter can be easy if we know how to do it properly. And it can be helpful to for implying our upcoming moving plan. So declutter your home eliminate the unnecessary things plan ahead. A connected move plan can be a better option for you to move ahead and make the right choice.