Relocating all your belongings can be pretty overwhelming, but it’s often completely unnecessary. Fortunately, deciding what to toss and what to keep when moving is not that difficult. All you have to do is use a few nifty decluttering tips to sort through the inventory, and you’ll have significantly less stuff to move before your next Orange County relocation.
Having to move everything you’ve accumulated over the years will make your relocation unnecessarily complicated, and that’s precisely why it’s essential to declutter before every move. However, since you’ll still have a lot of stuff to pack, it might be good to get some professional assistance. The good news is that hiring our local OC movers will help you prepare everything within a day.
Does Getting Rid of Old and Unused Things Provide Any Benefits?
Does looking at your crammed to-do list cause you relocation stress? Considering all the things you have to do before relocating, not having to transport all your stuff will undoubtedly enable you to move more efficiently. In fact, getting rid of old and unnecessary belongings provides several benefits, allowing you to:
- Save money on supplies – You can save more than a few bucks on packaging materials if you skip packing furniture and most fragile items you won’t use anyway.
- Lower your relocation costs – Considering most local movers in Orange County, CA, charge by the hour, having less stuff to move could significantly reduce your relocation expenses.
- Spend less time on packing – Having a much shorter packing list will enable you to box up the entire home much more quickly, which is particularly useful when you have to move in a hurry.
- Have more free space in your home – If you’re relocating from a large house to a place with significantly smaller square footage, not transporting everything means you won’t be tripping over stuff every few minutes.
How to Decide What to Get Rid of and What to Keep When Moving Within Orange County?
Considering people tend to hoard all sorts of stuff only for “just in case,” letting go of anything can be very problematic. However, answering some important questions will help you decide what to do with anything you own. If a particular item is giving you trouble, ask yourself:
- Do I need this?
- When was the last time I used it?
- Can it still do what it’s supposed to?
- Would I repurchase it if it broke?
- Do I have duplicates of it?
- Is it too difficult to pack or transport?
- Is it irreplaceable?
- Does it hold sentimental value?
Can’t Decide What to Keep and What to Sell When Moving? Invite Some Friends to Assist You With the House Purge
If you’re having trouble deciding what to keep and what to throw away or sell, contact a few friends to assist you with the sorting. Friends won’t be shy to tell you the truth and give an honest opinion about anything, making them perfect people for the job. They also don’t have emotional attachments to your belongings, so feel free to ask them for some tips on what to keep and what to throw out.
Storing Some Belongings Is a Solid Temporary Solution
Storing some belongings could be a great solution to your problems, particularly if you have too many of them. Relocating to a smaller place will often require you to give something away, but placing a few large objects in storage will allow you to delay your decision, at least for a bit longer. If you’re already renting a unit, our local movers in Orange County, California, provide excellent in-and-out-of storage moving you could use. This service will allow you to store any belongings without having to worry about securing or transporting them yourself.
What Belongings You Should Not Keep When Relocating?
In case the questions we mentioned earlier didn’t give you enough tips and clues on what belongings not to keep, know that anything you haven’t used in a year shouldn’t be moved to your new home. However, this definition doesn’t cover everything, so if you’re still wondering, “What should I purge before moving?” let’s go over some concrete things you won’t have to keep:
- Expired goods – There’s no point in keeping food, cosmetics, and other products whose expiration date is very close to the relocation itself.
- Clothes that are too small – Unless they are used as padding, packing clothes that are way too small will only waste valuable space in your containers.
- Old and broken appliances – There is no need to pack electronics that are non-functional or out of date, as you will likely end up replacing them soon enough anyway.
- Toys and baby stuff – Unless you’re planning on having more children in the near future, there’s no purpose in keeping all the baby-related items.
- Unused kitchen equipment – What’s the point in having a bunch of pots and pans if you keep using the same two every time you cook? The same goes for packing dishes that are never used, like the expensive set of china you’ve been keeping for ages.
Considering it would take too long to list everything, the video below will give you lots of tips on what to toss out before the next relocation.
How to Deal With the Pile of Stuff You Don’t Want to Move?
If you went through the entire inventory and separated everything we mentioned earlier, there’s a good chance you have a massive pile of stuff in each room. While you will not be transporting any of these to the new place, all unwanted belongings still have to be dealt with accordingly. For starters, not everything needs to be thrown out, as many everyday household objects can either be sold, given away, or donated to a local charity organization.
Selling Some Stuff Will Allow You to Earn Some Money on the Side
Selling some of the objects you no longer want or have a use for could earn you more money than you could possibly imagine. For example, why move a piano you don’t even know how to play when selling it online will cover all your relocation expenses in one fell swoop. Considering brand new belongings can easily be sold online, all you will have to do is post a listing on eBay, Amazon, or Craigslist a few weeks in advance. Not everything will sell well, though, so try to discover which objects are popular before you do anything. If the online thing doesn’t work out, organizing a successful yard sale will allow you to sell all the stuff you won’t need quickly. However, be aware that you will probably have to place a significantly lower price point.
Donate or Give Away Anything You Haven’t Sold That’s Still in Good Condition
If something didn’t get sold, or you skipped the process altogether, don’t worry. You can still deal with the stuff you do not want by giving it away to some of your friends. As the famous saying says, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” meaning you never know who might be willing to take some of the belongings off your back.
You can also donate something you do not need to a local charity. While we can’t just name all the possible donation centers in the OC, you will undoubtedly have Goodwill or The Salvation Army close by. These organizations accept all sorts of goods, but they still have to be in working condition. Some of the stuff you can donate includes food, clothes, toys, books, appliances, and even cars, meaning that your donation could make someone less fortunate incredibly happy.
Throw Out or Recycle All Objects That Are Unusable or Past Their Expiration Date
Last but not least, everything that’s clearly out of order, not functional, or beyond repair should simply be tossed out. This also includes anything you wouldn’t use yourself, like a very old pair of sneakers or a broken piece of furniture. Considering throwing everything in the garbage wouldn’t be good for the environment, try to recycle as much stuff as you can.
For example, if you want to avoid boxing up the computer you haven’t used in ages, simply take it and other old pieces of technology to the nearest recycling center. Many of these service providers even go out on location, so feel free to contact them and schedule a pick-up before the move. To make your search easier, check out OC Recycling, Garcia Recycling & Metals, and Anaheim and Irvine Household Hazardous Waste Collection Centers.
What Items Are Worth Moving to the New Place No Matter What?
Although deciding what to keep might be even more important than choosing what to toss, making a list with essentials is undoubtedly an easier task. This also means it’s relatively easy to misinterpret what you truly need, often causing you to overpack. To avoid any confusion, the following list will have all the most essential belongings you will want to pack when relocating:
- Valuables – All the precious belongings you have should be kept close by. This also includes mementos and heirlooms, as they are often irreplaceable.
- Vital records – Keeping the most crucial documents and files with you is a must. However, knowing how to organize important documents online means you won’t have to worry about losing some of them.
- Overnight bag – It’s best to carry all the personal essentials you’ll be using the first day after moving in. It should include some toiletries, daily medication, a change of clothes, and anything else needed to quickly set up most of the home.
Deal With All the Things Orange County, CA, Movers Cannot Move
All professional movers in Orange County, CA, have a specific list of non-allowables that you’ll have to deal with on your own. While items movers won’t move include all sorts of dangerous materials, they also can’t transport anything that can leak inside the truck, like perishable food and cleaning supplies. Living things are also a no-go, so anyone who owns houseplants or is relocating with pets needs to find another way to carry them over to their new home. To ensure all the belongings can be safely transported, don’t hesitate to ask your local Orange County movers about their non-negotiables before booking a professional residential relocation.
Now That You Know How to Declutter, Hire One of the Best Movers in Orange County, CA, to Assist You With the Move
As you can see, deciding what to get and what to toss is not that difficult once you learn how to declutter. It’s an essential skill that will make your relocation more manageable, so don’t skip it even if you move often. However, while decluttering can reduce the size of your inventory, plenty of belongings and furniture will still have to be packed, and hiring Orange County Moving Services is the best way to do it.
Our local OC movers provide an incredible packing service that will help you pack all your belongings, no matter how big or small they might be. It also goes great with our other options, particularly with apartment relocations and professional commercial moves. More importantly, getting any of our services won’t burden your relocation budget, as we’re one of the more affordable movers in Orange County, CA. Contact us to learn more about everything we offer, including our prices. A representative will quickly take you through the process and provide you with a very attractive free estimate on your entire move.