If you have a residential relocation on the calendar, it can be a great opportunity to do some spring cleaning and downsize your household belongings. Not only is it satisfying to streamline and organize your things, but it can even save you money on the rate you get from a moving company and make the entire relocation a whole lot smoother.
First Class Moving Systems is a professional moving and storage company with over two decades of experience completing a variety of moving services. As agents of North American Van Lines, our long-distance movers can help you relocate anywhere around the world!
Our customers frequently ask us how to go about downsizing their household items, so we have compiled a list of our top tips to make moving day run as efficiently as possible!
Begin Downsizing Early
You can start the downsizing process in the earliest stages of your move, long before you begin packing. Whenever you come across an old sweater or an antique vase that you no longer make use of, toss it in a pile with other unused things to eventually take to a donation center or similar place.
Downsizing can still be done during last-minute moves as well, just make sure to utilize a strategy to make the most of your time. We recommend going room by room to better focus on a few things at a time, and take a moment to consider each belonging before it gets packed away.
Categorize Your Items as You Go
There's many options for what to do with the items you don't want to keep. We suggest sorting your household belongings into one of four categories:
- Keep
- Sell
- Donate
- Discard
Anything that you no longer use or need is a great candidate for the "sell" or "donate" piles, while worn-out items that are overdue to be replaced can just go in the "discard" corner. Wait until you've moved into your new address to replace things that get tossed out to keep your relocation that much simpler!
Where to Donate or Sell My Belongings
There's a variety of ways to offload the household items from your "sell" and "donate" piles. The easiest methods for selling are hosting a garage sale over a weekend, which you can even advertise through a local newspaper or social media, or to list them on an online platform like e-Bay, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, or something similar.
If you're in a pinch and don't have a ton of time to wheel and deal, here are some quicker and easier options to donate household belongings you no longer need:
- Donation Centers
- Thrift Shops
- Local Charity Drives
- "Free" Box at the End of Your Driveway
Can I Just Throw Items in My Trash?
While there are probably several different types of belongings that can just be discarded via your regular garbage collection service, you may come across things that require specialized methods. Hazardous waste, like batteries, pesticides and antifreeze, for example, may need to be brought to a local drop-off center, so check with your municipal guidelines to see if this is a necessary step.
If you have larger items, such as an old, worse-for-wear couch that isn't making the journey with you to your new residence, consider calling a junk removal company to come and pick it up, especially if you have multiple oversized items that you need to dispose of.
Near or far, residential or commercial, First Class Moving Systems is here to make your Tampa relocation go off without a hitch. Opt-in for any of our moving services that will make your relocation easier, like full-service packing, or just stick with basics like loading and unloading goods for the most budget-friendly experience.
Get in touch with our residential movers today for a free estimate on any of our award-winning relocation services, and we'll give you more information on all that we can do to keep the headaches and hassle out of your upcoming move!
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