How to Declutter Before Moving (and Why It Makes Your Move So Much Better)

Moving is one of the few times in life you’re forced to look at everything you own. Every closet, every junk drawer, every shelf you’ve been meaning to deal with for three years. That moment of reckoning can feel overwhelming — or it can feel like a real opportunity.

Because here’s the thing: taking the time to declutter before moving is one of the best investments you can make in your own sanity. Not because you have to, but because the effort you put in now pays off on both ends of your move. Less to pack means less to load, less to unload, and less to find a home for in a space that doesn’t know you yet. Your new home deserves a fresh start — and so do you.

Why Decluttering Before a Move Can Actually Save You Money

Every item you keep is an item that gets packed, carried, loaded onto a truck, unloaded, and unpacked. When you think of it that way, clutter has a real cost — in time, in energy, and sometimes in moving fees.

A good rule of thumb: aim to leave your current home 10% lighter than when you arrived. That’s not a dramatic purge. It’s just a thoughtful edit — the kind that makes unpacking feel manageable instead of endless.

What to Get Rid of Before You Move, Room by Room

The fastest way to get overwhelmed is to think about the whole house at once. Instead, give yourself one room, one session. Here’s what to look for in each space.

Entryway

Start here — it’s small and builds momentum. Open the closet and look honestly at what’s hanging there.

• Is there a jacket you haven’t worn in a year or more?
• Shoes that don’t fit, don’t get worn, or don’t have a match?

The entryway is often a drop zone for things that never found a permanent home. If something has been sitting here for a year without a purpose, it probably won’t find one in your next home either.

Living Room

This is where big-ticket decisions happen — furniture, books, and the decorative objects that seemed essential when you bought them.

• Take a hard look at larger pieces. That armchair or end table you’ve been working around might not be worth the truck space. Moving is a natural moment to rethink your layout from scratch, and a more open feel in your new home often starts with leaving something behind.
• Browse your bookshelves. Make room for new reads by letting go of the ones that meant the least. A good neighborhood library or a Little Free Library is a fine destination for a book you’ll never open again.

Kitchen

Kitchens tend to accumulate quietly. Drawers fill with gadgets. Cabinets overflow with dishes for households twice the size you are now.

• Pull out anything that’s on its last legs — chipped dishes, dull knives, appliances that haven’t worked right in months.
• Think about duplicates. Do you need four spatulas? Three colanders?
• That specialty gadget you used exactly once is a good candidate to let go.

Bedrooms and Closets

Clothing is the biggest opportunity in most homes. We tend to add to our wardrobes much more often than we pare them down.

• If you got something for a specific event and never wore it again, it can go.
• If something doesn’t fit right now, be honest: will it fit before your next move?
• If you haven’t worn it in a year, there’s a real chance you won’t wear it in the next one either.

Closets also hide the things we move from place to place without ever really keeping: old electronics, mystery cables, items we’re “saving” without knowing what for.

Bathroom

Bathrooms are quick to go through and surprisingly easy to edit. Most of what’s in there either gets used or it doesn’t.

• Check expiration dates on medications and over-the-counter products. Anything expired should be disposed of properly — many pharmacies accept unused medications, and Hennepin and Ramsey counties both have drug take-back options.
• Toiletries you bought, tried once, and abandoned don’t need to come with you. If it’s been sitting behind something else for six months, let it go.
• Duplicate products — three half-empty bottles of the same shampoo, a drawer of lip balms — are worth consolidating before you pack.

The bathroom won’t save you a lot of box space, but it’s a fast win that keeps you in the habit of making decisions.

When Letting Go Feels Hard

Even with the best intentions, some things are difficult to release. Here are a few mindset shifts that can help:

Ask a different question. Instead of “do I want to get rid of this?”, ask “does this deserve space in my next home?” You’re not throwing something away — you’re curating what comes with you into the next chapter.

Think about the item’s next life. Something sitting unused in your closet could be genuinely useful to someone else. Donating or selling means the object gets used. That’s a better outcome than moving it one more time and eventually throwing it away.

Remember the other side of the move. The relief of unpacking only what you need and love — without mystery boxes of things you’re not sure what to do with — is significant. The edit you make now shows up as real calm on moving day.

Bedrooms and Closets

Clothes not worn in the past year

Items bought for a specific event and never used again

Old electronics, mystery cables, and unused gear

Bathroom

Expired medications (dispose of properly)

Toiletries that were tried once and abandoned

Duplicate or nearly-empty products

Storage Areas (basement, garage, closets)

Items you’ve moved before without using

Broken tools or equipment

Anything you’ve been “saving” without a specific plan