Before you start the long process of packing everything in your apartment, it is important to declutter and organize your apartment. Decluttering before you move allows you to get rid of unwanted items, and organize your existing items, to make unpacking in your new home or apartment easier. Follow the steps below from Imperial Moving NYC to get a start on the decluttering process for a less stressful move.

Step One: Start Early

The most important thing to remember about decluttering is to do it before you start packing up boxes for your new place. Although you can also declutter while you pack, this can make packing feel overwhelming. No matter how far away your moving day is, it is imperative that you start the decluttering process as soon as possible. By starting early, you leave yourself enough time to do all of the other tasks associated with moving.

Step Two: Decide What Items to Get Rid Of

One of the biggest hurdles in the decluttering process is deciding what items you should keep or get rid of. To make this easier, create a list of criteria for getting rid of items which could include:

• Broken or worn down items
• Out of style or poorly fitting clothes and shoes
• Expired items, such as medicines, make-up or food
• Duplicate belongings that are not necessary

Another good rule to follow when deciding what to discard is the 12-month rule. This rule says to get rid of any item that has not been used in the past 12 months. Do not hold onto items just because you might eventually use them.

Step Three: Use Three Boxes to Declutter Each Room

After you have your criteria for discarding belongings, you now need to sort through all of your items to decide what stays and goes. Break this task down room by room to make it less overwhelming and use the three box trick to make it easier. Each box is for a category of items to help you sort out your belongings.

• Box 1: Items to Keep
• Box 2: Items to Sell or Donate
• Box 3: Items to Throw Out

All items that meet the criteria for the last step should be placed in either box two or three depending on the condition of the item. Items in good condition can be sold or donated, while items that are broken or completely worn out should be thrown away.

Step Four: Sell and Donate Items from Box 2

Once you have decluttered every room in your apartment, it is time to find a place for all of the unwanted items. You can hold a garage sale or put items online to sell with an app like Decluttr or OfferUp to get extra money for your move. Anything leftover can be donated, and to save even more time you can schedule a charity to come pick up the items from your apartment.