Moving to a new home is one of the most stressful events people go through. You disrupt the routine, turn your world upside down, face dozens of decisions and have to deal with your possessions. Each item you own takes up space, requires some maintenance, and comes with a built-in set of worries. Purging items before calling the moving company will reduce stress, save money, and free you to focus on other matters. Here are 25 things to get rid of before your next move:

  1. Anything you have not used, looked at, referred to, or cleaned in a year, donate, recycle, or toss.
  2. Books. Donate to local libraries, nursing homes, or charitable organizations.
  3. Broken things. Give yourself a fresh start in your new home by getting rid of anything that does not work well.
  4. Candles. Burn them before your move, or give them as parting gifts. Most moving companies will not move candles.
  5. Car. Donate your old clunker to a local charity and save on registration, insurance, and moving costs.
  6. Cheap furniture. Pay to move only the good stuff and sell the rest.
  7. Clothing. Donate any clothing that is worn out, does not fit properly, or has never been worn.
  8. Dated electronics. Contact your city or county to find ways to recycle responsibly.
  9. Cords and cables. Donate when you donate unused electronics.
  10. Exercise equipment. If you have not used it in the past three months, sell or donate it.
  11. Food. Donate canned and other nonperishables to local food banks.
  12. Garden hoses. These can leak water during a move.
  13. Hazardous materials. Check online or with your local waste disposal company to learn where and how to dispose of hazardous materials.
  14. Hobby supplies. You may take up new hobbies, but let go of old supplies you no longer use.
  15. Irrelevant collections, like old magazines, leaf collections, and catsup packets can be purged. 
  16. Knick-knacks. Items used only for decoration quickly become dated. Donate.
  17. Old linens. Some animal shelters can use donated towels and other linens.
  18. Paperwork. Scan the important things, and shred all of it. Do not take decades of paperwork with you.
  19. Photographs. Digitize to keep the memories in a more portable form.
  20. Small kitchen appliances. Donate or sell kitchen gadgets you never use.
  21. Planters. Do not move old mud and dirt.
  22. Soil and mulch. Give those bags to neighbors.
  23. Toiletries and cosmetics. Now is the time to get rid of all cosmetics and toiletries and replace what you currently use when you get to your new home.
  24. Tools. Get rid of subpar tools and ones you never use.
  25. Toys. Do not be a Grinch, but be realistic and donate toys your children no longer use.

Want to hire movers you can trust? Reach us at – www.cheapmoversdc.com -, but be sure you’ve already done the above 25 things first!

Find out how much your move costs!