Decluttering Before a Move: A Simple Method

Decluttering before a move means sorting through everything you own and moving only what has a place in your new home. Less volume means fewer boxes, fewer hours of work and, generally, a lower quote. The most effective approach: start early, work room by room, and use three clear piles.

Why declutter before moving

A move is planned around volume: what the movers have to pack, carry, load, unload and sometimes reassemble. Every unnecessary piece of furniture and every box of knick-knacks you no longer look at has a cost, because it takes up time and space in the lorry.

Sorting before you leave has several concrete advantages:

• a simpler quote to prepare, since the volume to be transported is smaller and better known;
• fewer boxes to buy, fill and empty on arrival;
• a faster move-in, into a home that is not overflowing from the very first evening;
• a better-controlled budget, because what you sell or give away no longer has to be transported or stored.

Decluttering does not mean throwing things away at all costs. It means deciding, item by item, what is worth the journey.

The step-by-step method

1. Start early

Sorting takes longer than you might think, especially in a house or flat lived in for years. Start as soon as the moving date is known, setting aside short, regular sessions rather than one last-minute weekend. Add this sorting to your moving checklist so nothing is forgotten.

2. Start with the rooms you rarely use

Tackle the cellar, loft, garage and back cupboards first. These places often hold many forgotten items, and sorting them does not disrupt daily life. The living spaces (kitchen, living room, bedroom) come last, when only fine-tuning remains.

3. Sort into three piles

For each room, set up three areas or three large bags:

1. Keep: what will genuinely be used in the new home.
2. Give away or sell: what is in good condition but no longer useful to you.
3. Throw away: what is broken, expired, incomplete or unusable.

Avoid a fourth pile, the “maybe” pile. If an item is still there after a first pass, ask yourself a simple question: have you used it recently?

4. Apply the recent-use rule

An item you have not used for a long time, with no seasonal or sentimental reason, is unlikely to be useful in the new home. Seasonal decorations, hobby tools or sports clothing from another era are exceptions if you know when you will use them again. For everything else, the time that has passed is a good indicator.

5. Measure the new home

Before deciding what to do with a piece of furniture, compare it with the floor plan of your destination. Note the surface area of the rooms, the space available in storage areas, and the width of doors, corridors and staircases. A large sideboard or an eight-seat table does not always fit in a smaller flat. This is often the point at which you decide to part with a piece of furniture or, on the contrary, to keep it by placing it temporarily in storage.

What to do with what you no longer want

Every sorted item has a destination. Planning the outlets before you begin stops the piles from building up in your hallway.

Selling or giving away

Online sales or a car boot sale suit items of value, provided you can spare a little time. For the rest, charities and second-hand shops often accept donations, sometimes with collection. Check before making the trip: each organisation sets what it accepts and its drop-off conditions.

Disposing of things properly

The rules for collecting bulky items depend on the commune: collection days, access to the recycling centre, possible quantity limits. Check your commune’s website or office and plan these steps in advance, as slots fill up towards the end of the month. Hazardous products never go in the ordinary bin: take them to a collection point.

Keeping papers separate

While sorting, keep important documents (identity papers, contracts, tenancy agreement, insurance, medical records, diplomas) in a folder or box of their own, which you will carry yourself. They do not go in the lorry and are never mixed in with the piles to throw away.

When sorting becomes a clearance

Some situations go beyond simple personal sorting: an estate, a house to empty before a sale, an entire home to vacate, an overflowing cellar or loft. In these cases, a house clearance service provided by professionals can remove, sort and send items to the appropriate channel. This saves time, especially when you live far away, the volume is large or the emotional weight makes sorting difficult.

If you are moving a parent or the situation is delicate, the guide on moving elderly parents can also help you approach the sorting with tact.

In French-speaking Switzerland

The principle of sorting is the same everywhere, but practical procedures vary from one commune to another. The following points should be checked with your commune or canton:

• collection of bulky items: collection days, any prior registration required, access and opening hours of the recycling centre;
• waste-sorting rules: bags, containers, channels for glass, paper or garden waste;
• use of the public highway: if a lorry, a furniture lift or a skip needs to park in front of the building, prior permission from the commune or the police may be required. Ask a few days or weeks beforehand;
• notification of departure and arrival to the residents’ registration office (contrôle des habitants), within the period set by the canton.

The location also changes how you sort. In a city, for example in Lausanne, homes are often smaller and storage space is rare: sorting is almost essential there, and difficult access (floors, narrow lanes, limited parking) makes every superfluous piece of furniture more costly to move. In Valais, in a commune such as Sion, houses and cellars are sometimes more generous, but slopes and mountain roads complicate the lorry’s manoeuvres. In the canton of Fribourg, in Bulle and the neighbouring villages, chalets, barns and outbuildings often accumulate items that are forgotten until the moment of leaving. For a move that crosses the border, sorting matters even more, because the volume directly affects the organisation.

Doing it yourself or getting help

An individual can perfectly well declutter alone: sort the rooms, post adverts, organise donations, take items to the recycling centre or collection points. It is a task that mainly requires organisation and regularity.

Professional help becomes worthwhile when the volume is large, when items are heavy or bulky, when time is short or when an entire home has to be emptied. Movers can also take what you keep, pack it and store it if needed. This site passes your request on to professional removal companies in the region, who provide a free, no-obligation quote. You can request a quote by describing your situation, and mention that the sorting is not finished: this helps estimate the real volume. For a standard move, the page on residential moving details what can be taken care of.

Frequently asked questions