Eventually, children move out of their parents’ homes – it’s a natural part of life. Unfortunately, they don’t always take all of their belongings with them. By the time they’re adults, many children have accumulated nearly two decades of belongings. The question is, what do you do with it?
After the kids move out, 5 steps to declutter
Make them choose what to keep
Ask your children which items they want to keep. Do not accept any maybes: Everything should be either a yes or a no. An item that is not important enough to be a definite yes is probably a no.
You may want to schedule a video call with your children if they have already moved out. You can quickly determine which items in the house are important to them in a single evening. This reduces the chances of accidentally throwing something away.
2. Gift things to family and friends
If you don’t want to keep items that are too valuable to get rid of, they can be given to friends and family in place of keeping them.
3. Either hold a garage sale or donate extra items
You can hold a garage sale after you have a list of everything you are going to sell so that you can gain some cash for renovating your child’s room. Collectibles and old toys can hold a surprising amount of value. Look online for items you think might be valuable.
4. Pack up all the wanted items
Now that your child has isolated all the items he or she wants to keep, you can make the final separation. Pack them carefully in small or medium-sized cardboard boxes. Wrap fragile items in bubble wrap and mark them as fragile.
Avoid overpacking boxes. Heavy boxes aren’t just difficult to move; they may also crush other boxes when stacked or fall apart when stacked on top of something else. List everything in each box as you pack it; you never know when your child will need something specific.
5. Store it all in self storage
Consider storing all the boxes in a self-storage unit instead of somewhere in your home. Keeping your child’s items in self-storage has many benefits. Instead of disposing of items that your child might require later, you’ll be able to retrieve the items at any time. This will give you much more flexibility. You can use your child’s old room as a study, exercise room, or guest room by putting things in self-storage. Alternatively, you can downsize your home completely by moving; you won’t have to worry about clutter or the hassle of moving extra items.
Your children will have things they wish they could take with them but can’t. There is always self-storage for these items. It allows you and them to access these items and (very importantly) keeps them from cluttering your home. To get a quote on self-storage rates, contact Cedar Storage.
Book your storage unit on-line or Call: 011 875 2233.
