So — you’ve decided to downsize, and you couldn’t be more thrilled to have less space under your purview. The only problem? You know all of your current belongings can’t come with you — and you have no idea where to start the purge.

Keep reading for a lesson in decluttering when downsizing to make your next move as seamless and stress-free as possible!

#1 Take Inventory: Before you start packing, you’ll need to take inventory of your belongings. As you sort through everything, it’s important to separate aspirational items from the ones you actually need. If you come across something you haven’t used in the last year, chances are, you should probably get rid of it. And if you didn’t even know you still had an item in question, it’s definitely time to let it go. The purpose of downsizing is to simplify your life, so take only what you need with you!

#2 Go Room By Room: Decluttering your entire house can feel like a daunting task, particularly if it’s not something you’ve tackled in a while. Approaching it room by room can make the endeavor feel more manageable. After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day.

➤ Are you thinking about downsizing and selling your home soon? Read these posts next:

• Benefits of Selling Your Home as a Private Exclusive
• 10 Questions to Ask Your Realtor Before Selling
• Tips for Selling an Older Home

If you’re not sure where to start, bear in mind that larger items tend to be more necessary for day-to-day life, so it’s a good idea to start with smaller things. Focus on contained spaces, such as a single drawer, cabinet or shelf, or tackle categories of smaller items such as books, home decor, non-essential kitchen items, and toiletries.

#3 Implement A System: As you go through your belongings, you’ll need to set up a system to stay organized. We recommend the Three-Box Method, which forces you to make a decision item-by-item. Gather three boxes or bins and label them accordingly: “Keep,” “Get Rid Of,” and “Put In Storage.” Once you’ve defined which items you’re getting rid of in each room, you can sort them further by identifying what will be donated or passed down to family members, and what should be thrown away.

#4 Create A Plan To Ditch Unwanted Items: Now that you’ve identified which items aren’t making the move with you, you have several options for getting rid of them:

• Donate or Freecycle: Give something you no longer need to someone who does. Local charities usually accept clothing, shoes and other household items that are in good condition.
• Have a Yard Sale: One person’s trash is often another person’s treasure! If you’re downsizing a lot of your belongings before the move, consider having a yard sale to make some extra cash. Furniture, toys, books, kids’ clothes, power tools, and lawn equipment are particularly popular items at a garage sale.
• Rent a Dumpster: Chances are, not everything you’re getting rid of will be in good enough condition to donate or sell. Renting a dumpster is a stress-free option if you have a lot to downsize and declutter, or if you’re throwing away larger household items, like broken appliances or tattered furniture.
• Pass Down to Loved Ones: It’s difficult to declutter sentimental items you no longer have use for but that hold years of memories. If there are family heirlooms in good condition that you feel a family member or friend would enjoy, offer to give them as a gift.

#5 Measure Furniture & Wait To Buy: You may not have enough room in your new, smaller home to fit all of your current furniture. While taking inventory of your belongings, measure your furniture to see if and how it will fit in your new space, or if you’ll need to part with any of it. It’s much easier to figure this out ahead of time, rather than moving a sectional couch into your new home to find it doesn’t fit. For this same reason, you should also avoid buying new items until you get a sense of the space you’re working with in the new space.

#6 Go Digital: If you’re like most people, you have stacks of photos and important documents stored in different places all around your home. Those items take up a surprising amount of space and only add to the clutter that you see. As you prepare to downsize, consider digitizing those assets instead of keeping the hard copies. By saving everything to a hard drive or in the cloud, you can still retain your memories and vital information while ensuring your new place stays tidy.

Thinking about starting the process of downsizing? We’re here to help! Book a consultation with our team here, call us directly at 202.280.2060 or email jsmira@jennsmira.com.