If you’ve read up on all our moving tips, you know how to move the right way—with as little stress as possible. You’ve hired our movers to pack your belongings, found out your best options for storage, and prepared our movers for what they’ll need to pack on moving day.

But there’s one area that many of our clients forget. If you guessed the attic, you’re right.

We see it time and time again. Our customers have everything ready to go, and they’re proud of themselves for being so prepared. And then moving day comes, and the moment of truth.

The attic was never emptied or packed.

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Why is it so important to clean out the attic before moving day?

Attics are often out-of-sight and out-of-mind for many people. Children’s outgrown clothes are stored there year after year, boxes of papers and memory items, seasonal decor pieces, and even furniture. Decluttering and deciding on what to keep can be a long process. It’s not something that you’d want to do last minute. It can also be expensive, and the movers may not even have room in the moving truck for the items in your attic.

So do yourself a favor and add the attic to your areas to declutter before you start packing for a move. Planning this into your moving schedule will help you and your family relax when moving day arrives. No one wants to pay movers to move unwanted items! This will also give you the opportunity to gift or donate belongings from your attic that you forgot you owned. The rest can be recycled or thrown in the trash. Decluttering early also helps to keep usable items out of landfills. When people sort through things and declutter, they’re less likely to put everything out for the trash, which is better for the environment.

How to Declutter Your Attic Before a Move

At Sunshine Movers, we recommend first assessing what you have. Attics can often be difficult to get to, many of them with stairs or ladder access. It’s a good idea to have another person available to grab these items and hand them off to you.

There are two ways to declutter an attic- a little bit at a time or all at once. Doing small amounts every day can make it last a little longer, but it’s less overwhelming. If you decide to go with the all-at-once option make sure to plan a big chunk of your day for this process.

Make it fun by taking before and after pictures and playing energetic music to keep the momentum going.

How to Keep Things Simple While Decluttering

Sort each item by type, as you’re going through your belongings.

Label large boxes for specific items: trash, donate, keep, recycle, and sell (garage sale or eBay).

Make sure to throw away the trash items, and put recyclables in your recycle bin immediately after sorting. It’s also a good idea to pack donation items in your car. Drop them off at your local charity as soon as possible, so you’re not tempted to leave them lingering in your garage.

Set a date to sell your belongings. Plan a garage sale date and put it in the calendar, or set a day for listing ebay items. Once you make a commitment, it’s easier to stick to it, and it’s less likely the clutter will stick around and grow into more piles of clutter.

Once you finish clearing out your attic and keeping only the things you want to move with you to your new home, you’ll feel a huge weight off your shoulders. And you’ll be relieved that you don’t have to pay to move an attic filled with unwanted belongings.

Are you planning to move soon? Call Sunshine Movers today. We’d love to help you!