{"id":10101,"date":"2019-03-28T20:11:21","date_gmt":"2019-03-29T03:11:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=10101"},"modified":"2026-04-02T06:48:40","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T13:48:40","slug":"how-to-prepare-to-downsize-your-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/how-to-prepare-to-downsize-your-home\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Prepare to Downsize Your Home: What Stays, And What Goes?"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the \u201cBasic Laws\u201d in The Complete Idiot\u2019s Guide to Organizing Your Life<\/i><\/a> states that \u201cStuff expands to fill the space available.\u201d<\/p>\n

Admit it: You\u2019ll gladly hang onto that collection of Mardi Gras beads or buy \u201cone more sweater\u201d when you\u2019ve got the space to store it comfortably. The average American home has nearly tripled in size<\/a> over the past half century, so you can imagine there\u2019s now also three times the junk, clothes, and furnishings behind closed doors.<\/p>\n

No harm, no foul\u2026 until the time comes to sell the house and downsize<\/i><\/a>. With all that stuff weighing you down, you won\u2019t be going anywhere unless you learn how to prepare to downsize your home before the moving trucks arrive. In this case? Preparation = purging.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s a tricky balance. Impulsively toss the cleaning supplies, and come time to disinfect the new place you\u2019ll have nary a Clorox wipe. Can\u2019t part with your oversized couch? Good thing it\u2019ll make a great lawn display, cause it ain\u2019t getting through that doorway.<\/p>\n

Buck up, grab some trash bags, and put your decision cap on. From the throw-away items to the for-sure keepers and everything in-between, we\u2019ll help you figure out what stays and what goes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Plastic<\/a>
Source: (Pxhere)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Toss these items and you\u2019ll be better off for it.<\/h2>\n

Not every item is a keeper. Don\u2019t think twice about getting rid of items like these when you\u2019re figuring out how to prepare to downsize your home.<\/p>\n

1. Awards collections from your glory days. <\/b><\/h3>\n

You don\u2019t need large volumes of metal and plastic to remind you of the way it felt to swish a basket during the state championship game.<\/p>\n

Though old trophies, medals, plaques, and certificates from your high school and college glory days do have sentimental value, your memories of the times won\u2019t be erased if you decide to toss out at least a portion of your awards collections.<\/p>\n

That goes for sports as well as any hobbies or pursuits you\u2019ve had throughout your life, whether it\u2019s half marathons, debate team, mock trial, or bike racing.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019d like to save a few commemorative items, pick the most meaningful ones (that remind you when you got the Gold over your arch nemesis\u2014sweet victory!)<\/p>\n

Or another good test to see whether a piece of award memorabilia is worth keeping: ask whether you\u2019d be proud setting the item on display somewhere in the house\u2014imagine a real spot, not a hypothetical place\u2014or if it would realistically end up collecting dust in a box.<\/p>\n

For example, it\u2019d be better to hang onto that framed newspaper clipping as opposed to a bobblehead that just takes up space on your desk.<\/p>\n

2. Random kitchen gadgets.<\/h3>\n

We all have the drawer. The one stuffed so full of kitchen utensils that, quite frankly, you aren\u2019t even sure what each one is for anymore.<\/p>\n

The fact of the matter is, unless you do a lot of niche cooking in your day to day life, you don\u2019t need a melon baller. Or an egg slicer. Or most of the kitchen items you might have accumulated over the years that could be best characterized \u201cas seen on TV\u201d.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll be able to pare down your kitchen clutter drastically by getting rid of assorted gadgets that you don\u2019t need or regularly use. When you\u2019re downsizing your space, these should be among the first casualties of your minimized lifestyle.<\/p>\n

Also be on the lookout for duplicates in your cupboards or cabinets. If you don\u2019t use two blenders in your current space, you definitely won\u2019t need both of them in your new, smaller residence.<\/p>\n

Decluttering countertops (by removing items such as mail baskets, banana hammocks, paper towel holders, and bread boxes from surfaces) will also help you get a leg up on staging the kitchen<\/a> for buyers when you put your house on the market. Since one of the top complaints from potential buyers is that the kitchen is too small, you\u2019ll want to achieve a minimalist look in this space rather than give off hoarder vibes.<\/p>\n

3. Excessive, old, or outdated clothing.<\/b><\/h3>\n

Tackle your clothes collection and you\u2019re bound to make a big dent in the purging process. The average person only wears about 20% of their entire wardrobe<\/a>, so there\u2019s no doubt plenty of room to get rid of some unworn or unnecessary items in your house.<\/p>\n

Make an exception for the worn or beloved clothing items you actually wear (we\u2019re looking at you, comfy old concert tees that double as PJs), but you don\u2019t need to bring along old or out of style clothing when you\u2019re moving to a smaller home.<\/p>\n

For the most part, if you haven\u2019t worn an item in the last six months, you won\u2019t need it going forward (but hang onto your funeral wear, swimsuits, and job interview power suit).<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst, purge what no longer fits or is no longer loved,\u201d advises Melisa Celikel<\/a>, an NLP-certified clutter coach and founder of Let\u2019s Get You Organized.<\/p>\n

\u201cSecond, grab some giant black contractor trash bags and get to donating…Third, organize what is kept by sorting like with like, color coding, and creating cohesion with hangers facing the same way.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A good place to start in the clothing purge is your casual T-shirt collection. It seems that by the time we reach 30, we\u2019ve collected a thousand different T-shirts just because they came free or you made an impulse airport buy.<\/p>\n

Think about how much space you\u2019ll be able to reasonably dedicate to T-shirts in your new space, whether it\u2019s one dresser drawer or a pull-out box under the bed. Fold your shirts like origami using the KonMari method<\/a> so you can see each one you decide to keep, rather than lose sight of how many you have in a stack where only the top shirt is visible. There\u2019s more accountability with yourself that way!<\/p>\n

4. Books sitting in boxes or that you don\u2019t have a purpose for. <\/b><\/h3>\n

Bibliophiles love their books and should never have to part with them. If books are part of your heart and soul, make space for them in your next home, no matter how small it is.<\/p>\n

But since the average American realistically only reads 4 books per year, there are many households that could stand to cut back. That\u2019s not to mention the latest interior design trend of buying books for their color or decorative value<\/a>, which could be low priority when you downsize. Plus, with the abundance of eBook readers, you can store all of your favorite tales digitally.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re not suggesting you purge your entire library. However, now\u2019s the time to be honest with yourself about which books should have a place in your home and on your bookshelf. Try to keep only books that you find to be worthy of display, are so good you have to have a copy on hand, or that you\u2019d like to read someday.<\/p>\n

Old textbooks, books left behind by exes, boxes of books collecting dust, instructional manuals, and even that old stash of trashy romance novels may be examples of books that don\u2019t make the final cut.<\/p>\n

While you\u2019re at it, recycle the old catalogs, magazines, and newspapers that have been junking up the house for years.<\/p>\n

5. Anything your kids should have taken off your hands years ago.<\/h3>\n

Give your kids a chance to claim any artwork, memorabilia, CDs, trinkets, clothes, figurines, or any other items you\u2019ve been storing on their behalf long after they moved out of the house.<\/p>\n

Set a deadline for when they\u2019ll need to decide if they want something, and then toss anything that you\u2019ve only chosen to keep for their sake once it passes.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to throw out the imprint of their baby hands just because you\u2019re downsizing\u2014but you likely won\u2019t have room to set up their childhood bedrooms like they once were when you move to a smaller place. Now\u2019s a great excuse to ask the kiddos to take responsibility over their own stuff.<\/p>\n

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Source: (Kaboompics)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Don\u2019t part with these items\u2014you\u2019ll regret it!<\/h2>\n

Amid the chaos of moving and selling the house, stuff gets lost and you could accidentally toss something you regret in the rush to get packed in time. Mistakes will happen in any move. But these are the items you don\u2019t want to trash or give away in a haste.<\/p>\n

1. Important paperwork.<\/h3>\n

Excess junk mail and random papers are major clutter culprits in American homes. It\u2019s reported that we don\u2019t even look at 80% of the paperwork and information that we keep<\/a> and that the average person accumulates 15,000 pieces of junk mail <\/a>over a lifetime.<\/p>\n

This guide to sorting paper clutter<\/a> from The Spruce, a site that advises more than 30 million readers<\/a> each month on top home improvement projects, will help you sort through old papers, scan what you can, and organize the \u2018in between\u2019 papers.<\/p>\n

But be careful not to get toss-happy, or you might end up accidentally throwing away vital documents that you won\u2019t want to be caught without down the road, such as:<\/p>\n