Are you moving house soon? There’s always a lot to do in the run-up to a house move, and having a clear idea of what you need to do to prepare is essential so that nothing gets forgotten or left until the last minute. We’ve previously created a printable moving house checklist and some advice on preparing for a house move.

Here are our tips for giving everything a good spring clean before a house move. The aim of spring cleaning before a house move is not only to leave everything in a lovely condition for those moving in but also to be sure that everything you take to your new home is clean, in good condition, and wanted/needed.
 

Step 1: Decide how much time you have to spend on a spring clean

If you have several weeks before your move, you could do the following steps in small parts: doing a little bit each week. If your moving day is in a week’s time, you’ll need to blitz through it all in an afternoon! 

If you have limited time available, go room-by-room and set a timer for, say, 15 minutes per room to declutter (see Step 2). When the decluttering is done, set a timer to clean each room, allowing 15 minutes per room again (see Step 5).
 

Step 2: Declutter to save money and time

Removal firms charge according to how much needs to be transported from one house to the other (and how far the journey is). If you declutter your home so that all you’ll be taking with you is what you intend to keep in your new home, you’ll save money on the removals costs.

You’ll also save a lot of time wrapping and packing up your belongings if there are fewer things to pack! Why go to the time and trouble of boxing up loads of books or old clothes if you’ll never use them again in your new home? 

Start by decluttering your wardrobes and chests of drawers to recycle, sell or donate anything that no longer fits or that you don’t like anymore. 

You might have lots of spare blankets, bedding sets, and towels you don’t use - charity shops will gratefully receive them for others to use. It’s worth remembering that fabric items like these might be helpful as packing material as an eco-friendly alternative to bubble wrap. If you decide to use spare blankets, bedding, etc., to protect your furniture and ornaments, you could always recycle/donate/sell them after you’ve moved so they don’t clutter up your new home.

Next, go through your house room by room and decide what other items you want to keep, and recycle, donate or sell anything that you know you won’t use in the future. This might include nearly-empty bottles of product in your bathroom, used decorative candles, books, out-of-date cans or jars, or excess dinnerware/ovenware. 

Decluttering will not only make moving day quicker, easier and cheaper, but it will also mean that your new home can be a fresh start, free from the clutter of your past. Moving with only the belongings you truly want, need and/or use, your new home can be clutter-free.
 

Step 3: Decide what to do with your furniture

If you’re unsure of what furniture will fit your new home or are planning to treat yourself to a new bed or sofa for your new home, you might need to ‘declutter’ your furniture.

For instance, you might be downsizing from a 3-bedroom home to one with only two beds. Or you might have furniture you don’t know will fit in your new home, or you might be planning to treat yourself to a new sofa or bed so you won't be keeping your old ones. 

Those excess items of furniture could be disposed of (donated, sold or recycled) well before moving day if you’re not currently using them. Some charities will arrange collection of large donated household items like sofas and beds, and councils will collect old mattresses and other large items for free or a minimal fee. 

If you still need to use those furniture items before you move, you could put them into a self storage unit (see Step 4 below) on or after moving day until you’ve arranged for them to be sold or donated. 

This is also a good time to deep clean your larger items of furniture (your mattresses and comfy chairs, for instance). You could hire a wet & dry vacuum for a couple of days to do this yourself (and you could clean the carpets at the same time if you think the new owners will keep them in place for a while and might appreciate it). Or you could hire a company to do this for you, depending on your budget and available time. You could also take your duvets to a laundrette if they don’t fit in your washing machine at home.
 

Step 4: Consider using self storage

Self storage can be handy before, during and after moving house. Before moving, reduce the cost of your removals by taking excess furniture and belongings to store in a self storage unit until you move into your new home. 

For instance, items of furniture and furnishings that you don’t regularly use (e.g. spare beds, bedside tables, books, out-of-season clothing and belongings like Christmas decorations) could be moved into a self storage unit at any time before moving day. You won’t miss having them in the house, and your removals firm will have less to move, cutting the cost of moving day.

When you’re settled in your new home and are ready to move those items back in, you can take a view on whether they will fit and suit your new home or whether you’d like to invest in some replacements.

If your new home needs renovating or major redecoration, you can use self storage to keep your belongings clean, safe and dry until this work has been completed. Even if your new house is practically ready to move into, you should spend a day or two cleaning it before moving your belongings in. Decorating, cleaning and renovating can all be achieved far more quickly if you don’t have to work around a lot of stuff!

Depending on your budget, you could ask your removals firm to take your household contents straight to your self storage unit on completion day so that you can give vacant possession to your buyer. You can then spend as long as you need cleaning, decorating or renovating your new home before you book the removals firm again to move everything from your storage unit to your new home.

Alternatively, you could arrange for your removals firm to only take the largest items of furniture (e.g. your 3-piece suite, wardrobes and beds) to your new house, whilst you take everything else to your self-storage unit on moving day (or before). Then, you can move your furnishings and smaller furniture into your new home when it’s clean and decorated.
 

Step 5: Cleaning time!

Once you’ve decluttered, you’ll find it much easier to see what needs to be cleaned before it’s packed away for moving day. You won’t want to take greasy, dirty items to your new home, so go through all your cupboards and drawers and clean anything that needs attention. 

For example, baking trays, oven dishes, coffee machines and blenders might need a wipe over or a good wash with soapy water to get them squeaky clean and fit for your sparkling new kitchen! 

Make sure you wipe down the drawers and cupboards before returning anything to them so they stay clean until moving day.

Keep your cleaning kit handy for when you move into your new home - pack it in your car on moving day along with a box of other essentials to have everything you need to hand when you arrive.
 

All done!

When all the clutter and excess belongings have been removed, and everything else is clean and ready for your new home, you’re ready to pack! 

If you’d like to know more about self storage with us, or if you’d like to reserve a self storage unit for your house move, our friendly team is available to give you any information you need and help find the right size unit for your needs. We also have videos and descriptions of our self-storage units so you can visualise how much space you’d need.