When you think about moving, what do you imagine? Do you think of endless boxes, late nights spent packing, and a full moving truck, packed with things you’re not even sure if you’ll use at your new home?
Moving can be a chore, for sure, but it’s much easier after downsizing. Knowing how to dispose of household items when moving can make the process faster, simpler, and cheaper.
This article will explore moving tips that can help you get rid of old furniture and belongings, so you’ll be lighter and more nimble when it’s time to pack up and leave. We’ll explore ways how to get rid of household items to help keep them out of the landfill.
Moving, buying, and renting new real estate shouldn’t be such a burden. You can make life easier for yourself – and better for someone else – when you use these tips to get rid of household items.
The “Keep, Toss, Donate” Triage: Start Early
Before packing, first declutter. Decluttering lightens the load for the moving company, reduces your moving costs, and makes your new home cleaner when you arrive.
The key to successful decluttering is to start early. Whenever possible, give away your items instead of throwing them away. One person’s junk can be another person’s treasure if you take the time to find a new home for the unwanted item.
Use the “3-Box” Rule: Set up three boxes in the room you’re packing:
- Keep box: The keep box is where you’ll put items that you intend to bring with you to your new home. It’s tempting to throw more in this box than you need. If you haven’t used it in a year, don’t keep it! Don’t bring anything with you that you don’t use frequently. You’d be amazed how much you can get rid of when you’re willing to part with things you don’t use often.
- Toss box: The toss box is the box of items that you don’t want to bring with you and can’t be donated. Depending on what’s in your home, this box may contain old junk mail, broken things that can’t be salvaged, scraps, and items that have no useful life left. Hopefully, there won’t be a lot in this box.
- Donate box: The donate box contains everything that you don’t plan to bring with you, but you believe someone else could use or benefit from. This box will contain items such as clothing, books, electronics, and toys.
Decluttering Timeline
Decluttering is one of the most time-consuming parts of any household moving process. You may not think you own much, but once you start opening every drawer, you’ll realize that you have a lot to get rid of or pack. Give yourself at least four to eight weeks to declutter. Create a timeline for going through each room of your house, so you’ll know if you start to fall behind.
Don’t wait until the last minute. It’s harder to donate items at a fast turnaround, especially if you need pick-up service.
Selling: Turn Clutter Into Moving Cash
There are many reasons to declutter before moving, but one of the greatest benefits is financial. Moving a $50 IKEA shelf might cost $100 in moving labor and space, when you could buy a new shelf for half the price.
Selling items like large furniture and electronics is a great way to turn your clutter into cash, which you can then use to help cover your moving expenses. There are many ways to sell used furniture and electronics in NYC. Knowing your options, including which platforms to use for different kinds of items, can help you offload your unwanted items quickly and safely. The most popular digital marketplaces in New York City include AptDeco and the Facebook Marketplace.
AptDeco
AptDeco is an online marketplace where consumers can sell their used furniture. There are many benefits of AptDeco, including:
- Secure transactions: Purchases are made through the online marketplace, so money is easily (and securely) transferred from the purchaser to the seller.
- Easy pick up and drop off: Movers with AptDeco handle all pick up and drop off, so there’s no worry about getting the furniture out of your home and into someone else’s.
- Simplicity: Scheduling the pickup and drop off is easy through the AptDeco platform.
Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace is a popular digital platform where you can sell everything from used home goods to used furniture. Selling items through the marketplace can be fast and effective, however, FB Marketplace is less secure and less controlled than AptDeco. If you’re going to use this platform, follow some basic safety tips.
- Meet in public places whenever possible: Don’t arrange for meetings in private spaces. When you’re going to meet someone with an item you’ve sold, tell someone where you’re going or bring a friend.
- Be clear about the money: Set clear payment terms. Make sure the money has cleared before giving away the item.
- Be safe with porch pickup: If you’re leaving an item on your porch for pickup, wait until the buyer has confirmed that they’ve left to pick up the item before putting it on your porch. Put the item somewhere discreet to avoid theft.
- Be careful about shipping: It’s easy to lose money when you’re paying to ship something to someone, and items often end up broken in the mail. Calculate shipping charges carefully, and when you send it in the mail, take care to wrap it carefully.
Pricing Strategy
Unless you’re selling your item many months in advance, it’s important to price the item for a fast sale. Plan to sell your item for 50% off retail or more.
Donation: The “Big John” Community Approach
Take care of your community! A great way to get rid of your old furniture and gently used items is to give them away to charities. Several NYC charities offer free furniture pick-up.
Salvation Army and Housing Works both offer free furniture pickup, but these organizations require a two- to four-week lead time. If you’ve planned and want to donate, contact these organizations.
Housing Works is an organization that fights AIDS and homelessness in New York, while Big Reuse is a Brooklyn and Queens eco-focused organization with a mission to fight climate change through community-based zero-waste initiatives.
Whatever your donation, get a receipt for tax purposes.
NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY) Rules
The NYC Department of Sanitation offers some junk removal services for unwanted furniture. Non-recyclable bulky furniture (like sofas and wood furniture) is put out in the evening before your regular trash day, after 4 PM. NYC residents can leave out up to 6 bulky items per collection day. A bulky item is something that won’t fit in a bin or bag.
Getting rid of electronic waste? This can’t be put on the curb. If you have hazardous waste like electronics, DSNY offers SAFE Disposal events where you can safely drop off toxic, corrosive, or dangerous products.
Throwing away a mattress? Bedding items like mattresses must be sealed in plastic when placed on the curb to prevent the spread of bedbugs. The DSNY website shows up to a $300 fine for people who break this rule.
The “Buy Nothing” & Stooping Movement
Hyper-local gifting websites, like local Buy Nothing Facebook groups and Freecycle, are another way to dispose of usable items. These groups present a faster way of offloading items compared to charity pick-ups, and can be much faster than trying to sell items, as buyers can be picky.
One more method for Instagram users is called stooping. Place your item on your stoop, snap a pic, tag the item with @StoopingNYC, and provide the location. Your item will be picked up by someone in need.
These eco-friendly methods provide direct recycling to neighbors and people in your area. Using these organizations and platforms for junk removal keeps your old items out of landfills and helps ensure that your unwanted items find their way to someone who needs them.
Junk Removal: When to Call the Pros
Professional junk removal services can help when you’re in a hurry to offload many items. Junk removal service is generally a last resort because of the cost, but if you’re trying to offload large furniture and are unable to recycle or freecycle your items, junk removal may be the best option.
There are multiple junk removal services in the NYC area, including 1-800-GOT-JUNK and Junkluggers. Professional junk services often recycle, which aligns with Big John’s green mission.
Keep in mind that your moving company is not a junk hauler. If you need to get rid of junk on your moving day, your moving company can’t take trash to the dump. Big John’s does provide professional packing services and storage if you can’t decide on a disposal method.
Need moving labor? Call today.
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