55 Things to Toss When You’re Moving (or Just Because You Want to Declutter)

If you’re about to move, you’re probably considering just how much of your stuff you can purge before you go. Finding out how to get rid of everything and move — to the perfect degree — is a complex art. 

After all, you don’t want to take everything you own with you. That can get heavy and expensive. Boxes of books add up, and if you’re using movers, the more you have, the more you have to pay. At the same time, you need to resist the urge to toss everything out. It’s just as expensive to donate your items and then buy all new things as it is to bring it all with you. 

But do you really need all of those wire hangers? Or those glass Mason jars? Or your old, beat-up couch?

How do you decide what to keep, and what to say goodbye to? I’m no Marie Kondo, but I did my best to divide up the stuff you should get rid of into four categories: “old and used,” “it’s multiplying,” “what is that?” and “this doesn’t go there.” You will have to think about the things you use regularly and the logistics of your move — but I promise I won’t force you to have strong feelings about your toaster.

Be honest with yourself: You have stuff that stopped being useful when the Rachel haircut was still in style. Now that you’re moving, it’s time to reassess. Nix the things that are actually trash. Recycle or re-home other stuff when you can. Some examples in this category are as follows:

1. Clothes that don’t fit
2. Shoes you wore once and then never again
3. Outdated electronics like old phones or VHS players
4. Posters you bought in college
5. Expired food
6. Expired medications
7. Expired makeup
8. Stray cords
9. Nonessential paperwork
10. Worn sheets and towels
11. Shower curtains — just get a new one
12. Instruction manuals — they’re all online
13. Old tax returns — shred them
14. Old bills and receipts
15. Clothes with holes and un-fixable stains
16. Ruined furniture — that sofa your cat destroyed, your coffee table with water rings on it

If you’re like me, you might not realize that you already have enough office supplies, so you keep buying them over and over. The same can be said for a lot of things I seem to amass, especially when I live someplace for a while. Moving is a great time to take stock of what you have. Sell, donate, or give away any excess that someone else can use — you can always buy more.

17. Dishes that don’t match
18. Cookware — if you have 3 pasta pots, consider getting rid of 1
19. Glasses and cups
20. Stained or mismatched containers, or containers without lids
21. Spices, especially ones you bought a decade ago
22. Chip clips, hair twists, and other odds and ends
23. Basically your entire junk drawer
24. Towels that don’t match or have discoloration
25. Tools you’ve never used (and have no plans for using)
26. Extra vases or knickknacks
27. Water bottles
28. Pens — you only need a few
29. Office supplies like extra staplers, paper, tape, scissors
30. Any more than two sets of sheets
31. Unused blankets or comforters
32. Excess luggage — you only need three pieces per person
33. Chargers and other miscellaneous electronics
34. The 100 extra hangers you have from dry cleaning

If you haven’t seen your stuff in years, and only remembered you had it while packing it up, it may be time to reevaluate your relationship with it.

35. Books you’ve had for years and never read — donate your books and join your local library instead
36. Old magazines
37. Obsolete formats like VHS, cassette tapes, or CDs (if you don’t use them)
38. Kitchen appliances and gadgets you don’t use
39. Holiday decorations that stay in storage — even when it’s the holidays
40. Toys or games your kids have outgrown — donate them to kids in need
41. Never-used serving dishes
42. Gifts you hate but are keeping out of guilt
43. Baby gear, especially if you aren’t planning to have another one
44. Broken stuff that isn’t easily fixable (or that you haven’t fixed in years, despite saying you will)
45. Old greeting cards
46. Clothes that you don’t like anymore
47. College papers, notebooks, or folders that you haven’t opened since you graduated

Odds are, your new digs are going to be different from your old place. In some circumstances, this may change what you should bring with you, what you’ll use, and even what might fit.

“Donate anything that you won’t use at your new place,” advises Eileen Roth, author of Organizing for Dummies. “For instance, if you’re moving to a warm climate and you no longer need a snow shovel or sled, donate them. Keep that winter coat and a pair of boots in case you return for a visit. If you’re moving to a condo, you probably won’t need gardening tools or a hose. If you have a pool now, and your new place doesn’t, you can probably get rid of your pool toys.”

Also, use this time to purge the things that you want to replace: “My main advice is to get rid of any heavy and large items that you don’t love,” says Ali Wenzke, author of The Art of Happy Moving: How to Declutter, Pack and Start Over While Maintaining Your Sanity and Finding Happiness. “Consider how much it will cost you to pack it, move it, and unpack it in your new place. Would it be easier and cheaper to sell the item or donate it and then to rebuy it if you really missed it?”

48. Filters for your current AC unit
49. Lighting made specifically for your current fixtures
50. Curtains, especially if your home has blinds
51. DIY decor items like flooring, wallpaper, tile, and paint
52. Dining room set
53. That too-large bedroom set
54. Sectional furniture
55. Clunky coffee tables