Congratulations! You’ve found a swap, your application has been approved and now all that’s left to think about is the move itself. Moving home is a chance to shed some of the possessions that over time, have turned into clutter. Instead of sending them to landfill there are places you can put them so others can find your unwanted goods.

When preparing for a big move, items hidden for years come out of all the nooks and crannies of your home. It’s good practice to declutter those items a little while before you move so you’re lugging less of this stuff to the new home and have less to sort through on the other side. Here are our tips for what to do with them…

Money makers

Selling things is a good option for earning a bit of cash to cover moving costs. Sites like eBay, Gumtree and Shpock are all good options for selling your old, unwanted items.

For some though, the time taken up by arranging shipping, payment and pick up of items may be too stressful when trying to organise a successful move. Have a think about whether the effort will cost more than the money you make on these items and perhaps try only selling the things you think you’ll make the most from.

Charity shops

Charity shops rely on donations to raise cash for their chosen cause. Giving quality items helps those charities, but also means the rest of us can find some great bargains!

Some local charity shops may not have the capacity to perform the necessary testing on electrical goods or have access to vehicles for picking up or delivering large furniture items. But here are two that do:

• The British Heart Foundation is a good option if you’re looking to get rid of those more difficult items and make sure they get put to good use
• The Sue Ryder Foundation also arrange to pick up bulky items for free

Aside from these two examples there are many more national and local charities that can help you declutter and put your smaller unwanted things to good use. Charity Choice list organisations across the country according to category.

For books, you can also try getting in contact with your local library or looking out in train stations for open bookshelves for passers-by to take from.

Broken items

Just because something is broken doesn’t mean it’s necessarily rubbish. Do you have the time and skills necessary to repair an item or the time and money to take it to an expert? If not, then try listing it as ‘broken’ on platforms like Freecycle or Facebook Marketplace so someone else can make it ship-shape.

Be neighbourly

Do you have a group chat with your neighbours, are you part of a community forum, or is there a notice board for your building? These can be great places to give unwanted things away to your neighbours! Giving an item to somebody nearby means less hassle arranging a pick-up or delivery time for your old things.

White goods and electricals

In the UK, 14 million homes would struggle to purchase one essential household item if a white good (washing machines, fridges, etc.) broke down or furniture needed replacing.

If you have your own white goods or furniture but you’re moving into somewhere that already supplies them, you might need to get rid of your own items. On the other hand, if you want to take them with you, then the items from the new place will probably need removing.

Your existing or new landlord may have schemes to make sure that other tenants have access to white goods and quality furniture. Check with them to see if your own items, or those of the new flat can be recycled to other tenants in this way!

Whatever the options are, throwing items away should always be the last resort and if it needs to be thrown away, make sure it is properly disposed of. In 2017 there were over 1 million cases of fly-tipping in the UK, costing us all £58 million in clear-up costs! Moving home is a fresh start and only taking what is useful and has sentimental value can build you a new home with space to add to. We hope you find some options that suit you and wish you the best of luck with your move!

The HomeSwapper Customer Support team are always on hand to give advice and tips on how to get the most from HomeSwapper. They deal with Swappers every day and have a unique insight and view on the thousands of successful swaps that take place on HomeSwapper.