How To Make Your House Move Eco-Friendly

Having recently moved for the first time in 15 years, I had forgotten not only how stressful it can be but also how wasteful. After a meeting with a removals company, I was quite shocked at their tip to shrink-wrap almost all the furniture that is holding something inside, for example, a chest of drawers full of clothes, to save time. I personally don’t think putting clothes into a suitcase is too strenuous a task and as I already own suitcases, as they are reusable and easy to transport, I feel like these are a far better option than spending money on single use plastic that will only be used for a couple of hours. It was things like this that got me thinking, “How can I ensure I move in a more eco-friendly way?” Let me share a few tips…

Declutter Responsibly

I must have decluttered around 5 times before we moved – it was a big job. We had lived in our house for 15 years, had two children and accumulated A LOT of stuff in that period. The first declutter happened before we put the house on the market because we wanted the photos to look nice. We then did another before viewings took place and I just gradually went through other areas as and when I could to ensure that we weren’t taking unnecessary things to our new home. To declutter responsibly, you should:

Check the condition of anything you want to donate

Charity shops get inundated with stock they cannot sell due to damage, it being unclean or unfit for use. Make sure to wash, mend and remove stains from clothing before bagging it up. Give toys a good wash and check all the pieces are there. You can either bag these up or use tape to attach them to the larger item. Check that books don’t have ripped pages or drawings inside. Check that lamps etc do work. Just think to yourself, would you buy the item in this condition if it was sat on the shelf in a shop?

Utilise clothing banks

Clothing banks are a great option for clothing that can’t be donated to a charity shop (for whatever reason). Some banks will look to donate them elsewhere and others will send them for recycling. Check the types you have in your local area and check the requirements of donating e.g. shoes need to be paired up with elastic bands, clothing should be in bags.

Electrical recycling

If you have any electricals that are no longer working or are missing parts etc these can be taken to your local recycling points.

Selling online

If you have the time before moving and want to make a little extra money to go towards stamp duty or removals, then why not have a go at selling your better stuff on sites such as Vinted, Facebook Marketplace or eBay? Every little bit will help.

Pass it on

For a quick clear out why not pass things on for free to friends and family, by advertising on Facebook Marketplace or a local freebie page? This way your items will probably exit your home much faster and go on to make others happy.

Pre-loved Boxes

Buying brand new cardboard is an option but come on, it’s boxes, we all order things online, other people move house and shops get deliveries in boxes on a daily basis. Let’s not waste money or create new waste via production and end of life. Facebook Marketplace, your local freebie Facebook page, friends/family, parents at school – just ask around and see if anyone has anything they can pass onto you. In the lead up to our move, I was checking these pages almost every day; I made several trips to the local Home Bargains and B&M stores, plus I asked on my personal Facebook page. We ended up with such a wide variety of sizes which was really handy.

Packaging

As soon as I put our house on the market, I started to save packaging from orders or gifts in preparation for moving day. I was also given a lot of secondhand bubble wrap by my sister, who had just moved, and a friend who moved about two weeks before us. Keeping the reusing idea in my mind, I used tea towels to wrap some of our mugs and towels to wrap other breakables. We also used bedding to safely place and transport pictures and TVs in our cars.

Tape

I hate plastic tape. Not only is it fiddly to use, but you have to use scissors to cut AND it cannot be recycled. I opted for (and always use this in the house anyway) brown paper tape. I find it easier to apply, it sticks far better, you can tear it off by hand and you can put it in your recycling bin after use.

I used this tape on a few of the drawers on furniture rather than purchasing the shrink wrap the removal guy told me to get. It didn’t mark and didn’t leave me with eco-guilt either.

Choose a Local and Trusted Removal Company

Moving yourself is not only stressful but it can take you a lot more car journeys to get the job done. By choosing a local company, you will be supporting people who probably live nearby, you can get an estimate of how many vans you will need (to keep fuel consumption minimal), they will fill them for you, they will ensure your items are safe and make your move as smooth as possible. A local company won’t have as far to travel to you, they will know the area and therefore the fastest routes and if you are moving within the same area, your emissions created by the move will be lower.

Pass The Love On

By this I mean:

• Relist your boxes and packaging on local sites
• If doable, leave the boxes made up so the next person doesn’t have to source more tape
• Leave reviews for your Estate Agents and Removal Company to help others looking for these services
• Share your top tips for moving with people you know

If you are moving house soon, good luck with everything and I hope my eco-friendly moving tips come in handy.

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