Moving? Avoid bringing these six unnecessary items. Learn why donating, selling, or tossing them before your move is better. When preparing for a move, it’s tempting to pack up everything and transport it all to your new home. However, being selective about what makes the cut can save you time, money, and effort. This is especially true if you plan to hire packing services Toronto to handle your move.
As professional movers know, certain items are simply not worth packing and moving. We’ll explore six such things below, explaining why it’s better to sell, donate, toss, or leave these items behind.
- Old Mattresses
Unless your mattress is almost brand new, don’t bother packing it. Here’s why:
- Mattresses are heavy and take up a lot of truck space, adding unnecessary costs for you
- Used mattresses often won’t fit well in a new room or bed frame
- Moving companies may refuse to transport extremely old or soiled mattresses
- State laws prohibit moving infested mattresses with bed bugs or other pests
Instead of squeezing an old, worn-out mattress into your move, opt to:
- Donate usable mattresses less than 10 years old
- Sell newer mattresses in good shape secondhand
- Discard excessively old, ripped, or stained mattresses
Then, invest in a new, comfortable mattress once settled into your new home. Your back and budget will thank you later!
- Perishable Foods
It may be tempting to transport that unopened 10 lb bag of rice during your move, but perishable foods usually don’t withstand moving trucks’ variable temperatures and bumpy rides:
- Dairy, meat, produce, and more can spoil
- Canned goods can dent or puncture
- Dry goods can spill everywhere if boxes break
- Opened items may attract pests along the journey
Instead of wasting money on items likely to arrive inedible or unusable, toss non-reserved perishables. Then restock your kitchen once unpacked.
If discarding food seems too wasteful, consider donating unopened, non-perishables to your local food bank before moving day. This declutters your kitchen while benefiting those in need.
- Hazardous Household Chemicals
That bottle of bleach, oil-based paint, or insecticide may serve important functions. However, packing hazardous household chemicals comes with major risks:
| Risk | Example Consequences |
| Leaking Containers | Ruined clothes, carpeting, upholstery |
| Fires | Fumes igniting in high heat |
| Chemical Burns | Skin/eye irritation from spills |
| Property Damage | Corrosion from spills inside the truck |
Yikes! Instead, properly dispose of household hazardous waste pre-move following local regulations. Search “[Your City] household hazardous waste disposal” to find drop-off locations or pickup services.
- Sentimental Items With No Actual Use or Value
We all have sentimental belongings that spark nostalgic memories but realistically collect dust in storage bins, like that box of whimsical ceramic frogs from your aunt or handmade pottery from childhood art classes.
While tough, analyze your sentimental items and ask:
- When did I last display or use this?
- Does this have tangible monetary or heirloom value?
- Am I keeping this out of guilt or obligation more than joy?
- Could this bring more happiness to someone else now?
If items serve no practical purpose beyond housing memories, take photos, then donate or toss them before your move. Keeping sentimental but useless stuff often leads to future overwhelm, downsizing, or purging again after life changes.
- Most Appliances and Furniture Over 10 Years Old
It’s usually not worth your effort or money to pack and move appliances and furniture over a decade old. Here’s why it’s often better to replace these outdated items:
- Damaged pieces with lots of wear rarely survive moves intact
- Dated styles may not match your new home’s layout or aesthetics
- Advancing age means more repairs; replacement parts are needed soon
- New models run more energy efficiently, saving you money monthly
- The reselling value of used items this old is super low
Sell or donate these aging items rather than paying to move broken-down, obsolete stuff unlikely to fit your new home.
Tip: As you near moving day, do you have working appliances and older but usable furniture ready to go? Consider offering them up for free on Buy Nothing groups or Nextdoor to save on hauling them yourself.
- Most Paperwork and Files
These days, most contracts, statements, records, documents, and other paperwork can be accessed digitally on demand. Unless you have pressing legal or tax filing needs requiring original copies, focus on organizing digital files rather than filling filing boxes with paper.
- Scan important documents to back up digitally on external drives or cloud storage.
- Shred documents with sensitive personal information if no longer essential
- Recycle wider paperwork following your town’s recycling rules
Going paperless lightens your moving load. Just remember to inventory and transport external media holding your digitized paperwork properly.
As you prepare to move, carefully evaluate each item and ask what tangible value it adds to your life. More often than not, letting go of the unnecessary stuff frees up more space for what genuinely matters most.
