Start here, it is the easiest. Clear the workbench and shelves, keep only the tools you use, and donate duplicate or unused tools to Habitat for Humanity ReStore. Dispose of dried-out garden supplies and broken equipment. Set aside hazardous items, old paint, motor oil, gasoline, propane tanks and pesticides, for the York Region Household Hazardous Waste Depot. Aim to see the floor and both parking spaces when you are done.

Open the boxes you have not touched since the last move, if you have not needed the contents in years, most of it can go. Donate the spare furniture and the children's outgrown items, and dispose of anything mouldy or water damaged. Clear everything away from the furnace, water heater and electrical panel. Our garage, basement and attic cleanout guide covers these spaces in detail.

Quick and low-emotion. Toss expired and near-empty cleaning products (hazardous ones go to the depot, not the drain), donate spare laundry baskets and supplies you will not need in the new home, and keep only the essentials. A fast win that builds momentum.

Keep one set of everyday dishes and the pots, pans and tools you actually use. Donate duplicate sets, specialty gadgets and the second of everything to a Markham charity. Toss chipped dishes, warped pans and expired pantry items. If you are downsizing to a condo, be realistic: a smaller kitchen holds far less than a family home.

Measure the large furniture against your new floor plan first, the oversized sectional and the twelve-seat dining set are usually the biggest calls. Donate furniture that will not fit, thin out books, DVDs and decor, and keep only the pieces you love and will use. Give family members a chance to claim meaningful items early.

Apply the twelve-month rule to clothing: if you have not worn it in a year, donate it. Keep one set of linens per bed in the new home and donate the excess. Clear surfaces and under-bed storage, and remove any spare furniture. Guest-room furniture you will not have space for is a good donation candidate.

Toss expired products, old cosmetics and anything half used. Return expired or unused medications to any Markham pharmacy for safe disposal, never the garbage or the toilet. Keep a minimal set of essentials and donate spare unopened toiletries to a local shelter.

Keep original legal documents, wills, deeds, passports, birth and marriage certificates, and current tax returns (seven years). Scan anything else you want and shred the paper originals; office supply stores in Markham offer shredding. Donate working electronics after wiping your data, and send non-working electronics to e-waste recycling.

Bring down whatever is stored in the attic, holiday decorations, luggage, old boxes, and sort it with the rest. Outdoors, clear the patio, deck and yard of broken furniture, cracked pots and unused equipment. Donate usable outdoor furniture and tools, and dispose of the broken items through curbside bulk pickup or the transfer station.

Leave the photos, letters, keepsakes and a loved one's belongings until you have practice and momentum. Give yourself one or two boxes for the truly irreplaceable, photograph items you want to remember but cannot keep, and keep one representative piece rather than the whole collection. This is the hardest room, which is exactly why it goes last.