The cheapest way to move house in Christchurch is to move less of it. Here is the room-by-room checklist locals actually use to cut their moving cost - and the rubbish removal timeline that goes with it.
Moving companies charge by volume. Storage units charge by volume. Even your time and your back charge by volume. Every kilo of stuff you do not move is money saved - and the move itself is far less stressful when you arrive at the new place with only things you actually want.
This is the timeline and room-by-room checklist Christchurch movers actually use. It works for a Riccarton flat shift, a Papanui family home, or a downsize from a Rolleston four-bedroom into something smaller.
The 6-week timeline
- Week 6 - book your moving company and decide your declutter sort categories (keep / sell / donate / junk).
- Weeks 5-4 - declutter the slow-moving rooms first: garage, attic, spare room, storage cupboards. These have the most low-value high-volume stuff.
- Week 3 - tackle main living spaces. Lounge, kitchen, laundry. Anything not used in the last 12 months goes into a pile.
- Week 2 - bedrooms and wardrobes. This is also the deadline for any Trade Me or Facebook Marketplace listings to clear.
- Week 1 - confirm your junk removal booking for the day before, the day of, or the day after your move. Final pre-move clean is much easier with the rubbish already gone.
- Moving week - donate working items at Habitat ReStore or Sallies, drop hazardous waste at EcoDrop, and have the truck pick up everything else.
The decluttering sort - four piles
- ✓Keep - it is genuinely useful, sentimental, or you will replace it within a year if you toss it.
- ✓Sell - working, in good condition, worth at least $30. Trade Me and Marketplace are your friends.
- ✓Donate - working, in good condition, not worth selling. Habitat ReStore, Sallies, Hagar, and Christchurch City Mission all accept furniture and household goods.
- ✓Junk - broken, unsellable, unusable, or just not worth the time. This is what the truck picks up.
Room-by-room checklist
Garage and shed
This is almost always the highest-volume room in the house and the lowest-value. Be ruthless.
- ✓Old paint, oils, garden chemicals - drop at EcoDrop hazardous waste, never bin or pour down the drain
- ✓Tools you have not touched in two years - sell, donate or junk
- ✓Tyres - some EcoDrops accept them for a fee, or include in a junk pickup
- ✓Bikes you do not ride - donate via ICECycles or local pay-it-forward groups
- ✓Half-used building materials, broken sports gear, ancient camping kit - junk pile
Kitchen and pantry
- ✓Anything expired - bin or compost
- ✓Appliances you have not used in 6 months - donate working units, junk broken ones
- ✓Mismatched plates and chipped mugs - donate or junk
- ✓Old microwave or kettle - small whiteware, free at EcoDrop or included in a pickup
Laundry
- ✓Empty or expired cleaning products - hazardous to EcoDrop
- ✓Old washing machine or dryer if it is going with the house - book a whiteware pickup or drop at EcoDrop for free
- ✓Iron and ironing board you no longer use - donate
Lounge and dining
- ✓Couches and armchairs that will not fit the new place - sell or arrange a couch removal
- ✓Side tables, lamps, rugs that do not match the new house - donate or sell
- ✓Books and DVDs in volume - donate to library book sales or Sallies
- ✓TVs and old electronics - e-waste, not the red bin
Bedrooms
- ✓Mattresses you are replacing - book a mattress pickup, do not put them out for the kerbside
- ✓Wardrobes and dressers - measure the new room before deciding to move them
- ✓Clothing you have not worn in a year - donate, especially winter coats and kids' clothes
- ✓Toys, trampolines, swing sets if the kids have outgrown them - donate working items, junk the rest
Bathroom and storage cupboards
- ✓Half-used toiletries, old prescription medicine - chemist for medicine, bin or hazardous for the rest
- ✓Linen you no longer use - SPCA and animal shelters welcome old towels and sheets
- ✓Old kids' car seats - safety-expired ones cannot be donated and need to be junked
When to book your final cleanout
There is a sweet spot for the rubbish pickup. Book it too early and you will keep adding things to the pile right up to the truck arriving. Book it too late and you are paying for storage, hassling your removalist with extras, or leaving rubbish at the old house for the next tenant or buyer.
For most Christchurch moves, the ideal day is the day before the moving truck arrives. The junk crew clears the no-go piles, the moving crew packs the rest the next morning, and you arrive at the new house with nothing but what you actually want.
If you are doing a full property handover, also factor in the end-of-tenancy or pre-settlement clean. Empty rubbish bins are a tenancy requirement and most real estate contracts include a 'leave it tidy' clause. A pre-move junk removal pickup makes the final clean much faster.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a house cleanout cost in Christchurch?+
A typical pre-move cleanout runs from $160 (quarter truck) for a small flat to $420+ (full truck) for a family home or larger property. The price covers labour, transport and disposal, so there are no surprises on moving week.
Will junk removal go inside the house to collect things?+
Yes. The whole point of a full-service pickup is that the crew does the heavy lifting. You point at it, we carry it out and load it. You do not need to drag furniture to the kerb.
Can I donate furniture instead of junking it?+
Absolutely - and you should, where the items are in good condition. Habitat for Humanity ReStore, the Salvation Army Family Store and Christchurch City Mission all accept clean, working furniture. For anything broken, stained or 1990s-vintage, junk removal is the realistic option.
Do you do moving day cleanouts in Rolleston, Rangiora and Kaiapoi?+
Yes. We service the wider Canterbury region including Rolleston, Lincoln, West Melton, Rangiora, Kaiapoi, Woodend and Pegasus. Bookings in those areas are usually a 24-72 hour lead time.
Lining up a move?
Book your pre-move cleanout with General Junk on 027 313 8782. We will sync to your moving date so the truck arrives exactly when you need it.
Call 027 313 8782
