Moving out of your old office and into a new one can sometimes feel like a necessary evil, especially if the logistics of the move itself are complex. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to make the experience a little easier on yourself and your employees. For instance, you may be able to lighten the burden of your office move by getting rid of any equipment, furniture, or office supplies you might not need at your new location. The following offers a few suggestions on what to do with your unneeded stuff.

Donate Unwanted Furniture and Equipment

If you have old office furniture that's seen better days or you've been holding onto those surplus fax machines and computer monitors, you can clear out your unwanted inventory by donating it all to charity. There are plenty of nonprofit charitable organizations that are willing to take in unwanted office equipment. Not only will you have a few less boxes to load up, but you'll also get a nice tax deduction out of the deal.

You can also arrange to have your old computer monitors, fax machines, and other electronic equipment recycled by a reputable electronics dismantler. These companies recycle old electronics in hopes of harvesting valuable parts that can be reused or resold. Not only will it save your dumpster some well-needed space, but it'll also lessen the environmental impact of discarding old equipment and keep potentially hazardous materials out of the landfill.

Consider Digital Document Conversion

Although most offices rely heavily on digital documents, chances are you still have file cabinets loaded with important paper documents. Instead of bringing these bulky items along for the move, you can have a reputable document conversion service convert your hardcopy documents into digital form. Most services will convert your documents into an easily readable PDF format that can be reprinted in paper form as needed.

Digital document conversion could help you save tremendously on your moving expenses, since you won't have to worry about transporting dozens or even hundreds of pounds of paper during your move. However, digital document conversion can also be expensive in its own right depending on the amount of documents that need to be converted. Also keep in mind that HIPAA and other regulatory requirements may affect your ability to digitally convert your hardcopy documents.

If you're wondering what to do with your old documents after they've been digitized, then you may want to consider the option below.

Shred Those Unneeded Documents

Instead of sending your old documents to the dumpster and hoping they'll be disposed of properly, you can have a document shredding company take care of the task just prior to your office move. The document shredding service will use a specialized mobile shredding unit—think of your office shredder, but bigger and on wheels—to safely and securely destroy your old documents.

Not only is it a cost-effective way of destroying unwanted documents in bulk, but it's also a great way to destroy sensitive and confidential documents, such as those containing financial or medical information. Most document shredding companies will allow you to supervise the entire process so you'll know for certain that your documents were taken care of.

Consider Off-Site Storage

If you still have office equipment you want to hold on to but you don't want to take to your new location, then you may want to consider investing in nearby off-site storage. A climate controlled storage facility can safely hold most of your unneeded office equipment and furniture. Some storage facilities also provide carefully controlled document storage, allowing your company to store documents off-site while still remaining in compliance with privacy and record-keeping regulations. 

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