Tips on Decluttering

**KatieJo** · 08-08-2010, 12:09 PM

So I have started decluttering my home by going through our DVDs and video games and listing them on ebay. Any tips for decluttering the rest of the house and getting ridof things we are not really sure why we hanging on to in the first place but can't seem to get rid of?

**khaski** · 08-08-2010, 04:28 PM

Donate! Nor sure where you live, but you can throw out any 'junk', list the good stuff that'll sell well on ebay (or consign it if it's more your speed), and take the rest to Goodwill/Salvation Army. Don't know if you have the 'yellow bins' that are all over the place here in NH/MA, but watch for donation bins locally you can just place clothing in...while it says clothing only, in our area everyone leaves toys, small household things and the like outside the bins ith the understanding anyone is welcome to them. You can also post on craigslist to give away stuff you're not selling, but posting there tends to draw a lot of spam and scams...or join your local 'freecycle' group and post items there...your old 'junk' could be someone else's treasure.

**khaski** · 08-08-2010, 04:32 PM

Oh as to HOW to decide what stays or goes- if you do't use it frequently or haven't used in the last 3 or 4 months, it generally has to go.If it's a household decor item, if you don't absolutely LOVE it, out it goes. I always have trouble letting go of clothes that are too small for me- I either saved things I loved when I was a smaller size, or picked them up free/almost free, telling myself I'll 'get back into them'. Hard to et go, but can't keep EVERYTHING- eats up too much space!

**cab54** · 08-08-2010, 04:32 PM

I think decluttering is such an individual (and emotional) thing.

I like FLYlady's advice for decluttering. Her site reminds me what I really need to own, and what I can do with all this 'stuff'.

FlyLady.net: Your personal online coach to help you gain control of your house and home

**ncarr** · 08-08-2010, 06:19 PM

I like to read this the unclutter blog for inspiration: Unclutterer: Daily tips on how to organize your home and office.

**nadine64** · 08-08-2010, 06:22 PM

If I haven't worn it in over a year, out it goes to salvation army.
I have a habit of holding on to magazines with intentions of "using" them. I've just had to bite the bullet when I look at issues from years ago and tell myself "really? you've had this issue 5 years." Out it goes. At least for me, it has gotten easier with decluttering. At first I was agonizing over it.

**beks37** · 08-08-2010, 06:40 PM

If you're not ready to get rid of something yet, put it in box and put the box in a garage or storage shed. In 6 months, if you haven't used the item (or even thought about it), then you should get rid of it.

**nuisance26** · 08-08-2010, 07:02 PM

~Whenever I need to start a major purge I start somewhere easy. My favorite place is the plastic container drawer in the kitchen. Seeing one area declutterred and tidy makes me excited to spread it around the house. I usually leave clothes and keepsake stuff until I'm further along in the declutterring grove. It is an emotional thing and I have to be in a ruthless mood to not want to save everything I ever liked at one point.
We'd love to have you join our 2010 Flinging Challenge! Public accountability is a good motivator too!~

**monkeywrangler71** · 08-09-2010, 09:37 AM

I agree with nuisance, start with something easy that you don't have any emotional attachment to, then work your way up to the difficult stuff.

Personally, I like to get things out quickly after making the decision, however if you planning to sell items it will take a bit longer. Some people like to set everything aside until they can have a yard sale, but that doesn't work for me - clutter doesn't get eliminated, it just gets shoved around. It doesn't work unless things are actually leaving.

Make sure that items are listed as soon as you decide to sell them, and have a plan for what doesn't sell. Some items may not move on ebay, you might want to list them on a free local service like kijiji, craigslist, or a buy&sell paper. This is a better approach for low value or heavy items, where the ebay fees and shipping costs will add up to more than the item is worth. Set limits for how long you are willing to list items, if it doesn't sell within that time frame either drop the price or donate it.

Because you will have to wait for things to sell, your clutter is going to just start piling up in different areas. I would suggest that while your DVDs and CDs are listed, you tackle an area that is going to be mostly garbage. In a lot of households, this tends to be paper. If you have an area that papers, junk mail, etc. are dumped or collect, go clean that out next. Just get out a bag or recycling bin and dump everything that is garbage. Don't worry about sorting through the stuff you are keeping, just throw out the stuff that you aren't.

Another thing you can do, while waiting for things to sell, is to just go through the house with a garbage bag and put in anything that is broken or otherwise worthless. You can set a goal for yourself - fill a bag, throw out a certain number of items, or set a timer and throw things out until it goes off. If you've been collecting items for recycling, or have items for the dump, or scrap metal yard - or if any of your stuff falls into these categories, get these items out of the house.

Once the DVDs and CDs are gone, start on something else that you plan to sell. Choose something that takes a lot of space and you aren't overly attached to. This could be clothing, books, dishes, or extra furniture (or something else). Again, list immediately once you've made the decision, and then clean out something that is only fit for the garbage or donation while you wait for it to sell.

Work methodically, biting off small chunks at a time - only working on small areas or specific categories. One day you will clean out your junk drawer, one day you will clean out the medicine cabinet, one day you will clean out a kitchen cabinet, etc., etc. Look through the household challenge section for some of the mini-purge challenges to get some ideas of small decluttering projects that you can tackle.

The key at the beginning is to free up space and to get in the habit of decluttering, without having to deal with the emotional issues associated with letting go. Once you are in the habit of getting rid of things it gets easier, and then you can start getting more brutal.

**peanut** · 08-09-2010, 05:24 PM

I've been sorting and organizing and decluttering today, so this is a timely post for me to happen upon.

I do a continuous declutter. I putter around the house picking up and I take things that are no longer used and put them in a box in the basement for goodwill.

I used to try and sell things, but no more. It's too much of a hassle for too little money. I am not home enough to sit around and wait for people to come pay me for things.

I also have a box in the front hall closet for clothes we no longer need. I go through all our clothes about 1 month before the next season starts and cull the ones we've outgrown or don't like anymore, or are too ragged to wear. They all go to goodwill for them to deal with. I will not waste my time sorting through them.

DH and I used to recycle a lot...until we realized how much time it was taking out of our lives. Our city does not have an efficient recycling program. They've privatized most of it so it is either exorbitantly expensive, or you end up having to go all over town and spend the better part of an afternoon recycling each week. We have better things to do with that afternoon. Now we recycle paper, compost food scraps, and that's about it.

We do live in a neighborhood with dumpsters, and it is common practice to put furniture or things that work that you don't need, beside the dumpster for people to take if they want to. We have done that on occasion. But we will only leave something out for a few days. If it's not taken, into the dumpster it goes.

We go through our technology on an annual basis and pull out the old stuff to recycle. Recently we found 3 walkman CD players we didn't realize we had. We have no idea if they work. I'm suspecting they were left behind by the children when MP3 players came into vogue. I'm also suspecting Grandma bought them...because we've never bought one!

I do a big declutter the month before garage sale season starts. I don't hold garage sales, but people are in the mood to take things that time of year. So I am able to pass things off on friends.

I clean out my studio/craft supplies on a regular basis. If I have things I don't want, I take them to a crafting group I belong to and people usually take them. If they're left behind, well it's off to goodwill with them.

Generally if I haven't used something in over a year I get rid of it. If it's a duplicate of something useful I'll offer it to the kids or friends before getting rid of it. If it's something sentimental I have real challenges getting rid of it...my downfall!

Recently I've settled on scrapbooking things, or taking photos of them and passing them on. If it's a family heirloom I photograph and record the history...and then wait for the next recipient to settle down before passing it on... Means I have a crowded china cabinet right now. But I don't keep everything on display. I rotate it. Or keep some of my less favourite things in storage for a niece, nephew or daughter who shows an interest.