The process of decluttering your home isn’t always easy, and it can be downright stressful when you have to say goodbye to some of your possessions, but it’s a great idea. If you’re getting ready to list your home for sale, almost certainly you’ll need to declutter in order to make your house look larger, more open and, in a word, better. When you declutter prior to sale, you’ll also make your move down the road lighter and thus easier and less expensive.
I’ve moved a number of times and it’s usually at that moving stage when people start to weed things out and pitch them. But decluttering is something you can do at any time and, at least from my experience, when you say goodbye to a lot of stuff, it actually feels great.
Here are a few general decluttering tips to help you get started:
- Consider starting one room at a time and make it a start-to-finish project. Don’t fill up a box of stuff and then move on to the next space. Keep going until the space you’ve chosen is decluttered and looks fantastic. The reward of a great finished product will give you inspiration to keep weeding out in other rooms.
- Need some motivation? Pick a number of items per room to let go, and refuse to stop until you’ve met your quota. This can also be a great way to get kids involved, i.e. ask them to pick five games, toys or items of clothing that they’d like to pass along to a charity, etc.
- Consider a hard core approach to letting things go. All too often, people hit the half-way point by finding items, but then don’t let them go because they hold sentimental value. If items do hold sentimental value, consider passing them along to a friend or family member who will appreciate the history or sentiment of the item. You’ll be decluttering and you’ll be sharing something meaningful with someone else.
If you’re truly overwhelmed with the clutter and don’t know where to start, give some consideration to bringing in a professional organizer who can develop an action plan and work with you to get your home in great shape – and ensure that your items don’t just end up in a land fill. Often these professionals are highly networked with non-profits and social agencies and can help you ensure that your items find a new home. Contact me if you’d like a referral to a professional organizer.
Remember, your possessions may be wonderful but as with so many things in life, too much of a good thing can be a problem. Paring down and passing your unwanted or unnecessary possessions to someone who can make use of them will make your house look great – and it’ll make you feel great, too.
