Decluttering your living space is a popular resolution for the new year. This can be a worthy goal regardless of whether you are a hoarder or not. Over time, we all accumulate stuff; many things tucked away that we forget we possess. Do you have a method to deal with your mess? Do you feel overwhelmed with stuff?
First a note of caution, the task of decluttering can quickly overwhelm you unless you learn to divide and conquer! I know about what decluttering can mean firsthand, as I am in the process of cleaning out a relative’s home.
Take the task on by focusing on one side of a room first. Just the side of the room, by emptying out all items found there. Then make tags for what you want to keep and have bags to fill with unwanted items. Make a clear division for KEEP, TRASH, and GIVE AWAY. Have your bags immediately available to sort items as you empty drawers, cabinets, and other hidey holes. The bags are for trash and for taking to a secondary organization like Goodwill. Divide these bags into separate piles so they do not mingle. Replace your “keep” items first to a location, then take the next side of a room and repeat.
This is a simple method, yet so often we get side-tracked, and before you know it, it looks like you ransacked the room! No one can move in the room and things are all jumbled despite best intentions. This makes more work as you stumble through it, having to reorganize it yet again. Keep it simple, and simple means sorting it into a container the moment it leaves a shelf.
Have a plan to take the “give away” pile to an organization of your choice. Call first to see if they accept all of the items you have placed in the giveaway bags. Some organizations do not take furniture or electronic equipment. It is better to find out first before making a trip! Take paint for instance, it can be a disposal nightmare! We all keep used paint buckets and other chemicals in a garage or basement. Make sure you plan for a safe and environmentally friendly disposal of these items. Depending upon your location, some county health departments have scheduled pickup of such items and many will advise you on their disposal. Otherwise, you may have to call around to see which waste disposal or organization will take them.