Decluttering Don’ts and Don’ts
How NOT to Go About Decluttering Your Home
The Internet is full of great advice about how to declutter your home (in fact, you’ll find plenty right here on this very website), but sometimes it’s hard to tell what’s actually good advice and what’s complete baloney. No worries there, as ahead we’re going to make it easy for you by giving you advice on what NOT to do when decluttering your home!
Don’t Start By Shopping
Home organizational supplies are a booming industry, with entire stores now dedicated to reinvented clothes hangers, closet organizers, motion-detecting garbage cans and more styles of storage boxes than Nordstrom has shoes. DON’T rush out and buy anything…everything you need to declutter is already in your home.
Don’t Forget Three Boxes Before You Begin
You’ll need three boxes to declutter the right way…mark one as “Keep,” one as “Donate” and one as “Trash.” Fill the first one up with the items that you need to put back where they “live.” The Donate boxes will go to the VVA after you schedule your donation (which you can do HERE). While the Trash items are just that, stuff that are past their usefulness. To learn more about the Three Box Method of decluttering, visit our other blogs, HERE.
Don’t Declutter Without First Decluttering
Wait, what? That’s right…the easiest way to declutter an enclosed space like a closet or a cabinet is to first remove everything from it. Give the empty space the once-over with a dusting rag, then set out replacing the stuff you just removed. You’ll get two opportunities to consider every item, so you’ll know for sure if you want to keep, donate or trash it.
Don’t Do More Than a Little
Chances are dozens of places inside your home could use a decluttering. DON’T set out to declutter them all at once. It took you months to messy them, it can take you days to clean them up. That’s okay. Every journey starts with a step, so pick the place that’s bothered you the most and start your decluttering efforts there. Once done, celebrate — even if you’ve only decluttered a junk drawer! If you have more energy remaining, get to work on your next cluttered area.
Don’t Stop Until You Drop
Okay, maybe not drop but you’ll want to pick your declutter spot and declutter it until it’s done. That includes planning on getting rid of the household items that are gently used but just no longer by you…you can donate them to the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) and you’ll be helping America’s veterans and their families. To learn more or to schedule your free donation pickup for a time of your choosing, CLICK HERE.
Don’t Go It Alone
The clutter made its way into your home with the help of an army…also known as your family. Don’t think you have to declutter it all yourself. Instead, turn your work into a playtime adventure and before you know it, your kids will be wanting to help. If that’s not an option, don’t do it in silence — turn on some good tunes and get to work!
Don’t Fear Imperfections
Guess what? There’s no one right way to declutter a home, much less a drawer, a closet or a cabinet. So don’t worry about not “doing it right.” Right is however you want to get the job done, as long as when it’s done you’re left with a decluttered space…and if you’re also left with something to donate, that’s great, too!
Don’t Keep It Just Because It Was a Gift
That sweater that your aunt gave you doesn’t need to be put back in the same drawer it’s been stuffed into since Christmas, 2015. Instead, it can be donated to the VVA and put to use helping America’s veterans. By passing it on you’ll be spreading joy.
Don’t Forget to Enjoy the Memories
Decluttering can be a tiresome, thankless job. Until you find that snow globe from your first trip to Paris, tucked away in the back of the corner drawer in the kitchen. Give yourself permission to stop for a moment and relive the happy memories contained in the items you find. The clutter can wait a minute!
Don’t Waste Time on a Yard Sale
The time involved with reselling the items you’ve just decluttered could be better spent doing, well, pretty much anything at all. Yard sales are time consuming, frustrating and not nearly as lucrative as they used to be. Instead of spending your Saturday morning watching your toaster oven not be sold, donate it and all your other unused items by scheduling a free donation pickup with Pickup Please.
There you have it — the don’ts and don’ts of decluttering. A couple of “do’s” include do try to have fun while doing it…as seeing your home come back to life in an organized manner will leave you smiling. Then do spread joy when you’re finished by remembering to schedule a free donation pickup today. We’ll even make it easy for you, just click the button below:
America’s Best Donation Pickup Program
