The Art of De-cluttering

Here, look at my beautiful clean kitchen.

It’s a small space but so easy to keep clean.

Not. My house is pretty small. I find myself waging a constant war on clutter. When I was a kid, I didn’t know how to get rid of things, and we had almost no storage space. When I moved out, I think I left a lot of things behind (sorry, Mom), but it was easier to start fresh.

When I bought my house I had the luxury of not one, but two, dumpsters outside that I was able to fill to my heart’s content. It was a very satisfying experience. However, over the past three years, my lovely clutter free home has seemed to become… cluttered. My worst nightmare!

Personally, I think clutter is just the worst. It gets in your way, you lose your stuff within it, it gets dirty and dusty, and it clogs your feng shui. I am constantly battling against it.

I think to avoid hoarding tendencies you must get rid of nostalgia that you attach to items. I have a lot of books that were given to me, or I was proud of being able to purchase them, etc. Now I am working through them to decide which ones I can donate (never the Harry Potter books :). I find it helpful to think about a few things when deciding what to donate.

First, I’m sure you’ve heard the saying that “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure”. What might be adding to my clutter could be someone’s best find at Salvation Army. This is probably not true with broken printers, computers, or the like. Get rid of those.

Second, anything you donate you can write off on your taxes. Now, remember that this only matters if you itemize your deductions on your taxes. If you don’t, please still feel charitable and realize that a lot of your stuff will be re-homed, maybe a few times.

Finally, while you may feel sentimental about some items that you may donate, if you haven’t used them in over a year, what’s the point of keeping them?

Sorting through things to donate can still be overwhelming. I try to deal with clutter on a day to day basis. I sort the recycling, keep the counter tops as clear as I can, find homes for things that would otherwise be an eyesore, put the dishes right in the dishwasher, etc. This helps me to not lose my s****. I do bigger de-clutters on my days off, and bring the stuff straight to Salvation Army before I can think twice.

Another slightly different route to avoiding clutter is not to accumulate it in the first place. Say “no” to online purchases and free giveaways. This is another ongoing battle for me!

I will now share a pet peeve with you. Do you get a lot of mail? I get so much mail, and 90% of it is junk. I donate to a few charities from year to year, and now I am the proud recipient of one million personalized address labels. I keep thinking of mailing them a letter requesting no more solicitation.

Do you have any tips for dealing with clutter? As we head into the New Year, I am at least trying to keep the surfaces clean!