We know you don’t always have a free afternoon or full Saturday to commit to cleaning out the garage or color-coding your closet, but we’re here to tell you – you do have time to simplify your life!
Certain items seem to take up more space than others, making our lives more difficult. Even if you only have 10 minutes, you can begin to eliminate items and clean out spaces to make your home more peaceful.
Our team has put together the top 5 items or categories we clear from clients’ homes most often. These are non-emotional items (or at least we think!) that should not require too much brain power in deciding what to toss or donate.
1) Unused Appliances. Waffle maker, soda stream, snow cone maker, etc.
Appliances can be cumbersome and difficult to store. This forces you to leave them out on the countertop or store in a spare closet where you might forget you have them! May we suggest, if you haven’t used it the past year or have multiple of one item (I’m looking at you, crockpots and coffee makers), donate! If it has a broken part that you’ve been “meaning to fix,” get rid of it! If it’s an appliance specific to a holiday or entertaining, consider storing it with like items so it’s not taking up coveted counter or pantry space.
2) Papers. Catalogs, junk mail, old mail, coupons, pictures, invitations, etc.
The incoming paper trail seems to never end. You clear one pile and another forms. This category, for better or worse, needs to be tended to daily. The good news is most of it is trash. Get rid of the catalogs you’ll never look at, junk mail, receipts, expired coupons (or all of them if they aren’t your jam!), and daily school artwork. To truly reduce stacks of paper in the long-term, we recommend having a filing system in place to sort bills, upcoming event invites, school reminders, kid artwork keepsakes, etc. We recommend picking one day a week to sit down and go through all important paper piles at length – pay the bills, file the artwork, put important events and reminders on your calendar. If you have a system and daily tend to your stack of papers, the piles become smaller, your countertops clearer, and you’ll have more peace of mind!
3) Excess Linens & Blankets. You live in a 4-bedroom house – you don’t need 8 spare unmatched sheet sets, 6 extra blankets and 10 ragged towels.
We often find clients struggle with a lack of storage space in their homes. However, it never fails there is one closet hosting a variety of mismatched, faded or excess sheets & towels. We urge you to empty this closet; take inventory, check sizes, look for stains, and then toss! Even freeing up one shelf in a closet will give you energy to help tackle the next space!
4) Bathroom Toiletries & Products. What products do you really use?
Are there tiny samples falling out of your sink cabinet? We love free samples as much as the next person, but when they compromise prime real estate on a countertop or in my makeup drawer, it’s time to get rid of them! If you haven’t tried that pea-size sample of foundation after a week or two, you aren’t going to. Plus, many toiletries have expirations dates – moisturizers, deodorant, toothpaste, etc. – while nail polish and hairspray tend to get gross after a while. It’s worth a once-over to make this area more peaceful and to help you really use what you love!
5) Garage Items. Anything broken, worn-down, unused, or oversized in the garage.
Can you park in your garage? If not, start with the largest items and begin eliminating from there; play cars/bikes your children have grown out of, broken pool toys, old bed frames, outdated work-out equipment, etc. The garage is the place where we put things we don’t want to see or think about. Little by little, box by box, you can begin to declutter this space. Eventually, you’ll be able to park in your garage again! When you can enter your home through the garage door or mudroom, your life will start to feel more peaceful. May we also suggest calling a local junk removal company to help take these large items off your hands!
*Honorable Mentions*
Cups.
We get it! Souvenir cups from sporting events, plays, birthday parties, promotional coffee cups, etc. – they sneak up on you! Take inventory and let it be an easy goodbye to ones that are faded, don’t stack or are an excess of one size.
Excess Reusable Bags.
Why are you holding on to them again? We promise you don’t need more than five.
Out of Date Electronics (& their boxes).
Your 1st generation iPhone and a remote to the TV you 3 sold houses ago aren’t worth any money. And no, you won’t need its original box again.
What other items do you plan to get rid of during your next organizing spree? Let us know in the comments below! And if you decide you don’t want to tackle that garage project or play room overhaul alone, be sure to contact us to find out how we can help! You can schedule your free consultation by clicking here.