Our houses fill up with so much junk! Knickknacks, bits and bobs, memorabilia, whatever you want to call it, our lives quickly accumulate a bunch of stuff. Then, later on, we all realize we don’t need any of it. It’s all just taking up space! Here are six ways to get rid of junk and that back the space that’s yours.
1 – Before starting, write down the areas of your residence you need to clean
Creating a task list before you even begin can solve half of the problem before you have picked an item up. Organize the areas of junk you need to handle by room or floor, and check off each section as you progress. This will help give you a surge of excitement as you draw closer to completing a de-cluttering mission.
2 – Eliminate gray room when making decisions
When facing a pile of papers, books, CDs, memorabilia or anything else, it is easy to be consumed by emotion all over again and want to hold onto everything. This is not what you are after, however, and you must remember that a simple “yes” or “no” answer is all you need. If you can look at it and instantly remember what it was about, and it will not take up too much future space, it is worth holding onto. If you cannot remember what it was about, chances are higher that the item has passed its prime.
3 – Limit the space used for what you will retain
This factor alone helps immensely with throwing junk out, as it forces you to further condense and simplify the needs you have for saving important items, and doing away with anything that is not absolutely necessary. In most cases, keeping one or two favorites of a collection or series, or keeping pictures of a full collection, can issue the same emotional response without items taking up as much physical space.
4 – Be harsh. Have a broad definition of “junk”
If it’s not instantly useful or sentimentally valuable, it will likely not hold value later. If you stumble upon a long-forgotten item that was purchased in a particular season of need, but the item has remained unused, there is a good chance that you will not be using the item in the future. Even though this could be a blender, a workout DVD or a grooming product, it is worth asking yourself if your habits will immediately be changing because of the discovery.
While getting rid of junk, if you find something from younger years that does not immediately make you smile or laugh anymore, the highest likelihood is that it will only continue to lose value, instead of appreciate.
5 – Instead of donating your old clothes, use them as cleaning rags or upcycle them
As many people have become accustomed to, donating one’s clothes has long been regarded as a moral, nearly “saintly” action to take. Unfortunately, this choice no longer holds the same power that it used to. Due to immense amounts of clothes being donated throughout the past three decades, local suppliers in Africa, Asia and other parts of the world have suffered less business or even closed doors because of donated clothes. When too many materials are brought from other countries as donations, this causes a nation’s economy to suffer from less people leaving their homes to purchase goods.
Upcycling is taking clothes that are still clean, but just too old or do not fit anymore, and creating a “mashup” with at least one other piece of clothing. This is common in jeans, jackets, sweaters, long sleeve shirts, and other outer garments with primarily durable material.
6 – Try freecycling
Freecycling is the act of setting up a booth, table or other outlet of items you need to get rid of in a hurry, where people can select items for free. This is an engaging alternative to garage sales that takes less time for set up and tear down, and can be done at places other than a home.
It’s never too late for you to get these tasks done and leave to the cleaning professionals. Let us know how we can help.