How to Declutter – Tips From the Experts!
Whether you want to do more with less, stop accumulating unnecessary stuff, or actually downsize and get rid of useless clutter, here are the tips from the experts on how to get started. New Year, new you!
Start with One Room
The experts say start small to avoid getting overwhelmed. Tackling an entire house full of furniture, knick-knacks, linens, clothing and already-boxed items can make you give up before you even get started.
The best way to declutter is to start sorting stuff into piles – keep, donate, trash (and if you think it’s worth something) sell piles. Or keep it simple and have two: keep and get-rid-of piles. If you want to “get it done” the latter might be more expeditious. And if you start to waver over an item that’s broken or missing some key component – just toss it into your garbage bin. Don’t waste your time or somebody else’s thinking, “oh it just needs a little fix” to be useful, wearable again. Face it, it’s garbage.
To get right at it, the best question for practical, utilitarian decluttering is to ask the big purge question: have you used it in the last six months-to-a-year? If the answer is no, be ruthless and add it to the pile that’s going out the door. (And here’s a tip – if you have a storage unit you haven’t seen the inside of for a year – auction it off to the highest bidder!)
If you don’t have the time to sort further with an eye toward selling your stuff –donate it. There’s a Good Will Donation Center at 562 Castle Pines Pkwy in Castle Rock. If you’ve got big items, the Habitat ReStore in Highlands Ranch on Poplar Way is a good choice. And if you want someone to just come and haul it off for you – call Rocky Mountain Junk Removal at 720-722-8942 in Castle Rock. They’ll come right away and not give you time to reconsider!
Selling Your Stuff
And if you think you can make money on your cast-offs, there’s always Craig’s List, Next Door and LetGo – the app that helps you find buyers for your stuff.
What’s worth selling? Here’s a list of hidden gems that might be worth money you can make from selling it online or through an app:
- • Brand-name clothing or accessories
- • Vintage Pyrex® and collectible glassware
- • Items still in the box or with a tag (especially brand-name)
- • Sporting equipment
- • Electronics (especially tablets)
- • Furniture made of real wood
- • Vintage lamps, picture frames, globes, or maps
- • Old cameras and lenses
- • Sports memorabilia
- • Paintings, sculptures, pottery by celebrated artists
Donating Electronic Odds and Ends
Why do we keep outdated electronics, old chargers, wires and cables? Most of the old stuff will never work in new devices which renders our massive collection of cables and chargers useless.
The Family Handyman recommends contacting the electronic recycling programs in your state to find an event or donate your used equipment and accessories to electronic recyclers in your area. Instead of adding it to the local landfill!
Finally, we love this list from The Spruce of 32 things you can get rid of now without blinking or thinking twice. One is old power cords, by the way, and here’s a tease with two more: utensils and appliances (the little ones that take up space in your cupboards and pantry) you never use.
Anybody need a never-used oil-free fryer? We’ll give you a deal!
Clean and Pristine in Crystal Valley!
Moving into a brand new home in the master-planned community of Crystal Valley – means you make it your own, from ceilings to basement! Looking for a new home you can help design? Tour the nine amazing models from D.R. Horton, Kauffman Homes and Richmond American Homes and find out why our community is among the top five fastest-growing in the state with new homes priced from the $300s.
