Even if we actively want to get rid of clutter, we just can’t seem to do it sometimes. We don’t know where to start, or we’re hampered by sentiment, worried about offending people, or afraid we might give away something useful. If this describes you then read my guide on how to actually get rid of your unwanted stuff.
Start Small
Anyone can feel overwhelmed by a whole room (or house!) full of clutter, so you should always start small. Take one drawer or one shelf and empty it. Only put back the things which you use frequently or love. The rest clearly has a question mark over it, so could probably be got rid of.
Take a Chance
It’s you or your clutter. You can’t have space in your life and junk. It may be useful one day, or it may not. Take a chance and get rid of it. How bad can it be? You take a risk every time you get in a car or cross the road, but you don’t hesitate to do that. So how risky is it to get rid of something that might (but probably won’t) be useful one day? Go on, be a devil and get rid of the things you never use.
Think About the Benefits
Think of the storage you will gain, the space to move around, how impressed your friends and relatives will be and how easy it will be to do the housework; if only you had less stuff. It’s not worth losing all that space and freedom, just to keep a load of dusty items that you will probably never use.
Make it Easy For Yourself
Keep a charity bag handy, a box nearby and plenty of bin bags ready to hand. When you come across something you know you don’t use, then deal with it now. Inertia is the cause of most clutter. Put it into the charity bag, the box for the attic, or straight in the bin if it’s completely useless.
Learn to Love the Rubbish Tip
I love going to the rubbish tip. Seeing the big containers delivered by lorry, the great piles of old computers, tv’s and sofas, seeing people carrying sheets of glass, old windows and other weird and wonderful objects is endlessly fascinating. It’s an amazing feeling to drive there with a boot loaded down with junk and drive away with it light and empty.
Giving is Great
The charity shop is another favourite haunt of mine. Not to buy of course, you don’t want to replace one form of clutter with another, but to give. It’s win win. Not only do you get rid of all the utterly useless objects filling up your house, but you benefit the charity and the person who buys it. Yes, there may actually be someone out where who will find your old junk useful! The volunteers who work there are usually pathetically grateful and you drive away puffed up with virtuous smugness. This is great for unsuitable gifts, as you feel less guilty giving them to charity than throwing them away.
Get the Habit
It’s easy when you get the hang of it. Giving is much nicer than receiving, whether you’re giving it to the tip, a neighbour, a charity shop, or feeding the bin monster. Your reward, apart from the aforementioned smugness is a tidy spacious house, that is easy to clean and which you are proud to invite people to.
