Spring Cleaning: Tips and Tricks to Declutter Your Life, Home

Spring cleaning and decluttering is no longer a chore and it will be fun! That’s how I wanted to start this article, but when I talked to people doing cleaning and decluttering, no one said it was fun.

I’ve been honing my sorting and decluttering skills while helping friends get ready to move and getting my parent’s house ready to sell after their deaths and at my own house. I have learned that sorting and being pragmatic about items is much simpler in someone else’s home than in my own–I really do appreciate the clutter buddies I have! What’s a clutter buddy? Those are people you help with spring cleaning and decluttering and then they come and help you. Having that objective eye is an excellent aid for the do-it-yourselfers.

When I think about the early part of my life, I realize that I was on a quest to get more and more “stuff” and now, in the next stage of my life, I find that I have too much “stuff” and want it gone.  I am now in the mode where “stuff” really means “same things under foot forever” and I am ready for a new season to bring a new feeling.  

Professional Organizer, Julie Morgenstern, suggested identifying the different types of clutter that exists in your life.

She said, “Clutter is anything that is obsolete, time-consuming and de-energizing. If you can call it clutter, then chances are good that it doesn’t belong in your life anymore.”

When I first attempted to declutter my life, I had no rhyme or reason to my sorting. At one point, I even bought an organizing book and then promptly misplaced it. I knew then that I needed a simpler method. After searching the library, using the Internet and watching home improvement shows, I found the easiest method for me is the three-container system. I get three boxes, bags or plastic tubs and label them with these categories:  

Toss/Trash – These are things that you don’t want or need. Be honest about the value of items, trash is something that is not something that could be donated or sold. Damaged and broken items should be in the trash.

Donate/Sell – Think about the old saying, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Be generous and move things on to enjoy a new life with someone that will appreciate them. If you are keeping things stored in a box, it is probably time for them to move on.

Keep/Store - When you are done sorting, this should be the box with the smallest amount of things in it. These are things that you use regularly and you have a place to keep them without adding clutter to your home. You may also have things that you aren’t ready to give up, but don’t use on a regular basis. To make this step more effective make an inventory list of the items as you put them in the box. Keep similar things together to make it simpler. If you are packing out of season clothing, have a donate box right there for clothes you didn’t wear. (I hang my hangers backwards and at the end of the season if the clothes haven’t been worn, in the donate pile they go, and out the door to the next charity pick-up.)

Local organizer, Deb Oppel of Decluttered by Deb said, “Clutter is 'visual noise’; it's very hard to think around it. Piles are indecision, and usually they are there because you haven't made a decision about the items.”

If you want to make it really easy on yourself, hire Oppel to come and help you with your project. If you are more of a do-it-yourselfer, she offers these simple tips to help you get started.

• Set a timer for 15-minutes, turn on some good up-beat music and get busy.
• Get a box or bin and collect all the items that don’t belong in the room you are working in.
• Start in one corner of the room and work your way around.
• If you are dealing with paper, start by collecting all the paper and put it in one pile. Take each paper and while you are holding it decide: Recycle? Shred? Pay? File? Act-on? Then make your separate piles.
• If things are moving along well when the timer sounds and you are motivated, keep going! If not, stop. You’ll be surprised at how much you can get accomplished in 15-minutes.
• Another great tip if you are dealing with a lot of clutter is the “3 bag a day” rule. Remove from your home 3 bags of stuff each day. The bags could be garbage, recycle, donation items or items to return. Just keep things moving out each day!

What to Do with All the Stuff You’ve Decluttered?

Something that is stagnant in your life might be a treasure for someone else. Almost anything can be sold on eBay, or you can have a garage sale or even rent a space at a local antique mall or flea market. Maybe you’ll donate clothes, books, furniture and other household goods to. The key is to get items moving out of your life in a positive way.

• Hennepin County Drop Off Facilities are a get resource for disposing of unwanted trash, electronics, paint and more. This PDF will help you learn what items are accepted.  
• Another great resource is the Choose to ReUse directory. You’ll follow four easy steps to search for businesses and organizations that reuse, repair, rent, resell or accept donations in and around Hennepin County. 
• TerraCycle | Outsmart Waste. This site is dedicated to helping rid the globe of waste. TerraCycle diverts billions of pieces of garbage from our landfills and incinerators (both of these options produce added carbon and other greenhouse gases) and either upcycles or recycles the waste into new products, which reduces the need for new materials to be extracted from our planet.
• Donate clothes you no longer want to charity. Don’t use it as a place to get rid of things that aren’t in good condition. To donate in Richfield, head over to Arc's Value Village Thrift Stores Whenever you shop or donate at Arc's Value Village, you're helping children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. All proceeds go to support Arc Greater Twin Cities' .
• Goodwill (American Boulevard and Lyndale Avenue in Bloomington, MN) Your donations and shopping assist people with barriers to education, employment and independence in achieving their goals.

For pickup at your home, there are several options:

• Courage Center takes a variety of items including vehicles.
• Bridging - Serving Families in Transition. Bridging is environmentally friendly, recycling over 110,000 items annually. In 2010, they gave away more than $11M in merchandise based on IRS fair market value. Each household receives an average of $2,000 in furniture and household goods during their visit. In order to adequately meet the needs of our clients, we need 12 semi-loads of furniture and housewares donated each week.
• Lions Clubs are looking for your old prescription glasses. Contact the local Richfield club for more information or mail your old Rx glasses to: Lions Clubs International Headquarters; Attention: Receiving Department; 300 W. 22nd Street; Oak Brook, IL 60523.
• Craigslist has been a great friend to me for selling things we no longer need. There are additional interactions with phone calls and e-mails, but it is a good resource for local sales.
• Buy and sell electronics, cars, clothing, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods, digital cameras, and everything else on eBay. If you aren’t comfortable doing your own eBay sales, you can find help with eBay Drop Off Stores.  If you want to make a trip to Lakeville, stop in and visit I Sold It for help with eBay.
• Pawn shops like Pawn America are another possibility for disposing of your electronic, audio/visual and other items. Visit a local store to see what they are looking for. If you are looking for DVDs and similar this is a good place to buy things too.  
• For fine china, collectibles, sterling and more you can buy and sell with Replacements.
• TPT - Twin Cities Public Television We donated a Ford to them a few years ago and the process was really simple. If you have a car, truck, or boat that you no longer need, donating it to tpt is easier than going through the hassle of fixing and selling it yourself, and less stressful than haggling with a dealer over the trade-in value.

 Consignment shops are a great alternative for selling items.  

• Mainstreet Furniture and Consignment “We look for good quality items that have been gently used and well cared for.  The better the quality and condition of the item, the sooner it will sell.”
• Rodeo Drive Consignment Boutique Rodeo Drive consigns by appointment only and sets prices on all consigned items. When an item is sold, the consigner receives 50% of the selling price.
• Bellies to Babies in Richfield buys and sells gently used maternity, 0-9 month baby clothes and now accepts up to 2T sizes.  
• Turn Style Consignment Stores Turn Style markets to women, men and families who know and recognize Designer, Brand Name and Quality products.
• Movables Consignment Be a part of the latest trend in buying and selling home furnishings, buy and sell on consignment.

Happy Spring Cleaning!