Remember that ashtray you bought in Arizona as a souvenir years ago, and you don’t even smoke any more?
How about that ugly couch you inherited from your Aunt? Or those clothes you haven't worn in ten years?
Over the years, “stuff” accumulates and you think to yourself “Well, I may need that some day”. Until your place starts to look like the television show “Hoarders”.
But a cluttering problem is easily fixable.
Cathy Borg (seated on the left in this picture), of “In and Out Organizing” has some solutions for you. She came to give us some tips on December 1 on how to declutter your home.First you have to take an inventory. Approach one room at a time, and categorize items into various groups – things to be jettisoned into the garbage, donations to family or charities, items that can be sold, etc . Ask yourself some key questions, like “Have I touched/noticed this in the past year?”, “Can I fit this into my new place” (if moving), “Would I buy this today?” etc. Then you can start to throw out unusable items and arrange for the residue to be viewed and disposed of.
Cathy emphasizes that having a professional expert in decluttering will speed the decision-making and provide some method and organization to the process. And an expert can help you deal with the emotional attachments you may have for items no longer needed.
Once you’ve decluttered, you’ll feel a sense of relief about living in a tidy and more spacious home. And you will have helped others by donating to family or the needy . It’s a win-win solution.