Decluttering and being green at the same time. What could be better!
About once a year I have a big clear out. I reduce my paperwork and ‘prune’ my wardrobe. Why? Paperwork, properly filed, will be easy to retrieve and it is easier to care for clothes properly stored. Unwanted clothes go to a charity shop and paper to the paper bank. Recycling makes me feel good. Nothing is wasted.
But there are other reasons for decluttering. Clutter takes up valuable space which could be used for living and that space is costing money. I am assuming you are paying a mortgage and maintaining your property. By releasing the clutter we are releasing the space for a new use.
It is my view that everything we own has some sort of emotional significance to us and that is why we hold on to it. So when we let go of clutter we are also releasing emotional energy. Magazines and junk mail both cause problems. Often the magazines we subscribe to, languish unread, until we reluctantly throw them away. I am more a ‘book person’ than a ‘magazine person’ so I just don’t get round to reading them. Cancel the ones you don’t read to free up the financial resources for something else.
Junk mail arrives uninvited - a bombardment from the outside world trying to persuade us to spend money. Even allocating time to considering whether the junk mail is relevant is using up valuable resources ‘your time’ and I argue that ‘junk mail’ should be banned. This is quite apart from the fact that ‘direct mail’ or ‘junk mail’ is a scattergun approach to marketing and is a waste of paper. So you’ve decided to declutter. Where do you start? You have a room full of stuff and you are not sure whether you need it or not. Buy some paper face masks. Clutter collects dust particularly if it has been building up over months or even years. Wear protective gloves if you don’t remember what is stored there. There may be glass items that have broken under the weight of other items. Have lots of strong plastic bags at the ready. Start by sorting and pruning, by which I mean getting rid of items you no longer want or need. Remove items from the floor and anything that is causing an obstruction. It is important to do this work in safety. Make a decision about which items to throw away, give them away or store. If you are not sure yet where they belong have a pile for different categories eg photos, stationery, wrapping paper. As you prune it is likely you will free up boxes and files and you may well have enough storage for those items which are left. If not you will be able to judge from the piles what storage you need to buy. If you come across broken items this is the time to get them repaired or decide that they need to be thrown out. If you are repairing it yourself ask yourself will you really get around to it? If not delegate the task to a competent person.
- Wear a dust mask
- Wear protective gloves
- Buy strong plastic bags
- Clear a safe passage through the room by clearing the floor area first and any obstacles.
- Sort rubbish into categories eg paper, plastic bags etc so that it is easier to unload at the rubbish dump.
- Sort what you are keeping into piles (taking care not to place them where someone might fall over them).
- Send items for repair.
It is good to work with a friend or to employ a professional who will help you to declutter. It’ s more enjoyable when there are two of you and you will be less likely to give up. The rewards of the reclaimed space will be well worth all your efforts.
Good Luck!