The Secret to Decluttering Items That You Love

We have all heard the value of decluttering and clearing our spaces. The term ‘sparks joy’ has become commonplace in many households when deciding what needs to go and when, but when it comes to sentimentality, we can find that many of us struggle to really let go of some items. If you’re looking to tidy your space and keep your home free of clutter, you must find a way to walk the emotional tightrope and let go.

What are some things that we struggle to let go of and what’s the answer? Here are just a few tips we’ve found that can help you on your decluttering journey.

Greeting Cards

We all have received those sweet cards on special occasions. Cards bring us joy to both give and receive and many will hold on to every wedding, anniversary, birthday, and sympathy cards they’ve been sent over the years. If you tend to keep every card you can end up with an out-of-control collection.

Solution?
Pick up a card box. A card box will force you to weed through your collection and keep only the most treasured of your treasures. One way to decide which to keep is to choose the ones that have handwritten messages or are handmade.

Schoolwork and Old Notebooks

Many of use fall into a trap of hanging onto old schoolwork or notebooks thinking that someday we might want to reference the information or because we are proud of the work that we’ve done. The truth is that most of us will never open those notebooks or peek at that schoolwork again.

Solution?
Take a moment to take a photo or scan the items that you truly want to keep as a memory or will find some use for in the future. The cloud is a great way to store these items and free up the clutter in your physical space. Bonus: it’s easier to send and share with family or friends if you feel like showing off.

Photos

Photos can be a hard thing to declutter. They are often sentimental and these days if you have printed photos, they are often old or extra special. We may have a hard time letting go.

Solution?
Take time to scan and digitize anything lying loose in a box so that you can to protect them. You can even make a photo book out of the extra special ones.

Books

Books are something that can easily start piling up. If you don’t have room for an impressive movie scene library, then it’s time to narrow down to your favorites.

Solution?
Stack the books into three piles: keep, donate, decorate. Decorate your house with any that have colorful spines or covers. You can keep anything with sentimental value such as inscriptions, vintage finds, or well-read favorites. Donate to a little free library or local charity anything that you can let go.

Appliance Manuals

Many of us when we buy a new home will find ourselves purchasing new items and collecting documentation on every gizmo and gadget that we own. These can become overwhelming and often get shoved into a cupboard in giant stacks.

Solution?
Find digital versions of the manual and store on your computer. If you can’t find a digital version, you can scan the one that you have. This way you can quickly reference when in need.

Heirlooms

Heirlooms are probably the one thing most of us will not be able to part with, but they can use some organization instead of being hidden away.

Solution?
Buy a shadowbox or frames to protect and display heirlooms. This will keep them safe and seen.

When it comes to owning a home, we all want to keep our spaces clean and decluttered. A clutter free home is better for our mental health and will make it easier if we ever sell.