Habitat ReStores offer pickup services for furniture donations, as well as other large items like appliances and building materials. However, charities and thrift stores may not accept all furniture, so research accepted donations in advance to avoid headaches. The Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity ReStore are non-profit organizations dedicated to building safe, decent, and affordable housing for needy people.
Donating furniture to charitable organizations can be easy and save time. To arrange a free furniture donation pickup, visit the organization’s website. If you’re remodeling, cleaning, downsizing, or getting organized, consider selling your no longer needed items instead of letting them end up in landfills. Some furniture stores offer paid clean out services, while others provide house clearance services.
Create a quote by entering your postcode below and talking to your condo association about recycling services for bigger items like appliances and furniture. Empty the Nest will pack and move everything you want us to take, then sell, donate, recycle what we can, or dispose of the rest. A simple cleaning is generally all you need to have your donations accepted.
Estate sale companies may donate useful items that don’t sell and trash the remainder, leaving the house empty and semi-clean. Charity thrift stores can often visit your home to pick up items, saving you the hassle of dropping them off. Furniture donation can be a great way to get rid of old furniture and help a charity, but make sure to clean your furniture before donating.
📹 DeCluttering Your Home FASTER |How to Get Rid of Your Stuff
Feeling bogged down by clutter and lacking the motivation and time to tackle it? Decluttering can be daunting, but fear not!
What do charity shops do with unwanted clothes?
Charity shops in the UK raise around £300m a year for charities, using unwanted items to raise funds for good causes. They are easy to donate to, with around 200, 000 people volunteering in these shops. Clothing, even with holes, can be sold to textile recycling companies, ensuring the charity still makes money. The Charity Retail Association offers advice on donating unusual items. Additionally, volunteering in charity shops helps people learn new skills and build community connections.
Do charity shops have to wash clothes?
While charity shops occasionally wash donated clothes for value, the process of dealing with soiled garments is an unpleasant experience and a waste of resources. It is of the utmost importance to ensure that donated garments are clean and dry when planning or scheduling a used clothing donation via iCollectClothes.
Do charity shops take electrical items?
Many charity shops accept old electrical goods, including those from healthcare, anti-poverty, animal rescue charities, and organizations that redistribute donated devices. These shops are well-equipped to collect electrical items from homes, as there is a significant hidden value in the millions of gadgets, smart devices, toys, household appliances, entertainment gear, and leisure equipment that are unused in homes across the UK. Research shows that there are 527 million unwanted electrical items in homes, and we throw away 155, 000 tonnes of these items annually, costing the UK economy £370 million.
How can I get rid of my sofa for free in the UK?
To arrange furniture collection, visit the Salvation Army’s website or contact your nearest store. The Red Cross can help you find nearby furniture and electrical stores. Emmaus can arrange a free furniture collection via phone or email. To create a new listing on Facebook marketplace, complete the details, set a fair price, and post. If you don’t have a profile, create one with a profile picture, information about yourself, and friends.
Chat with people on Facebook to negotiate prices, but be firm and polite. Find a relevant reuse forum in your area, such as Buy and Sell Newcastle or second-hand Exeter, and ensure you can sell within the group. Post your item for sale with pictures if allowed.
What is the best charity to donate used items to?
The Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, Goodwill, Vietnam Veterans of America, The Furniture Bank Network, AMVETS National Service Foundation, The Arc, and Greendrop are some organizations and charities that offer free donation pick up services for clothing, furniture, and other items you no longer need. These organizations are a great way to declutter your home and give back while also promoting a healthier lifestyle. To find these charities, research their services and ensure they accept all items you need to get rid of.
Do charity shops take pyjamas?
The company is unable to accept certain items due to safety and hygiene concerns. These include drawstring hooded children’s garments, nightwear without flammable warning labels, worn underwear without a hygiene strip, and homemade knitted clothing. However, adult fancy dress can be accepted with ‘keep away from fire’ and ‘low flammability’ labels, and children’s fancy dress costumes can be accepted with a CE/UKCA mark.
Do charity shops take curtains?
Donations of furniture are accepted, including items such as sofas, chairs, tables, and desks, as well as related items such as curtains, tablecloths, cushions, and soft furnishings. Additionally, donations may be accepted from specialist furniture and electrical retailers, as well as from local charity shops. Additionally, the organization engages in the sale of secondhand electronics, including televisions, radios, DVD players, and clocks. The inventory encompasses both vintage and new, boxed items.
What companies donate to charity the most?
Ray Castro, who never finished high school, gave a graduation speech for his class of 33 participants in the 10, 000 Small Businesses program, funded by Goldman Sachs. Castro, who never finished high school, credited the program’s lessons in financial modeling, growth plans, and business negotiations for helping him grow his $6 million ice cream distribution business by 20 and add five employees before the year’s end.
Goldman Sachs’s advisors, including CEO Lloyd Blankfein, former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett, listened to Castro’s speech. Castro plans to approach business differently, stating that he will never approach business the same way again.
Do any charities want bedding?
The Salvation Army Trading Company accepts donations of bed linen, the Reuse Network accepts cushions and pillows, and Homeless. org helps individuals locate local housing shelters to which bedding can be donated. Ethical Bedding offers a 10% discount on donations, provided the code DONATE10 is entered at the point of sale. A study conducted by Shelter revealed that approximately 320, 000 individuals in the United Kingdom are currently experiencing homelessness, representing approximately 1 in 200 individuals.
What charity will pick up furniture for free in the UK?
UK charities such as the British Heart Foundation, NewStarts, Sue Ryder, Salvation Army, Shelter, Cancer Research UK, and British Red Cross offer free furniture collection services to help rehome old items. These charities not only prevent waste but also help alleviate furniture poverty, which affects 9 per cent of adults and children nationwide. By organizing a charity furniture collection, individuals can donate their old furniture to a good cause, preventing waste and helping others.
The practical aspects of organizing a furniture collection can be explained in detail, making it a more sustainable and environmentally friendly option than waiting for a floor shop to find customers.
📹 When your Asian spouse influences your toilet habits
I’m a 78 year old man, and I’d add this advice to much younger people, such as those that are just starting out and don’t really own anything. First thing to understand is that everything you buy or acquire somehow will require some level of your time and space; the obvious thing is not to buy it in the first place. Live very frugally and carefully. All those shiny things come out of your income. Why buy a book when you can go to the library and get it for free and you aren’t looking after it, lugging around for the rest of your born days, only at some point having to figure out how to get rid of it. Things used to cost a lot more, relatively speaking, than they do now. ‘Cheap’ is a drug: don’t take it. Mini -storage businesses never used to exist; now they are everywhere and well used. They are full of ‘stuff’ cluttering people lives and that is one way to get it out of sight. Don’t buy it in the first place!
I recently saw a comment on a website by a woman who said that people are only decluttering because the books and media told them too. That they should keep their stuff. Spoken like a person who has not had to clear out a relatives home after they passed/had to move. I had to clear out my Grandmothers home as we needed to sell her home for her care. She led a spartan lifestyle (thank goodness), but it was still a lot of work. My FIL house had to be put up for sale for his care, he had more stuff than my Grandma. Not to mention the times I have helped friends clear out their relatives places. My Father passed and he had two storage lockers full of sports memorabilia plus a room at my parents house that was full. It took my sister and I around two years off and on to sell that stuff for our Mom. This put me over the edge. I do not want someone to have to go through what we went through on my behalf. I am not a hoarder, but had a lot of stuff. I am not, nor will I be, a minimalist by any means. However, I have managed to get rid of around 50% of our stuff. It is an ongoing process. Good luck everyone!
Before I moved from a 2000 sq ft house to a condo in another state, I had to seriously downsize. I had 4 garage sales, listed stuff on fb and OfferUp, had Salvation Army pick up some furniture and took a ton to goodwill in many trips. I narrowed it down to a U-Haul pod and what would fit in my minivan.
We bought our home in June of last year. We downsized our stuff considerably. We have nothing in storage, nothing in boxes, not even a junk drawer. Our garage only has our two cars and nothing else. It feels good that we have a very organized and clean home. I don’t want to leave our son with a bunch of our stuff when we pass.
Have been married twice. Both of my husbands felt entitled to “help” me purge unnecessary stuff when we moved. I noticed that they both removed things of great memories or sentimental value to me. All of their keepsakes remained. My adult son has done the same thing. I refuse to let anyone else touch my things anymore. If they want to toss my stuff, I’ll be dead soon enough.
Convincing my wife is almost impossible. I have no problem getting rid of stuff. Most of the clutter is in the basement. I donated a lot of old clothes on our last move. I also gave away a snow blower and mower to a neighbor since I was moving to a 55 and over. We still have too much for our next and last move.
I was forced to “clean out” my 79-year-old father’s home. It was more like listing everything for FREE on Craigslist. NO ONE wanted to pay for any of his hoarded stuff. Not only did he have too much, but the stuff was also so neglected that it wasn’t worth anything. He couldn’t discern between what was worth keeping and what wasn’t. He needed help and assistance to make decisions. However, he wouldn’t accept help. Not only that but he wasted so much money on repeated purchases. I didn’t mind clearing out the clutter because he is my dad. Nothing was sold. All of the stuff was donated to Goodwill/Salvation Army or friends. No one showed up to the sale. Most of the stuff ended up on the sidewalk and eventually picked up by the trash collector. NOTE to hoarders. IF you have too much stuff to maintain the items/home, the stuff is worthless.
I’m using “Swedish Death Cleaning”. My husband and his brothers and spouses had to clean out his Mom’s house after she died. It took a couple of days to remove all the “stuff”. After that, I swore my kids would never have to do that for me. I think with all the decluttering I’ve done it should only take a few hours to clean out our house. I enjoy the lack of “baggage”.
Great for an analytical person with lots of stuff. Great for Swedish Death cleaning. I make it easy. 10 minutes a day. I can do that. Now I’m organized enough that right now I’m letting go of 3 things a day, trash or donate. I keep a bag by the front door putting donates in as I go. I take it to a donation center once a week. It’s not always easy letting go thinking I may need or want it later that’s most people’s major ‘LET IT GO’ issue. Si now I think of it as giving to someone else. Makes it eadier.
Start minimizing as early as possible before a move. It’ll take longer, be harder than you think. I was moving cross country, already a minimalist, and I assessed every item asking myself if It fits with the new life I want for myself. Too many of us haul baggage around most of our life because we think we should. I was able to get all worldly possessions in my suv, turn the key and head out to the new life.
My parents weren’t exactly hoarding stuff, but they stored everything for decades and I mean everything. It took us 5 years to declutter. I figured out there’s zero chance I will be able to sell everything so I decided to donate. I loaded my car four to five times a year with everything from tech to clothes to kitchen machines and took it to bring-take events, organized by sahms with large families. What was left went to Caritas/Red Cross. My estimate is we donated 20.000-25.000€ worth – sorry, not sorry for every single piece of crap. Breathing easier is more precious than money.
I was perusal a YouTuber that was answering her viewer’s questions about why she didn’t save the clothes that her kids outgrew as hand me downs being that she had 9 or 10 kids . They lived in a very small 3 bedroom house,she said she didn’t have the room or time or energy to be maintaining a bunch of old clothes. She also said everything we have will eventually be trash . I find that I need to just let it go,and stop trying to find the ‘perfect’ place for it to go. When I donate clothes I don’t agonize over if a garment is good enough and would people want it .I trash socks,underwear,torn or stained items and donate the rest and let them decide if it is OK to keep. I don’t want to burden myself babysitting a bunch of ‘trash’.
A key to sanity is controlling the inflow of items. I’ve learned to avoid “sets” which are designed to encourage consumers to spend “just a bit more” for extra items they don’t need or use. One is left juggling extra possessions in an effort to access the items actually used then throwing away the unused portion/item of the set. Whether it’s cookware, glassware, cosmetics/polish, tools, office supplies, cleaning supplies, linens/sheets, socks, food, etc. I buy the best quality of an item that I want/need and avoid extras of any kind.
This is great for getting me going. You do imply that one has the space to start making all the different piles of things however. I actually have been throwing things out every week since a bad builder wrecked my house and caused the chaos I am trying to sort out now. By getting rid of several bags of excess above the normal weekly rubbish, I start to see hope for the time soon when I do a great sort-out into ‘rubbish’, ‘keep’ ‘donate’ piles. I want to put in a word for the older folk like me who have become disabled and are in pain. The younger generation do not understand how difficult this makes life. For example, carrying the washing downstairs is a major task now and extremely painful and leaves me in such pain I can hardly do anything else. Being old, alone and in pain is very difficult and prevents me doing the things I want to do.
Sadly many of my older friends have so much clutter and it is as if they are hanging on as they firmly deny the final chapters of their lives. When I suggest the “Swedish death cleaning” effort they claim loudly–very loudly–that their children WANT the crap they have accumulated. It is so very sad.
My mom was a hoarder and I watched people’s mouths drop with disgust as they entered our house and saw stuff was stacking on top of everything else, including the chairs so guests could not even sit down. It was embarrassing, but my mom thought all of her items were worth something, even the $1 beanie babies and the ceramic angels. It just kept getting worse and worse. My brother and I live very simple with little because we have trauma from our childhood.
I have been decluttering for a couple of weeks and have already decluttered much over the last 4 years. Yep! I’m a collector. I have gotten rid of most of my collections. I was thinking recently, we spend the first part of our lives collecting and the last part getting rid of it. Before I said this to a friend, she said she heard someone say it. I think much of the younger generation has figured it out. They are having experiences, instead of collecting “stuff.”
I couldn’t DISAGREE more! I ONLY buy used stuff these days, for about 15 years now. I have found the most amazing treasures for a fraction of the cost of retail, and it is FUN! I found at Goodwill for example a beautiful, ornate, gold fireplace screen locally at Goodwill and paid about $35, later finding it in a Frontage catalogue for like $350! My whole house is full of pre-owned stuff. Why should I buy new crap made in China?!
I had started dating a woman I knew for years, and after about a year we decided to move in together. I had never seen her apartment…. big mistake… once I saw it. I helped get her cleared up over a couple months after the official move, but it didn’t take long for things to start piling up. I’m the exact opposite person…so it put quite the strain on our relationship. In the end it didn’t work out, but I did realize she didn’t want to live that way, it’s was clear she didn’t know how to only live with what you actually need or use, or not to buy ten of something when you only needed one, it was a deep seeded emotional thing that causes that behaviour.
I am 50 with a 78 yr old mother and we both have huge decluttering jobs ahead of us. I have two kids in high school and desperately want a peaceful house with children for what feels like the little time I have left with them. But I also desperately want to help my mother get hers done – once and for all. Just wanted to say – I’ve not even made it past the second segment of the article yet. And I have rewound it now 5 times. I’m trying to take it all in b/c it seems there are some valuable tips, advice and methods to be shared here. But sir you are talking SO fast and moving from point to point at breakneck speeds. Not speaking for everyone, but many people with “clutter issues” are intelligent, creative individuals – but who have ADD/ADHD or at the very least executive functioning/information processing issues. Many of us canNOT listen, follow along, keep up, take in, process, and retain — the information you’re attempting to share, b/c of the impossibly rapid, complex, and multi-sensorial confounding and distracting way in which you’re presenting it. I have a double MA degree so anyone thinking it’s a matter of intelligence – that’s not the case. All I can say is thank goodness it IS a article and we CAN pause/rewind/repeat. But just wanted to share a little constructive feedback from people who do really want to hear what you have to say, sans the anxiety induced and extra time & effort needed to take it all in. Ok, that’s all. Back to segment 2. 🎬Take six.
I am age 81 and ” trying ” to get the wife to let go. She has 20 year old clothes all neatly stacked in the walk in closet, neatly because I did it. She grew up very poor in the Philippines so I often think perhaps it is harder to get rid of something because she had so little. I personally am going to sell or donate some old Disney comics, reprints because the originals went 50 years ago. Western dvd’s, a set of ten Silver western medals that took me 10 years to complete the set. Old memories are the hardest to let go but like you said, can I or will I ever use it again. Will I ever watch the movies again, No. Gone, Big items are not a problem, it is the STUFF in drawers, closets, shelves that are the hardest to get rid of. YOUR KIDS ‘ DO NOT ‘ WANT YOUR STUFF, unless it has a President’s picture on it.
In my experience when I have a clean up I suddenly find that within 2 weeks I need some of the items I threw out, some of which I hadn’t used for years! Example: I kept my last pay slip from a previous job for 15 years. I cleared out all my old papers and about 10 days later it was televised by the company that old staff were eligible for a pension if they could produce proof of employment, so I lost out big time. Also gave my gardening tools away and also valuable copper fire irons as I lived in an apartment and then circumstances changed and found I had to go out and buy replacements. Be careful what you throw away!
We are moving to what will be our last house and decluttering. This is the house my son will have after we are gone . Luckily, we have very similar tastes, so we are just doing the new home furnishings, etc, in what I know we both enjoy. I’ve asked him and made sure he won’t have to deal with anything except the folder containing all needed legal documents after I’m gone. My father left no will, etc, and I REFUSE to have my son deal with too much as I know how it is. It’s to much to go thru the stuff,deal with finances, etc
All true. I’ve subscribed. I recently gave away half of my grandkid’s toys and what a wonderful process cleaning up has become as a result. Get rid of tiny things first. I’m a quilter. I have as much fabric as Fabricland. Any tips there? Also every craft has its own supplies, tools etc. My home looks like a hoarders home and apart from those things I really aven’t collected too much more..oh yes, baking magazines. I have BINS of them from the past 40 years.
Your article came up on my YT feed so I thought I’d scope it out while I ate my lunch. You seem like a very nice man who sincerely wants to help people with their clutter situation. My only issue is with the sorting into piles…..THEN using the One Touch method. At that point, you’ve already touched it twice. I won’t directly promote a decluttering expert’s website here, but IMHO, there is a better, simpler way to declutter….a “no-mess” decluttering system. If I had to come back to piles everywhere and go through all that stuff AGAIN, I would be discouraged. I think that’s why many people are largely unsuccessful at decluttering. Once someone declutters enough, the organizing part is mostly done. 🙂
I have lived in the same small house for nearly 45 years. In the first week, I had a revelation. No one else was g oing to dump the trash or take the trash cans to the street for pick up. Eventually, I had a revelation that if I wanted to enjoy life, I had to get rid of stuff before I got sick and things were overwhelming. It is June 2024. I don’t try to sell things on the internet. Currently there are two piles in the living room. One pile is waiting the repair of the road to the boy scout camp. Last time, I made the trip. This time a truck will be sent. Over in another corner is the general donation pile. My girl friend adds to it. If the maid doesn’t want the items, we drive to Goodwill. The last trip was two weeks ago. The current project is going through the bedding. By the end of the day, there will be nothing that is ill fitting or stained. There will be a spare set of bedding.
Cleaning out my mom’s home was a back-breaking, time consuming, heartbreaking experience. I couldn’t take the majority of it. Some of it had to be thrown out which adds guilt to the mix. I lived far away and couldn’t sell anything. It was all too overwhelming. Give your treasures to loved ones while you are alive. Although you may be surprised to find they don’t want the things you assume they would treasure. I hate it when old people say their children should clean out their homes as though it is their duty. It’s so selfish. Just know that many of the things you love will end up in the trash.
I went to rn estate sale yesterday and realized that I don’t want my kids to have to do this when I die. (I’m 60.). Swedish Death Cleaning for me. I also give anything that my kids tell me they want when I die NOW. I’ve already enjoyed them so I’m happy to let it go. My oldest daughter had my china and silver and I’ll borrow it if I need it. I donate everything else starting at the school I teach at bi donated all of my camera and article equipment to our Yearbook Club. To quote the Red Hot Chili Peppers 🌶️ “Give it away. Give it away. Give it away now!”
I am starting this process now. I get overwhelmed and do not or know where or how to begin. So I have set a goal date to be done by October 1st, by going one room at a time every week. I look forward to the day when my life, my house, is more streamlined and the peace and sense of freedom it will afford me.
Hi jerry, thanks so much for this article it’s just what I needed right now as well as your viewers I have watched many decluttering article’s & let me tell you that there haven’t been to good & just didn’t get me motivated but hey after perusal your article I feel well motivated to get cracking lol, your article was far the best you have great advice & thank you for taking the time for me & all your viewers, I rarely comment but felt that I needed to😘
Actually, instead of spending your time making lists, just start picking things up and putting the to-go stuff in a bag or a box. Keep going till you’re done. I used to be a “list-maker”, I have wasted A LOT of time making lists. Just grab a box or a bag, go to the room that’s the most like an obstacle course and get r’ done!
Thank you for your timely article. Going through this now…a second time! Got rid of a lot of my parents things when they passed 12+ years ago. We are in our 70’s and I’m decluttering again, the rest of mom’s things and mine. (Not touching hubby’s things as he’s not ready). Taking clothes to free store, books and magazines to library, junk to thrift store, electronics to Best Buy to recycle. Have 30+ boxes ready for auctioneer I’ve worked with before to pick up as there are a lot of antiques. The kids don’t want any of it.
I noticed over the years that people that have no money have stuff the less money you have the more stuff you have because you think that is what shows you have money.., stuff… it doesn’t have to be expensive stuff. It just has to be stuff look at what I have look how much I have it I must be rich.! mentality is everything people think if I have lots of stuff people think I’m rich or well off and then their mind they are look what I have. I must have enough stuff to be rich but here’s the thing it’s just stuff.
Is hoarding a part of getting old or is it just the current older generations (Boomers and Silent Gen)? When the next three generations reach old age, Gen X (1965–1980), Millennials/Gen Y (1981–1996) and Zoomers/Gen Z (1997–2012), will they become hoarders too? Or is hoarding mostly a problem with the Baby Boomers (1946–1964) and Silent Generation (1928–1945)? How do we prevent hoarding as we age?
Moving from 56 squaremeter to 34 squaremeter..I have decluttered alot…it still will be 2 room and a kitchen…but lot smaller..not only decluttering things but also downsizing squaremeter..and I have no car!! Im i happy? Yes! Will i stay in a bedsofa ? Yes! Can you live in a very small space and still be happy? Yes! Do you go more outdoors? Yes! Because you only sleep and eat at home! Hace a wonderful day!!!
When you D clutter, you can also have another pile of stuff you’re not sure about right now and should probably keep longer so you can decide later If you get rid of something, you’re not sure about too soon, you could end up wanting or needing it back later, but it’s already gone That’s why you should have a pile of stuff you’re unsure about right now
I agree that the time to start “decluttering” is when you are young. You will realize the money spent on items you end up not using . Makes cleaning, moving and living easier. As an elder person, it was “the thing” even before you got married, to start a china set, a silverware set. Took years to collect because of cost, mostly acquired for birthdays, etc. Nowadays, the young people have different interests, they aren’t interested in our “stuff”. We collected things all our adult lives and now are trying to “get rid” of it to downsize, or move to a nursing home or not want a house full of items for our kids to deal with later. What we valued is not what is valued today. Most of it, nobody wants. My friends husband died recently. She wanted to move to a smaller place. The kids didn’t want the great grandmother’s tea set or the grandmothers china and silver. A shame really as it is quality, and expensive and their history. But times have changed. Couldn’t even sell it. Gave it to a donation place.
The thumbnail is misleading. I thought it would be information about helping my MIL, who is overwhelmed. As she sorts her items, she won’t eliminate anything bc “niece/grandchild/some other relative might want this.” I think it’s bc she grew up poor, but she isn’t poor now. Neither are her niece/grandchild/some other relative.
A lot of stuff is for things you used to do with friends who are no longer in your life. A lot of stuff is for things you would like to do, but are not doing, and never will do. The mental part comes first; admitting those relationships are dead; admitting you will never be able to do the things you have prepped for.__ _One must admit one does not have the financial prosperity, which others have, which enables others to keep a lot of stuff._ _It is difficult to dispose of things that cost a lot of money, and took a lot of effort to find and acquire, but I will never use again._ _A lot of stuff, which I will never use, is an illusion of prosperity, which is actually dragging me further down._ __Romans 6:23 should say, “For the wages of sin is death to relationships, but the stuff remains”.
I need my stuff. I don’t care if anyone else doesn’t want it. If that’s true don’t lock your doors just let people take your valueless stuff. I did it for my parents. I did it because I loved them and my older brothers didn’t want any of it. Well maybe a few things. But who are you living for, yourself? Or others?
What are best ways to sell nice furniture/items that are ~5 yrs old and high quality/modern? Finally bought new stuff with longer term plans. Life changing unexpectedly. Money will be needed for next situation. Also how to balance keeping nice furnishings in home to stage it, but sell in less than 30 days once buyer is known, vs. selling in advance with empty blah rooms? Locals reporting getting ghosted 90-99% of the time when trying to sell. I won’t be moving to a home where I can take any furnishings with me. Might have 1 yr so decluttering underway and cleaning, thx for the article.
Hmmm. I didn’t start with the messiest place. I’ve started with the attic space. I’m pulling everything out of the attic space to decide whether to keep it, pitch it, or donate it. While I have the attic clear, I’m upgrading the insulation and installing new lightbulbs before I bring any one item back into that space. Done properly, only 30-50% of the stuff in that attic space will go back, freeing up space for other items while allowing the opportunity to put it back in an organized way, so I can put my hands on whatever I’m looking for. After attics come closets. Same thing, every single thing comes out, Lightbulbs get upgraded as necessary, and with luck, maybe 40-70% of that stuff goes back in. Removing everything forces me to consider everything. Only then can I tackle drawers and other spaces. Oh, and my piles are 1. keep in air conditioned space 2. keep in attic space 3. Donate 4. Shred 5. Recycle 6. Trash. My questions are simple: Do I want to move this to my retirement home in 8-10 years? Do I want my daughter to have to deal with this thing after I’m gone? If I’m not wanting to move it, then now is the time to not keep it. Much of 1 -2 are going into themed bins with labels. I’m thrilled with the project, as I have some crazy crap around here after living in the same house for nearly 18 years.
I needed to clean the garage in a hurry to benifit one of my kids. It was a great motivator to just haul things out to the curb and let go of them. I live in an area with lots of college kids moving in. I got more fun from items going away than the few bucks I would have gotten from them. The best one was a single drawer from a dresser. i wondered what jerk would do that. But the next morving it was gone. Bet they took it when walking and came back after darkbwith a car for the rest.
I’m good at organizing my trash. I have been throwing things out for 2 years now. I had to clean out my mother-in-law and my mother’s house. What JOBS that was. So I don’t want anyone to have to throw my junk out for me. Although, maybe it is what I need to do, LEAVE it for them so they won’t collect STUFF so much.
My neighbor grew up in the house near me. I knew his mother and father. He still lives in the house. His father had taken good care of the house until his 80’s, then died. About four years ago, his mother died. The, stairs leading up to the house, the front yard, the long driveway along the side of the house is cluttered with so much crap and useless stuff, and my neighbor is constantly rummaging around, pulling stuff out, and putting it at the curb because he’s convinced it’s good stuff that others will want. It offends the eye how much crap he hoards. I often think about his dad, and how much care he used put into the yard. I have another friend, mother died, and she too has devolved into another crap hoarder. Volunteering to help them goes nowhere because all that junk is interwoven with grief is my guess.
One thing I’ve done 4 times in the past 10 years is rent a dumpster. In my hometown. It’s like $350 for five days. I’ve used it to declutter storage space that resembled hoarders. Garage spaces. Etc. Also, had some old photos that appeared to have the beginnings of mold. Painstakingly scanned them. Organized them. Through out the really bad ones. This took at least 40 hours. But it kept memories that could go to multiple people when they were on the same photo.
I liked this article… until you said “MAKE PILES” 🙈…noooo… in order to really make progress, we have to always deal with the things completely and right away… Pick up an item and ask yourself ” If I would need it, where would I look for it?”, and, “If I would need this item, would it occur to me that I already have it ?”… So, TAKE IT THERE “NOW”, or “DONATE IT” (put it right away into your car (or outside “for free”)… PROGRESS 🎉
Bin whatever you can as soon as you can – All this elaborate planning for HOW you get rid of it the junk is all very resourceful and all very nice but it slows everything down to the point that many of us fall down with piles and plans that take forever to complete which increases procrastination risk enormously – Just fire it all in the bin and move on asap so that you dont jeopardise the de-clutter!
I look upon the situation of declutterring a bit differently. I cannot tell you how many adult children have said to me how long it took to “clear out” their parents home either after passing away or going into care. I nod quietly but these are my thoughts. Your parents “stuff” is and was part of their life. If it takes you a week a month or more to sort it out then so be it. At the end of the day you will inherit their property be it a house and all the “stuff” or a simple object, it’s a legacy from your loved one. People seem to be ungrateful these days. I recall my mother finding a painting she did when she was 6yrs old amongst her father’s treasures. It made her smile recalling those days. If you want to declutter, do so. But please don’t declutter to ease the burden on your children having to clear out your mess (as they may see it). After all you wiped their little bottoms once and you did it because they needed you and you loved them.
What’s with the dizzying effects? Ughh! I feel like I’m going to hurl now, thanks. I reached 1:05 into your article and had to stop it. You might have valid decluttering advice, but the articlegraphy lacks simplicity and control. As with living in a functional & efficient space, less is more when it comes to making quality articles and making lasting impressions!
You have to be able to throw stuff in trash can. Let’s face it; some of your stuff is just junk no one wants. I keep an ongoing charity bag for clothing in good condition or clean appliances still in working order. My mom never could let go of anything and when we started clearing some of her lifetime belongings I just sorted before dropping off and threw away the things I knew no one would want. I’ve told my daughter not to feel any guilt tossing things after my death..just because it was on the wall forever doesn’t mean it was special. Maybe I was just too lazy to toss it myself. If you are only going to move it from underneath my bed to underneath yours…
Imagine how much treasure,s like antiques, rare books, fine art, and rare coins have been thrown in the trash. How many old baseball cards were destroyed worth thousands of dollars. How frequently valuable items are found in trash dumps like rare bottles and old radiator caps. You can declutter, but be damned sure you actually know what the value your items are actually worth. I have found many thousands of dollars worth of items in dumpsters and trash cans. One time, I found a brand new 100k btu gas furance in a trash container at a car dealer. I asked the manager if I could take it. He said yes. It was hardly used, and I sold it that same weekend at my yard sale for $400! I can not count the the number of rare items thar i have seen end up in the trash!
I’m in a major decluttering mode so my kids won’t have bunch of my junk to sift through…wish could get my hubby on board…he is hoarding 6 Monopoly games, his 40 year old daughter’s 8th grade history projects & toys, 30+ t-shirts from a company he used to work for 2 sizes ago, 6 totes of Memory goodies, his deceased brothers mementos(& ashes), a garage, basement workshop, & shed full of tools/whatnot, plus too much to list(sounds like a Craigslist ad!) We want to ‘age in place’ here, but don’t need to house so much, just because we have the space…sigh…
I start with the recycling. That gets a lot out of the way quickly usually in 15’. I sort by glass, magazines/papers, and plastics 1&2. That goes right to the hatch of my van as soon as I have enough of any of the three to take my next time I pass by there. Touching only once does it work for me but I am glad it does for you. I put like things together then I can evaluate how many of something I have asked myself which of them are still serving me? Ones that do not get donated. I check with family first then onto a charity. I rarely sell any item. I will donate a large chest of drawers and a triple dresser at some point to charity that is able to pick it up. If that doesn’t work, I will call that junk service that make sure to take it to a charity. If I get overwhelmed, I will do just a category. Such as when I cleaned up work table, I will deal with just the paperwork or just pharmaceuticals or just pens making sure they all work anyway so good to hear your tips. Definitely one step at a time.
Near the end of the article, he mentions the Bagster route for getting rid of items. Totally skipping over how much this service costs and the limitations there are on what you can fit in this bag. I have been going through this process after my kids moved out. So many things costing so much to dispose of. Long gone are the days of packing it all up in a pick up and going to the dump.
Timely topic for me. I am starting to declutter and identifying valuable major newer items to sell. Huge life changes also take some transition/processing time so I’ve let go in layers like an onion but need to make some greater steps even without a fixed timeline. My place is not cluttered but this is extreme downsizing so will do some initial donations and determine what to sell and then ask a family member to help price some things.
1:48 “Start with the messiest place in your house.” That depends. If you are moving then yes. But if you are staying in the home it might be important to ask why the messiest place is so messy. Because the answer might be because these are the things that you use every day and you don’t have anywhere to put it. And the reason that you have nowhere to put it, is because the cupboards are filled with stuff that you do not in fact use everyday. If this is true for you, then you are going to have to tackle the cupboards that might be neatly stacked with things that you do not use and actually need to declutter first. When that happens, viola, space opens up and the messy place no longer needs to do that job anymore. lol.
If you’re trying to declutter and find yourself still buying stuff, you’re not making much progress. I’ve gotten into this habit: For nearly everything that catches my eye, I make myself have a 2-day cooling off period to ask myself if I honestly need the item. Over 50% of the time I say no. The lack of added clutter and more money in my account make me feel warm and fuzzy. Try it. Everyone I know who does this thinks it’s great discipline that really works!
It’s good info, thank you—but the only criticism I have is the segues —the spins the slams…I get it, millennials have a one second attention span and things have to be dynamic but that’s not the demographic for declittering. Predominantly we gen Xers or even boomers are downsizing and decluttering. Not the generation that is spending their money on experiences rather than items. I had to listen to it because it was making me motion sick. And I have vertigo which was also making it hard to watch. Please consider re-editing without all the acrobatic segues. 🙏🏻 It’s too good to lose the info to all this motion and shutting it off because of the editing.
Who could have advised you to make this article this way? And what made you think it was the right way? Declutter? The subject is interesting, but it’s presented in such a way that it’s impossible to watch AND listen to your ideas. Would you present an object for sale in this way: very short sequences, rotating images, zooming in and out, all at high speed? No, you wouldn’t. It seems I’m not the only one to have made this observation. That’s a pity. Check your copy, svpl, because this subject is really important.
My parents are both gone now. I have alot of stuff from my mom and dad because I am indian American and I celebrate both indian and American festivals and I know about both cultures. So, I do celebrate alot of things both indian and American. I have added on my own traditions also. I plan to write a will and take it to a notary and a lawyer and get my will officially signed and notarized in front of 2 witnesses. This is because I have chronic illness and I am on lots of medications. So, I am planning this. I am currently 47. Not sure after 50 what will happen. So I want to be prepared for anything. Life can be very very unpredictable. Sometimes.
I’m glad you mentioned bagster. I’d say for most things just put it out in your municipal trash. But I did get Bagster once. My house had a lot of junk from the previous owners. A lot of it was a pile of cement blocks behind the garage. So I got the bagster and carefully followed their rules on placing heavy stuff at the bottom and how to position it in the driveway. I then had extra room and got rid of a dilapidated deck and fence. It was very nice when someone from the area drove by my house stopped and complimented me on how much nicer things looked. I also recommend looking at your property from your neighbor’s property. It gives you a perspective of what needs to be cleaned up!
I submit that one must go through the process of desiring a thing, buying it, realizing they didn’t really want it in the first place, and finally getting rid of it. What follows is Enlightenment, described here in these comments as the feeling of joy and relief of being free of the ‘thing’. Enlightenment, it seems, comes at a cost.
When I saw the title, my initial thought was not what he was thinking at all, and he’s right, you do need to declutter your place every so often. I totally understand how it can be overwhelming, but something Mack of Midwest Cleaning has said as he does this, both as a living, but as a hobby/special interest (he’s autistic) is start on one section of the room, and work your way around it, clearing/cleaning a 4×4 Ft section, even if first just to utilize as a clean landing for your cleaning supplies, moving them as needed to another clean area as you go around the room. Since he was cleaning/clearing out of hoarding homes, there was no time for sorting out for recycling, trash etc as one, where he lives is mostly small towns without the ability to recycle so most items that do get tossed, get tossed into a dumpster in many cases. Also, if dealing with a hoarder, getting rid of stuff will likely make the issue worse, not better. So best to sort items in like/similar items into tubs and consolidate as much as you can, tossing pure trash so they can get around the house. If the hoarder goes into therapy and gets help, then they can get to where they are ready to get rid of much more stuff. Sometimes, just cleaning a home is getting it to a livable state, IE, getting rid of any biohazards that are present in the home, like rat feces, dead nats, dog/cat feces, dead/expired food being among the tasks. But for the rest of us, it simply means getting rid of items no longer of use to us, recycle, upcycle, sell or donate, and then toss the rest.
My current home is in an HOA that does not allow garage sales. I took pictures of inherited treasures and went to an auction house and two antique stores. Without even looking at my pictures they said no one wants these things. The stores were crammed and I saw similar items . I am downsizing as my husband passed away and I will no longer be entertaining as I am no longer being entertained as a single woman. I don’t use the computer well so offer up and Etsy are a challenge. Any other ideas how to get rid of antique brick brackets?
I’ll be honest. I don’t at all care whether anyone wants or even needs my items. I enjoy my items, for myself. While I am decluttering a home my mother hoarded and most of that will be going to trash, there are some things I will keep. A person might ask where my cold thinking comes from. It comes from perusal people. I’ve seen people who want my stuff, if only they could kick me out of the way, so they could simply take it. They’re not willing to pay one red cent, because the satisfaction probably comes more from snatching something away from someone else, “maybe” for their own enjoyment. The other thing? It costs $$$ to get rid of things often. While people must be paid for their labor, I guess I just don’t come from a generation where you had to actually pay hundreds or thousands, to dispose of things. As a result, while my parents had some fine vintage and, perhaps, antique items, things like desks, book cabinets or bed sets, I may take my saw to, so I can dispose of them during bulk trash. So, instead of paying to dispose of trash, I just dispose of it, through the property taxes I pay, which is a bundle. Outside of that, I don’t have much concern for it.
I found the article to be too busy and repetitive. It’s well-edited but overproduced IMO. Stock footage over and over and over with endless spins back to the speaker. Too much intensity, I slowed it down to 9/10 speed just to get a more comfortable pace. So much jazz and pizzazz for the overstimulated youth of today? I watched once, but feels like I’ve seen the same article six times. THANKfully there was no obnoxious redundant music loop playing the whole way through. I’m sure it is helpful to others, but led me to making a comment rather than decluttering as I plan my attack on the piles of hording I’ve already created. I’ve got to declutter/dehord BEFORE someone puts me on a hording show.
I agree with you on so much, but the hardest part of clutter for so many people is the sentimental factor. You lost me when you did not acknowledge that at the start with any outlook of resolution. I’ve learned my way to deal with sentimental keeps for the most part, I struggle with a survivalist mindset as a single income. Spread your wings and maybe you have, but I really appreciate the highly focused purpose of your article I am working my way through some of your articles and the rest of this one but wanted to record my memories at the moment.
Thank you! I’m so pleased you came up on my recommendations. I’ve always been a very non clutter, structured person. When my brother, Aunt and Nana (who was more a mum to me) died within 18 months of one another I inherited 3 households filled with memorable items, important items, complete rubbish that I’d never use but someone else may. It’s been 6 years of trying to get through each household without breaking down and multiple yard give aways. I contacted our local Social Services, Women’s and Men’s shelters, LE and Fire Department to come over and grab what they need/want. I’m not open to the public. I also have boxes for my cousins so that they have some of the valuable items to pass down. Some items have been in our family since the 1700’s. They get those. Your questions are brilliant as I have multiple “go through later” boxes. I needed to be sure I’m in the right mindset and not emotional about items. I’m there now. I wrote the questions down on a large poster board to have in front of me.
As Americans we do a mass a lot of stuff over a lifetime specially when you take into account other people’s lives that you take on their junk when they pass. Finding out what you truly need and or want and will use sometimes can be a daunting process. Over a lifetime I’ve learned that a lot of people the decluttering gets clogged with emotional roadblocks. Many times holding onto things that don’t make sense or not usable being attached to emotional trauma.
I have collected a large vase of giant acorns and display them in my living room. I have had them for over 15 years. I am almost 100% certain none of my children or grandchildren would appreciate them. So, I hand wrote a message stating where these acorns are to be sent upon my demise 😂on a thank you card received from an “acorn artist” on YouTube. 😂😂😂😂.
So, box everything up in piles, then go through the piles of boxes again to sort them into more piles. Nope! And I have to agree with SO MANY other people in these comments; the swirling, whooshing, spinning, camera jarring effects are what stopped me from perusal the article all the way through. And why do so many of these unnecessary transitions just lead to a picture of some random person chewing on a pen? Seemed totally unrelated.
Spouse watches this article. Presents concepts to partner. Next three months is spent arguing over said items cluttering the space. It reminds me of a George Carlin skit where the punchline is “Get your shit off the dresser so I can put my stuff on it”. Also, tools should be off limits unless they are completely redundant. It’s better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
i don’t agree with starting with the worst part of the house. He definitely is not familiar on people who have hoarding issues, lol. You want to start with a small non worse area. Also his suggestion of asking yourself does this make you happy is also not a doable helpful suggestion for those who have trouble getting rid of as EVERYTHING makes you happy if you are a chronic collector or hoarder
Im in my 80s and was the only girl cousin in my family. Guess who got the job of cleaning out every deceased relatives house? Please pay attention to what people say about decluttering! Dont leave all this stuff for someone else to deal with. Its not fair to leave these messes to your spouse, kids or relatives to deal with. Its not only time consuming, but physically demanding and emotionally draining as well
Yeah everybody throw away your stuff and don’t even think about the cost or what it is worth ! I’m going dumpster diving after robosharing this article… Just Kidding but I hate extreme answers like this one, it feels more natural to give things away to people that will appreciate them or sell them on the internet because places like EBAY and Amazon among others would tend to disagree with the whole sentiment of this article… But I have actually had to uproot and move away from all my stuff before so I know what that is like as well.
I’m obsessed with throwing stuff out now It’s bad…. My dad passed away in 2020 and I had to go thru all his stuff During this time we also planned on moving Well I’ve had to go thru 29 years of shit (We had 6 ppl living here now 2) I cleared out the attic Basement Garage Back room Shed But now I’m looking at my stuff and thinking if I die what do I leave behind do I need it… I wish I wasn’t all or nothing
We should also have public containers for electronical stuff and also for household stuff. Not everybody has a car and not everybody wants to throw everything into the general trash container no matter what. I’m in West Europe and we have public containers for general trash, for plastics, for glass, for paper and for sorted-out clothes. I wish we had even more categories.
Hmmm, sorry but I dislike the, follow these 5 rules, articles. Ican only remember 3 at a time max. Why not just basic tips? Also, you make it sound like we all operate the same. I am in my 70s and slow (for a number of reasons). I work on the idea of 2 or 3 hours bite and relax. Which also gives me the time to think. Forget about the one touch rule for example, just does not work!
And reality check too on it from me. Being a hoarder and collector and into garage sales, swap meets, finding “treasures”, rifling through dead peoples things and then selling it on scum tree for three times what it is worth, haggle with me, complain about the prices of everything brand new, complain about the price of everything second hand also, interfere with my own shopping practices psychologies with the whole Australian “way” of insisting that you know where you can get a better deal and everything is a rip off blah blah blah : does not qualify you to tell me, and believe yourself, that you are a musician ! Nor an “organiser”. When, you are acting opposite . So DON’T accuse me, of ripping you off Australia. Being a collector, doesn’t mean you can sing . 🙄🙄⛺⛺⛺⛺⛺⛺⛺ Offer me a tent ! Such genuine philanthropists you are ! 😤😖😑
I’m sorry but I can’t get to the meat of this article. I’m not a list maker but I’m very organized. We all know it’s a process, it’s hard, things take up space and time. I just was hoping for a concise process. And I agree with other viewers – the swirling graphics every few seconds make the article hard to watch.
I always love to just peruse antique shops and try to build personal glimpses of the individual lives of those who have passed from this life. Collections of beer tap handles, fishing lures, music records, jars of buttons, cooking utensils, books, and on and on. It’s almost as good as people perusal at the airport!