Are you tired of slogging through the decluttering process for every space in your home? I’m confident I can help you speed up the process by answering 5 simple questions that will put more perspective on the things you’re hanging onto.
Every summer break, the kids and I do a once-over of all their clothing, toys, books, games, and craft supplies; donating anything they no longer use, need, want, or love.
We also strategically move some toys and crafts outside for the summer (these will eventually end up in the trash come fall!)
This timing works well for our family as we’re outside so much in the summer that the kids rarely miss their indoor toys and games until the weather cools down in late fall… and then I tell them to “add it to their Christmas list”, which forces them to consider how badly they really want a game or toy.
A NOTE ON DECLUTTERING WITH KIDS:
I prep them ahead of time, informing them that we will spend up to 30 minutes every morning, for the first 5 days of summer break, going through one area each morning (clothing, toys, books, games, arts/crafts).
They know I always have a fun snack waiting for them when they finish, so they rarely take the full 30 minutes… and then we’re DONE!
It’s honestly amazing how quickly they decide — even Nora (our artsy “hoarder”) was willing to part with so many art projects this summer!
I often do this same process over Christmas break — so we go through all their things at least twice per year.
If you’re not always so quick to decide what to keep and what to part with, let me share 5 simple questions that might help….
1. If I move, would I want to box this up and take it with me?
I like to start with this question because every adult knows that moving is a big hassle. This question is a great way to put your clutter into perspective as to if you really need it or not.
I’ve only moved once and it wasn’t fun — even without kids and without tons of extra stuff. I don’t want to think about moving now with 4 children and all the extra stuff they bring with them.
Just the idea of moving motivates me to declutter more… and more!
BOTTOM LINE: If you don’t think you’d be willing to pack up a particular item and move it to another location, it’s probably safe to declutter it now.
2. How sad would I be if I lost this item?
I know multiple families who have lost everything due to fires or floods and it’s always interesting to hear them talk about the handful of items they actually miss from their old homes.
It’s never their extra slow cooker, their magazine collection, or their closet full of extra towels and sheets.
I’ve also lost things on vacation (or even just at a local park) and after I get over my initial frustration with myself for not being careful, I rarely miss the physical item all that much.
BOTTOM LINE: While I hope you never live through a house fire or flood, I encourage you to keep this question at the forefront of your mind as you evaluate what you need, want, use, and love… then declutter and donate the rest!
3. Could I use another item I already have?
There are so many gadgets and utensils in our home that could be used in multiple ways to eliminate the need for additional items.
For example, we previously put our toy box in front of the stairs to serve as a baby gate whenever we had new walkers or crawlers — meaning we never needed a baby gate, even with 4 children and lots of stairs (side note, we now have a gate for the dog!)
I donated my countertop blender because I realized I could do everything with my handheld immersion blender or food processor.
I replaced all our old frying pans, our quesadilla maker, and 2 George Foreman griddles with a couple of cast iron skillets… I’ve never looked back!
And I’ve reduced my wardrobe by about 75% over the last 10 years of being a stay-at-home-mom… because I don’t need a wide variety of clothing.
BOTTOM LINE: If you’re “on the fence” about decluttering one particular item, consider if there is anything else in your home that could do the same thing. If so, let it go!
4. Could I repurpose the item to make it more usable?
I love anything that serves multiple purposes (see #3 above), so if I’m questioning myself on something, I try to consider any other ways I could use the item — making it more useful.
For example, I got a bunch of furniture that no one else wanted when my grandma passed away 12 years ago. I sold most of it, but I painted and repurposed a few pieces that we still use on a daily basis. In fact, we currently use several family heirlooms as decorations and useful pieces in our home.
I also had a bunch of old high school and college t-shirts made into a t-shirt quilt that we now use all the time (the kids love hearing the stories behind my shirts).
BOTTOM LINE: If you can’t think of any other way to use the item in question, it’s probably safe to declutter.
5. Would I use it more often if it were stored in a more convenient place?
Over the years, there have been countless times when simply moving something to a more prominent location means that it gets used significantly more often (especially if I put it where my children can reach it!)
For example, when I revamped my pantry storage to accommodate more bulk foods I was pleasantly surprised to notice how much more efficient my time in the kitchen was.
And whenever we rearrange toys or games, the ones in front are usually the ones they play with most — simply because they are easy to grab.
If I want to use up a certain type of craft supply, I simply move it to the front of the cabinet or the top of the pile, and the kids magically become interested in it again!
BOTTOM LINE: If you are worried you’ll regret a decision, first move the item in question to a more prominent place in your home. If you still don’t use it, it’s time to donate.
There you have it — the decluttering thought process that significantly reduces the time I spend questioning if I should let go of an item or not (it only takes me a few seconds to mentally run through these questions.)
One More Decluttering Quick Tip:
Decluttering is an ongoing process that’s never fully complete (sorry!) so I’ve found it works best to have a permanent place to store our donated items in between trips to the thrift store.
I keep donation bags at the bottom of our closet, one in the laundry room, and one in an upstairs closet so I always have an out-of-the-way place to stash our cast-offs until it’s time to drop them off.
When we make a trip to the local thrift store, I simply grab our bags and head out the door.
Related Reading:
- How to Declutter 100 Things from Your Home TODAY!
- Streamline Your Home with the 80/20 Principle
- 6 Questions to Help You Simplify Your Closet
- 5 Decisions that lead to more clutter
- Practical Solutions for Sentimental Clutter
- How to Finally Let Go of “what if I need it” Clutter
Do you ask yourself certain questions when you declutter… or am I the only weirdo?
Siobhan says
Thanks Andrea! I liked the Bottom Line explanation along with the question. Also, yesterday I made your Super Simple Chocolate Cake recipe for my daughter’s birthday -it was delicious! So happy, I’ve wanted to stop buying boxed mixes for awhile -going forward I’ll be making that recipe
Andrea says
yay — so glad you made and enjoyed the chocolate cake (happy birthday to your daughter too!)
Rhonda says
You’re not a weirdo…I usually think about how an item might be used or enjoyed more if it were in someone else’s home. It feels “wasted” if it’s something that we never or rarely use. I don’t like clutter…or waste!
Andrea says
yes, I know how exciting it is for me when I find “JUST what I was looking for” at a thrift store for a fraction of the price… and I want to give that feeling to someone else, versus just hoarding items in our closets “just in case” we might need them someday. Glad I’m not the only one 🙂
Linda Bolt says
My question now is: Am I the best person to own or store this item? Is there someone else who needs this item more than I do?
If I know someone who can use something we aren’t using, I give it to them, either permanently, or if they no longer need it, I will take it back to pass on again. I only give items that I don’t mind if they never come back.
Our Little Tikes toy kitchen has been used by 3 different families over the years, and now is in the church nursery.
Andrea says
Good question to ask! My only “concern” with this is that you could end up storing and hanging onto the items for much longer than if you just purge them right away.
I’m thinking specifically of 3 people I know very well in my own life, all of whom do exactly as you say — give the items to someone to “borrow” or use, but then get it back again to pass along to someone else, only to get it back again.
The people I know are CONSTANTLY getting stuff back (stuff they no longer have any use for at all) and then storing it until they find another person who can use it for a while. I know someone with middle-school age girls who still has TUBS full of all their baby and toddler clothes and toys that she “lends out” to other people she knows with little girls.
It’s insane how much space these tubs take up in her basement — not to mention the time involved in sorting through it all, remembering who has what items, and trying to pick up and drop off various bins with people she thinks could use her things.
It certainly doesn’t sound like this is what you are doing — but I wanted to point out a potential “danger” with this concept, just in case others are reading and have fallen into this trap of lending and storing again!
Thanks for sharing.
Becky says
My kids are grown, so now my purge question is, “is this something I want to keep badly enough to leave it for my kids to deal with if something happens to me?” Makes it much easier for me to purge!
Andrea says
yes! This is a fantastic question to ask! Not one I personally ask at this point in my life — but definitely a good question! Thanks for sharing.
Barb says
Andrea, you mentioned you “have a handful of small accessories I can add to my casual items to make them look dressier and fancier” Would you consider doing a blog and what they are and how you use them?
Andrea says
here’s a post about my mix and match wardrobe — my method is mostly just adding a colorful scarf or nicer jewelry to a plain black dress. I can dress it down with a casual sweater or jean jacket 🙂
JJ says
Your writing on your list is fantastic! You could have your own font!
Andrea says
haha — thanks 🙂 And I’ve always complained that I have bad handwriting!
Erin says
Your method has relly helped me in getting rid of excess things that I have held onto for too long. I am now starting to see the fruits of my labor because my cabinets are thinning out and there is almost a place for everything, I still have work to do. My question is, what do I do with old year books? I have been out of high school for 25 years now and never look at them but I am not sure what to do with them…
Linda B. says
Erin: You might contact the school and see if they would like them. Or possibly the local library in the town where the school is. The last time we moved, I contacted my husband’s old high school and they were thrilled to have the yearbooks and his old letter sweater for their archives. As long as I didn5 have to find a spot for them, I was thrilled to UPS the items to them.
Telva says
Questions 1 and 2 really resonate with me. We recently purged roughly half of our stuff and packed up the rest to move to a different country, which involved agonising over what to let go of for days on end. Because of the logistics of an international move, our things took four weeks to arrive, and in the meantime we got used to living out of a couple of suitcases with only the bare essentials. So much so that, when we received our boxes and started unpacking, we were almost surprised to find some of the stuff in there – what had seemed so essential at the moment of packing suddenly seemed superfluous in our new life, after doing without it for weeks. Most of the things that we sold, donated or gave away, I can’t even remember, even after the emotional energy invested in deciding what to do with them. This process has definitely changed my perspective on material possessions, and I’m much more thoughtful about what I acquire and what I purge on a daily basis.
Andrea says
wow — that’s amazing! I’ve always wondering how much we would get rid of if we moved across the country (let alone to a new country). It’s inspiring to know that you didn’t miss much of what you packed away — I have a feeling most people would agree. Although I doubt most people would be able to actually purge as much as you did.
Enjoy unpacking and settling into your new home!
Liane says
I just came across a link to a site buried in age bookmarks on my old retired iPad. I so love de cluttering things that can be de cluttered from a chair! Of course the rabbit hole still beckons…
Anyway, not all of us are like Andrea, I.e. Born organized. Some homemakers are of the distracted sidetracked forgetful sort. A condition caused by kids I think. But let me tell you, from personal experiences even if the kids are in their 40s it never goes away.
So here is a link to a great site for those who don’t kn where to start.
http://www.aslobcomesclean.com/2012/03/how-to-de-clutter-sorting/
Andrea says
Thanks for sharing 🙂
kim says
I ask myself, “If I didn’t already own it, would I buy it again”. That one question alone has helped me part with many, many nice things I really don’t need or use any more. It’s hardcore, but effective:)
Jenny C. says
Andrea, when you donate is it important to list each individual item out for tax records or can you just list, for example: “clothes,” “miscellaneous,” ” household items?” I never know how to handle this part of the donation process (and estimating the value of donations). Thanks for any input 🙂
Andrea says
I honestly never take the time to list anything because our accountant said it wouldn’t make any difference for our tax returns — and because I will often bring one or two very small bags to drop off on a regular basis (so it would just be a bunch of busywork for me).
I’m guessing you’re technically supposed to write out every item, but I’d as a tax person for sure.
Courtney says
You have to be very specific when it comes to recording what you donate for tax purposes. You must include type of item – woman’s blouse; condition – new/great/good (they don’t consider anything less than good to be worth anything); original cost of the item as well as fair market value (what it’s worth now). Very time consuming but sometimes it’s worth it.
Lizanne says
I am one of those for whom purging is often difficult, bringing up emotions and guilt for even the most useless bits of clutter (especially paper – articles cut out, anecdotes saved, etc.). I am getting better, though, especially because I am planning to move this summer. These questions are helpful, and similar to one general question I’ve started asking myself (even before knowing about the pending move), which is: ‘Do I love this enough to be willing to maintain this item?’ I may like something, but if the process of using, wearing, cleaning, repairing, storing, or organizing it starts to become overwhelming to me, it’s probably not worth it. Thinking about my stuff in this way has really helped make it easier for me to let go of a lot more.
Andrea says
wow — I love that question. I did a full post a couple years ago about the “True Cost Of Our Stuff” and talked about just that. Are you willing to clean it, to repair it, to store it, to put batteries in it, to pay for it to be maintained if necessary.
You are exactly right!
Barrie says
This is a really great post for me- I am needing to go through each room again, and I just stare at everything and am not sure where to start! These are different than what I normally just think of: keep, give, toss. Thanks a ton for a little push in the right direction!
Karen says
Barrie, It IS hard to know where to begin! One of the things that has helped me is to break up the areas for de-cluttering..like, kitchen area: drawers, cabinets, pantry…then I take the drawers, I go through one drawer at a time. I take everything out and lay it on the counter and then only put what I want to keep back into the drawer. Anything that doesn’t make it back into the drawer goes into a bag for giving away. After doing this with each drawer, then I decide if the items are in the right drawers for being productive and efficient. For instance, putting my silver ware in the drawer closest to the table, my cooking utensils closest to the stove, etc. You can do this same process in each room, by breaking up the room into individual “projects”. I hope this helps! Andrea, the question I have asked myself is when is the last time I used it?
Andrea says
Yes, and also just setting a timer for 15-20 minutes and stopping when it’s done. That way, you don’t get burnt out 🙂
Barb says
Yes, I find it important and helpful to completely empty out a drawer or shelf and then put back only what I want to keep. For some reason that works much better than picking each item out of the drawer and deciding I also start in one corner of the room and work my way around, either left or right, Tackling each drawer or shelf that comes up.
Andrea says
yep… no problem! Happy purging!
Liane says
In Sidetracked Home Executives book by Pam Young she says start at the front door. Work your way clockwise, going clockwise around each room. Use the four box method.
– donate
– trash
– put away in proper place
– storage
I just did a drawer in my bedroom. I found batteries. Put in the put away box. Found a receipt. Pitched it. Found a comb. Put in bathroom. Found a handful of Christmas light bulbs. Put in a box marked storage for garage.
The boxes kept me from getting sidetracked. I had no donations but after my timer went off I had a bunch of trash and then took the put away box and played mailman.
FlyLady (who I find beyond annoying) says to break house into zones. Assign each one a week. Messies believes in the Mt Vernon method of starting in a room and work till done early before the museum opens versus the Vesuvius method which needs no explanation he he. Just don’t tear up more than you can put away in an hour.
susie says
What kind of bag to you use to store your purged items in? I tend to wait till I can fill up a garbage bag, but that sounds handy… I probably have a couple around already! I need to go purge but I have been feeling so lazy, 9 mths pg with #7 and have had a bad cold… where is the nesting urge? Lol! Great tips!
Liane says
Susie,
We are mailed large plastic bags from several veterans support organizations. They are about the size of a kitchen trash bag. There is a date on the envelope insert stating the pick up date. I discovered they come every 4 weeks on a Wednesday in my area so I put that on my calendar. I make sure my bags go to the curb. Once I used trash sacks and my husband put them next to the trash toter and they got picked up by the garbage man! You can check for AmVets to see if they are in your area. These bright red or bright yellow bags are good visual reminder. I keep one by my washer and one in my entry closet.
Andrea says
I don’t have anything specific. Usually it’s a paper grocery bag, sometime a trash bag, sometimes a diaper box… just whatever I have on hand.
susie says
Funny I never thought of a box! I often use garbage bags but get sick of looking at them.
Andrea says
oh yes, the big diapers boxes work really well too because they have handles 🙂
Liane says
Well I am not yet at the Depends stage, and the youngest gran is 8. No diapers. But….
I saved all the Amazon boxes from Christmas and made an amazing (ha ha I punned) discovery. They have sizes on them. Actually codes, e.g. A-1. I kept all of them of the same size to pack up a ton of 40 year old princess house glasses I got as wedding gifts. I can’t just give them to a thrift store, they are really delicate. I am going to try consignment. But as for boxes, great idea. Most of my discards are clothes and linens so bags work.
Barb says
If the items are not breakable i usually put them in plastic grocery bags. Then when I have enough grocery bags filled, I put them all in a large trash bag and take them to Goodwill, Salvation Army etc.
Brooke says
I got this one from another blog, but it really resonated with me: if I saw this in a store today, would I still buy it?
Elizabeth says
Great question to ask! I will start using that as well.
Andrea says
yes, that’s a great question!! Another variation of that question is “would I pay full price for this item” because so many times people buy things just because they are on sale or a great deal. I’m guessing 90% of the time, the answer would be ‘no’.
lydia @ frugaldebtfreelife says
Have you read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up? In the book the author says to hold an item in your hands, if it doesn’t “spark joy” in you then you must get rid of it. It works. I got rid of 75% of my clothes that way.
Lisa K. says
I loved that book! It has been #1 on the best-seller list for several weeks now. The author really helps you let go of sentimental items, pointing out that you can still keep the memory and also purge the item, which I hadn’t thought of it quite that way before. And I think these five questions from Andrea will also really help the process along!
Liane says
I have that book also. Just started reading it on my iPad. One thing I remember from years ago is the idea that there is somewhere out there someone who will be blessed by and item that no longer brings joy. My problem is how to get rid of it. Hoping Marie will give some insight. I think donations to thrift stores like Salvation Army Is best if the item can be used. I was on a jury once and one of the witnesses was a captain in SA. She told me that donations that are sold bring money to support their mission but junk is just a burden. It’s so hard to evaluate some things. We need a modern day equivalent of rag pickets. I once cut up all my old ragged towels but they left threads and lint and shreds all over so I bought microfiber and love it. But I am so stuck about my old rags. For now they are in a pail my husband uses for paint rags and car work. It’s not the nice, useful and working order stuff that I have issues with, it’s the near garbage condition stuff that will be buried in a landfill. Like a bent lamp harp. With no lamp. Or one mixer beater since the other was bent by a spoon. These little things really get in the way. I’m hoping the book along with the 5 questions help. I have lived in this house since 1984 the year of my marriage and have stuff from even before that.
Katherine says
I just dropped off three bags at our SPCA store this morning, prompted by a) an upcoming move and b) that exact book. One criticism of the book is that she does not necessarily emphasize repurposing or finding a better home for your things. I think she refers to most of it as “bags of garbage”. So- you’re still kind of on your own to think of what to do with everything:)
lydia @ frugaldebtfreelife says
That is true, Katherine. But it is a good starting point.
Andrea says
no, I have not read that book (i’m not a big book reader) but I also don’t have much trouble convincing myself to purge almost anything 🙂
That said, I love the idea of asking if something “sparks joy” in our lives. I think that would work well for our time commitments as well. So often we say “yes” to activities out of guilt — and then we end up too busy and stressed. If we tried to focus on activities that sparked joy in our lives, I think we would find much more fulfillment out of the things we do each day.
Deni says
These are all great questions that I haven’t thought of. I have been de-cluttering for some time now, but I would still be left with too much stuff. I was hanging onto things for sentimental reasons, when in fact these items really were not bringing me joy or usage. I finally dug deep and got rid of those things, what a relief! One of the things I would ask myself was if I had the chance to buy this again, would I?
Andrea says
yes — good question Deni! And way to go for getting rid of some of that sentimental clutter — that’s the hardest type for most people!
Marie says
Anything belonging to hubby goes into an “approval pile” before donating(got in trouble before) and if I am really on the fence about getting rid of something I set it aside and wait until our next donation to make sure I want to part with it.