Clutter clings to you like a bad cold. However, lots of tea and vitamin C won’t make it go away. In fact, the longer it stays untouched, the more it permeates your home.
Unlike a bad cold, a cluttered house can actually cause you to develop chronic stress and anxiety. So stop stressing, and start clearing it all away. Here’s how to get rid of stuff in your house and live clutter-free ever after.
1. Give Stuff Back
How much of the junk in your house isn’t even yours?
If you went through every inch of storage, you’d probably be surprised at the stuff that was cast aside and never returned.
Your mother’s good salad bowl? Check. Your sister’s sweater that you “borrowed” in college? Check. An ex-boyfriend’s letter jacket? Who needs that anymore!
Let’s not forget all the gifts you received that you could never warm up to. How many mugs with quirky sayings can you possibly collect in that dusty China cabinet? How many unwanted trinkets do you hold on to for fear of hurting a misguided loved one’s feelings?
Gather all the things you aren’t attached to. Put it all in one big box (or ten). Then, just dump it. Enlist the help of a same-day rubbish removal service before you change your mind.
2. Get Rid Of Old Clothes
Are you really going to wear those 20-year-old jeans you loved in high school? Are you still waiting to fit that college crop top again?
Be kind to yourself and say no to old clothes. This is especially crucial if those clothes were sitting in storage or in a dingy closet for years at a time.
Since you’ve thrown away the things you never wanted in the first place, tackling your wardrobe full force is the next logical step.
Again, you can just dump the clothes you haven’t fit into for ages or which don’t suit you anymore.
If you can’t bare to part with them, pay it forward. Collect all your old favorites and bring them to a charity or a thrift shop. Whether you sell or donate your clothes, the hand-me-downs have a chance of actually being useful to someone instead of deteriorating in your storage room.
3. Sell Stuff Online
By now, it’s no secret that auction sites like EBay are raking in the dollars for enthusiastic online sellers.
There is no shortage of apps, platforms, websites, and tutorials for prospective online sellers of used goods. Go on a little treasure hunt in your attic or basement, and inventory stuff that might sell well. Then, research the value of each product, and sell away!
4. Declutter Room By Room
Let’s face it: you didn’t accumulate clutter in your house overnight. It won’t take you a day to clear it away, either.
Take your decluttering process step by step. Each weekend or every day, assign yourself a room to clear. Once you’ve cleaned up one room, mark it down on a list of completed goals. This will motivate you to do a little more cleaning each day.
5. How To Get Rid Of Stuff In Your House If You’re A Hoarder
Most people’s clutter happens due to a little bit of procrastination. If you’re more than a typical pack rat, you can get help from professionals as well as your community.
Are you a hoarder? It’s not a bad thing to be labeled a hoarder; that label just identifies someone who accumulates large quantities of stuff for illogical, often emotional reasons.
Hoarding is considered a mental illness. It requires the support of loved ones, as well as an intervention from family, friends, and a clean-up crew.
If you suspect you suffer from hoarding, start by consulting a behavioral therapist. He or she can assess you during a one-on-one preliminary cleaning session.
Cleared The Clutter?
If your home is clutter-free, maybe it looks good enough to sell. Or perhaps you’d rather just buy a brand new property instead of figuring out how to get rid of the stuff in your house.
Whatever your circumstance, come back early and often for more tips on real estate as well as home management.
