One of the biggest obstacles to spring cleaning is clutter. No matter how hard I try, this stuff just keeps multiplying! Some days it seems like the more I get rid of the more I have. Decluttering is hard because we all have an emotional attachment to our things, making them that much harder to get rid of. However, if you can really get rid of the clutter not only will spring cleaning be easier but keeping your house clean will be easier as well.
First we have to get past those emotional attachments, your home is not a museum,you really don’t need to keep everything. If you have piles and piles of things that remind you of a certain person, place or time but serve no practical use, take a picture of them. Put all the pictures in a pretty album and store it on a shelf.
What are the things in your home truly worth? Are you holding onto things because they might be worth something one day? I have a friend who has about 500 Ty Beanie Babies, carefully preserved, never played with, present value, next to nothing. Donate the lot to a local hospital or homeless shelter.
What do you really use? Do you have exercise equipment that you might use one day? Tons of books other people suggested you read? How about kitchen gadgets that you never use? Are you really going to make fancy cookies for every birthday and holiday? If not, get rid of it all.
Do you hang on to stuff that needs a quick repair? Shirts missing buttons, a table that needs to be refinished, shoes with a broken heel? If you haven’t fixed it by now, you never will, get rid of it!
If it is not beautiful, useful or adding to your life, get rid of it. Stop feeling guilty about all those ugly presents you’ve been given, you don’t need them, you probably don’t even like them, get rid of them.
Getting rid of household clutter is like losing weight. You will feel lighter and more accomplished so let go and let someone else enjoy all this stuff.