Decluttering is a popular movement for several reasons. Primarily, it is all about looking after yourself. Taking care of your space equates to taking care of yourself. Having less visual clutter is peaceful for your mind. Getting rid of clutter in your home is good for your overall health and wellbeing. Alongside this, less mess and more space give you more clarity, time and energy.
When Is The Right Time To Declutter?
Anytime you are ready. It is not an easy process. Parting with sentimental items can be difficult, as can deciding what to keep and what to let go of. At AB Castle, we have found that advising our customers to declutter when planning a move makes good sense, especially when downsizing.
By necessity, you have to pack up your things. Even if you book our professional packing service, you will want to identify what is going. Why pay to move items you don’t need or use? There are many pluses to decluttering, something you may have to remind yourself of once you start the process—we have found it helps keep your motivation high to keep a list of the benefits!
Some Of The Benefits To Decluttering
- Less to clean, so more time for what you want to do.
- Less to organise, finding things becomes so much easier.
- Less stress, due to the previous two benefits.
- Potentially less debt – as long as you don’t shop to replace items you discard.
- You can earn some income by selling what you do not want.
- Feel good by paying forward – donating what you do not want to charity.
How To Start Decluttering
Make Time
Start early! Packing for a move is the perfect opportunity to declutter, but you have to start early to do so.
One Room At A Time
Select a small area within your chosen room to start. Doing this helps not to feel overwhelmed, which leads to giving in to the temptation to throw everything into one box. Instead, start with 30 mins and build up. Get family members to do the same. Even the kids can help by going through their toys and outgrown clothes.
Rule Of 4
Have four boxes clearly labelled ready for each space you are going to tackle,
- Keep or re-locate
- Throw
- Charity
- Sell
Be Practical & Firm
If you have an item you have not worn or used in over a year, ask yourself, is it necessary to keep? No? Then your next decision is to sell, throw or give away.
Use The Stockpile
Suppose you have emergency supplies like extra cleaning stuff, toilet rolls, tinned goods, shampoos etc. Use them, don’t replace them, or if you have to, buy smaller quantities – they can be replaced if you are so inclined after your move.
