It’s Just Stuff
It’s Spring again. You know what that means, time for Spring Cleaning! And why not, cleaning has loads of benefits for your health and wellness – from lowering your stress, to reducing allergies, even giving you more energy.
But what about when you don’t really need to clean and just have too much stuff? That’s the time to go through your home and decide, do I need this? Do I want this? Would someone else want/need this? Does this just need to be thrown away? Can this be donated?
If you are already getting cold sweats at the thought of going through your belongings, don’t worry. We’ve got helpful tips for organizing your home and getting rid of things you no longer use or need. Remember, it’s just stuff.
✅ Make a Schedule
When you make time to go through your things, you are much more likely to actually get them done. Bonus, a schedule helps things not feel overwhelmingbecause your tasks are broken down into sections.
✅ Start in One Spot
If you are de-cluttering more than one space, don’t tackle everything at once! Start with one place or room at a time so it’s more manageable. This way, you won’t feel like your home is being taken over by stuff when you start unloading shelves and closets.
✅ Move the Clutter
When working in spaces like a kitchen or home office, move all the clutter out of the way so you can see the end result before you have even started sorting. Seeing how the space will look after you have organized everything is a great motivator because you get the satisfaction of a clean space and you will be encouraged to stay on task.
✅ Work from the Top
Once you start sorting through your things, you’re going to want to work from top to bottom. That guest bedroom closet full of random knick-knacks? Working your way down from the top will ensure that you make your way through everything in a more orderly fashion. And think of how great you’ll feel when that big pile is all settled and sorted away!
✅ Have You Used it Lately?
If you are having a hard time deciding whether to keep something or not, think about the last time you used this item and when you will use it next. If you haven’t used it recently and don’t plan on using it, then you can probably donate it. Choose a consistent time period to measure your use. Lots of people like to go by the “one year” rule. If you haven’t used it in the last year, it’s gotta go. Some folks like to use 6 months, others 2 years. Whatever you decide, stick with it, it’ll help make your decisions easier.
✅ Try Clothes On
When it comes to clothes, take every article of clothing out one at a time and look at it. After looking, sort them into three different groups, the yes’s, the no’s, and the maybes. As you are going through, make sure you try on everything you put in the “yes” or “maybe” pile to make sure you really do want to keep it. Put all your mementos, like a wedding dress or graduation cap and gown, in a specific place. Try to focus on what you want to keep instead of what you want to get rid of and consider the rule of one, if you have multiples of the same thing, you can probably get rid of the extras.
Ok – you’ve gone through all your stuff.
Your house is organized, but now you got all the items you don’t want to keep. Now’s the time to separate the things you are getting rid of into two categories, trash and donations. Trash has its obvious place – but what about donations? Where can you give away that beloved dress that no longer fits, those shoes you had to have, but never wore, that extra food processor, or piece of furniture?
Central Florida has lots of places where you can donate many types of items:
Matthew’s Hope – www.matthewshopeministries.org/donate-items
Accepts:
- Unused hygiene products
- Casual gently used clothing
West Orange Habitat for Humanity Restore – www.westorangehabitat.org/restore
Accepts new and gently used:
- Furniture and home décor
- Appliances
- Building supplies and materials, hardware
The Mustard Seed – https://mustardseedfla.org/
Accepts new and gently used:
- Furniture
- Appliances
- Household items
- Linens
- Dishes
- Toys
- Home décor
- Clothing
- Baby items
Salvation Army Orlando – Family Store and Donation Center – http://orlando.satruck.org/orlandoarc/Donate
Accepts new and gently used:
- Clothing
- Household goods
- Automobiles
- Furniture
- Appliances
A Gift For Teaching – www.agiftforteaching.org/get-involved/provide-supplies/
Accepts:
- New school supplies
Do you have places you like to donate to in West Orange? Share it with us! We’d love to hear from you in the comments below:
