Should it stay or should it go? Questions to ask yourself when decluttering your home

Having a tough time deciding what to throw away, what to donate and what to keep while going through your stuff? Maybe you’re ready to start a spring cleaning project or you’re moving to a new home and you desperately need to declutter. Don’t worry, we’ll help you out. Ask yourself these questions help you decide what stays, what gets donated and what gets thrown in the trash.

Has it expired?

Has the food in your home outlived its expiration date? Time to toss it. But expiration dates can apply to more than food. Do you have a pile of old documents or bills that have since been paid but you just haven’t gotten around to straightening them up? Toss them. Go through any old documents, contracts, or even old directions (are we the only ones that have a pile of directions from our old microwaves, vacuums and other home gadgets collecting dust?) decide what’s relevant and what’s not and toss them.

Is it crucial to keep it?

Think of things like birth certificates, passports, tax returns or mortgage paperwork. These things can be locked in a fireproof safe to avoid damage or getting lost.

Does it have sentimental value?

The obvious items in this category are things like photos, yearbooks, or old home VHS tapes. But this can also be a piece of home décor you inherited from your grandma, an award you received, or a piece of artwork your child made in kindergarten. Sometimes it can be hard to part with certain items. If you’re super sentimental, and it’s causing your memorabilia closet to become overcrowded, a good way to decide what to keep and what to part with, is to consider if the item(s) can be displayed or if the items bring up any guilt or negative memories. Consider what’s significant about the item in question. Then, make your decision.

Do you have more than one of the same items?

Did you get two of the exact same coffee makers for wedding gifts and you just haven’t gotten around to getting rid of the duplicate? It’s time to sell it, return it or donate it. Or maybe you have an old air mattress with a hole in it that you never repaired. Decide whether the item can be fixed, and if it can, whether you want to sell it as is, or fix it then sell or donate it.

Was it a gift you didn’t want?

We all get gifts we don’t particularly care for occasionally. Usually, it’s met with a ‘thank you’ and then is tossed in a storage closet instead of being returned or sold out of guilt. Well, consider regifting the gift to someone who may enjoy it or donating it.

Is it broken beyond repair?

Does your kid have a proclivity for breaking their toys in record time? Or maybe your dog chewed up another pair of expensive slippers and you just haven’t had the heart to toss them. It’s time to throw it all out. If it’ broken beyond repair and cannot be recycled throw it out!

Have you rented your roll-off dumpster?

Renting a roll-off dumpster during your next decluttering project will help save you time and stress. No bagging up dozens of bags of garbage and finding a way to get them to the dump. Just let the experts take care of it so you can focus on the task at hand: decluttering and/or cleaning out your home.