Decluttering What To Keep What To Throw

Is it time for a spring clean?

As winter has passed now is the time to prepare to declutter your home. Create a Spring clean checklist. Start by going through each room including your garage and shed if you have one. If you want you can break down your list to –

• What to keep
• What to throw
• What to sell
• What to donate

You may have items that have a value and can be sold on eBay or Gumtree. Some of your items may have no use to anyone and are better off sent to the tip. And, some items you may wish to donate to charity organisations such as the Red Cross. A good idea is to invite a friend who can help you decide what to throw. This friend will not have an emotional attachment to some of those items you have held onto for years. If you are married or have a partner then a good idea would be to invite another couple to your home. Get the male to team up with the female and go through the home independently. This will eliminate a lot of bias as to what you should keep.

Once you have created your list then you can determine what to do with all your unwanted items. If you have decided what you want to throw then you can either call a professional rubbish removalist, take it to the tip or contact your local council for removal.

Local Hard Rubbish Collection

Each council is different and comes with its own set of rules and timetables when it comes to the collection of hard rubbish. If this is the path you are going down then organize your rubbish in neat piles for ease of removal. Check with your council on the date for pick up and if there are any fees attached. Also, find out what type of items are unacceptable to the council. Alternatively, you may want to remove all the rubbish yourself and go to the tip.

What can you donate?
Generally, charitable organisations accept clothing, books, furniture, homewares and household goods if they are in working order. There are multiple Red Cross stores located in cities throughout Australia. By donating items you are helping those that may be less fortunate.

What to sell?
Generally, the best things to sell are the items you have more than 2 of. If you have items such as TV’s, computers or furniture and would need some extra cash then a good idea would be to use an online selling portal such as eBay or Gumtree. You can even go onto Facebook and see if there are local communities or buy, swap or sell pages in your area.

Realise The Benefits of Decluttering
For a lot of people, less is best. Owning fewer possessions means fewer problems. The more you have the more problems you have. But taking that step to removing those possessions can be difficult. So, let’s start with some advantages.

Less to clean. Cleaning is a task that has to be done. Cleaning unwanted items makes that task take a little longer. Especially if those items have no use.

Less to organize. When you have fewer items in your home it is easier to find things. You have more space and can move much more freely. You can actually move around your home and enjoy the space, instead of moving around things that are in the way.

Less stress. Having a home that is free of clutter gives the occupants a better feeling. Seeing and living with all that clutter every day can become a little annoying. Take the step and free yourself from all the clutter and enjoy your home.