“Kiss Your Clutter Goodbye”- Part 5

The Kiss Your Clutter Goodbye Series

This is Part 5 of the “Kiss Your Clutter Goodbye” series. In this series, we are exploring some organizing concepts that will help you declutter and maintain your newly organized spaces.

Clearing clutter is not “One Solution Fits All.” It usually can’t be done in one day. This concept may help you if you feel that the things you no longer need still have life left in them and you’d like to pass them on to someone else. There are so many options for you to consider. Find the one that resonates with you and you’ll find the success you are looking for.

Clean Up for a Cause

Sometimes it’s easier to let go when you know that your things can have a new life with someone else. Whether you decide to donate to a charity or have a yard sale, let someone else benefit from the items that you no longer use. Schedule a date for a yard sale and get some neighbors to join you or call a local charity and arrange for a pickup. This will give you a deadline to finish your organizing project. Some tips when donating are:

  • Find a charity that will pick at your home or check for the times they are open for donation drop-offs.
  • Ask if there are specific items your charity needs or does not accept.
  • If you would not give the item to a friend, because of its condition, then don’t donate it.

It works if you consider that your items will be used immediately by someone new as opposed to lingering in your home. You may want to consider options like Buy Nothing Groups or listing things for free on Facebook Marketplace or Craig’s List or you could make a little cash by having a yard sale.

Clearing clutter is not One Solution Fits All. Click To Tweet

Have you been trying the concepts in the series so far? Leave a comment on the post to let me know what is working for you. Follow along for different strategies to get rid of what is holding you back.

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Janet Schiesl

Janet Schiesl

Janet has been organizing since 2005. She is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Basic Organization.

She loves using her background as a space planner to challenge her clients to look at their space differently. She leads the team in large projects and works one-on-one with clients to help the process move quickly and comfortably. Call her crazy, but she loves to work with paper, to purge what is not needed and to create filing systems that work for each individual client.

Janet is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a Past President of the Washington DC Chapter of NAPO were she has been named Organizer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.

Janet Schiesl

Janet Schiesl

Janet has been organizing since 2005. She is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Basic Organization.

She loves using her background as a space planner to challenge her clients to look at their space differently. She leads the team in large projects and works one-on-one with clients to help the process move quickly and comfortably. Call her crazy, but she loves to work with paper, to purge what is not needed and to create filing systems that work for each individual client.

Janet is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a Past President of the Washington DC Chapter of NAPO were she has been named Organizer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.

11 Comments

  1. Seana Turner on February 26, 2024 at 8:52 am

    Just had this conversation about what should be donated with a client. It might seem wasteful to pitch unwanted clothing, but if it has holes or is covered in paint, it should go to textile recycling, not donation. Thinking about giving an item to a friend is a great rule of thumb!

    • Janet Schiesl on February 26, 2024 at 9:35 pm

      I agree with you, and there are stores that recycle clothing. I’ve also seen individuals and art classes in high school collecting old clothes to make stuff out of them.

  2. Janet Barclay on February 26, 2024 at 9:17 am

    I love posting things on my local give and receive group. Stuff is often picked up within a day or two, before I can change my mind and decide to keep it after all, and it’s less for me to take to the donation center!

    • Janet Schiesl on February 26, 2024 at 9:42 pm

      That’s great, similar to Buy nothing groups. There is always someone that could use certain items.

  3. Diane N Quintana on February 26, 2024 at 9:22 am

    So many of my clients are more willing to let things go when they have an interest in the organization to which they are giving. Whether it is a church thrift store, an animal rescue group, or a dress for success – when they are passionate about the cause, they tend to be more willing to let things go. We also have the discussion about things being fit to donate. Thankfully the Atlanta Junkluggers will often repair or paint things that need a bit of TLC before donating. Clothes that are torn or have holes, I tell them, have another use as cleaning cloths or stuffing. It is absolutely a conversation to have.

    • Janet Schiesl on February 26, 2024 at 9:40 pm

      That’s wonderful Diane. I feel it’s much easier for our clients to know that their unwanted items are going to someone that could benefit from such items for sure. I had a client that came to realize that her fancy clothes won’t be able to fit her anymore and she won’t wear them anyway not that she’s retired, and she decided to donate most of them and sell the fancier ones.

  4. Sabrina Quairoli on February 26, 2024 at 11:59 am

    I love to have a few donation places and keep them on my phone to call or text to see if they will accept something I need to get rid of.

  5. Julie Bestry on February 28, 2024 at 2:46 am

    These kinds of client conversations come up so often. They’re so tempted to find the perfect home, as if the recipient should be held to a higher standard than they’ve been, keeping something dusty, unused, and unloved in a basement or back of the closet. I encourage them to have trust that the right thing will find the right home, and to let it be a blessing for someone else.

    Everything can find a new home, whether that’s via charity, recycling, or giving it away. Great reminders!

    • Janet Schiesl on February 28, 2024 at 3:31 pm

      Yes, everything will eventually find it’s place. Clients have to trust us in helping them getting rid of things.

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