Tips for Decluttering Your Home

You've decided to move out of the family home. It's an emotional time, but you have steeled your resolve to move ahead with downsizing and de-cluttering and move into a lower-maintenance home. Congratulations!

The next step is to tackle the stuff. Someone once asked, "How does the ant eat an elephant?" Answer: One bite at a time. Apply this sage wisdom to the de-cluttering process.

Tackle one room at a time. Start with the smallest and most simple, so you can experience the joy of accomplishment! Then tackle other rooms in alternate order: simple, complicated. Give yourself a time-line, if possible, with a reward for your achievements.

Get comfortable with assigning one of the following four (4) categories to every item: keep, give, sell, trash.

Four Categories of Decluttering Your Home

Keep

The "keep" category is easy but usually "overworked". Be aware of keeping for functional reasons as well as for sentimental or valuation. Consider giving some items to family and friends. The "give" category can help you off-load furniture to young people just getting started and to favorite charities. Get comfortable with giving. It really does feel good. Keep in mind that you may believe an item has real value when, in fact, it does not. 

Give

Give away things you would want to have, not your trash. When it comes to clothing, anything that is wearable, clean and free from major defect should be donated to one of the many worthy causes available. Some like Vietnam Vets of America will even pick up if you call them.

Sell

You may think you want to sell items, but be aware that it can be a real hassle. Online sites, auctions, re-sale stores, and social media are all options, but it takes a lot of time and energy. Plus, be safe. Not everyone is as nice as you are. If you're moving to a much smaller place and need to sell a lot, consider contacting Everything But the House at EBTH.com who can help you.

Trash

The trash can will become your friend, but also your last resort. Remember that everything you put in the trash ends up in the landfill. Try to recycle all that you can and give away everything that still has usable value. Items that are suitable for the trash are things like those old lotions-potions that are hiding in the back of your closet. Also, no one wants to wear your high school t-shirts. Put well-used furniture out at the street (if permitted in the neighborhood) and it may be gone by the morning. If nobody picks them up, be aware that pickup by city-contracted providers may have a cost.

Some cities' trash hauling contracts require that you call ahead to schedule a bulk pick-up. As you move through the house, you'll get better at deciding between the categories and be surprised about how good it feels to live in a more clutter-free environment.

Celebrate! Ask your family to help. Don't be afraid to have a party with some friends, bring out the pizza and party favors, and de-clutter the garage while playing favorite tunes. Make it an adventure, not a chore! You are about to make a move that will simplify your life. You'll be glad you did. Now, get off your chair and get started!

Epcon Communities

At Epcon, we believe that to be happy in your home, it needs to be the right size with a thoughtfully designed layout. Rightsizing is about taking charge of your future by adapting your surroundings to better fit your lifestyle. Having a range of structural options and features to build the perfect space for your lifestyle is an important aspect of rightsizing your home and having plenty of built-in storage goes a long way to keeping clutter down and out of site.

Epcon Communities builds luxury single-level homes in communities throughout the country. We offer floorplans from 1,300 to over 3,000 square feet with 2-4 bedrooms and most of our communities include resort-style amenities, so you’re sure to find the perfect fit for your lifestyle.

If your current home isn't working for you anymore and no amount of decluttering your home will fix it, contact us and we'll help you find the right-sized home with everything you need.