7 Spring Cleaning Tips from a Stuff Addict

I’m a sales rack junkie. I discovered consignment stores recently – a step above the thrift shop – and found a new place for bargains. I grew up wearing hand-me-downs and keep boxes of “next sizes” for my kids. I’ve equated memories with things most of my life and I have the overflowing storage to show for it. I recently decided to tackle my stuff habit, so today I bring you 7 Spring Cleaning Tips from a Stuff Addict.

Stuff. I look around me in our admittedly too-small home and the stuff overwhelms me. We will hopefully move to a larger place soon, but this stuff isn’t coming with me.

• Collectors dolls I loved, but never have room to display.
• Old artwork and papers that need scanning.
• Scrapbook supplies I’ll never touch.
• An embarrassing collection of 8 years worth of girl clothes “just in case.”
• Newborn cloth diapers that need cataloging and selling.
• Baby items we’ve now outgrown and won’t need again.
• Stacks of loose photographs.
• Paperwork – paperwork – paperwork.
• Pans we use once a year.
• Books we love, but rarely read, and can not afford to move.
• Clothes – oh the clothes!
• Shoes I never wear.

Most of this “stuff” is not from rapid and constant spending. I am not constantly buying and filling up my house. I have shoes and clothes that are ten years old. Sweaters I really like, but never wear. Hand-me-down kitchen items that I might use and ailing non-stick pans that I need to justify replacing. Cookbooks with great recipes, but no space to store them. Stuffed animals loved in days gone by.

It’s not that we’ve collected useless things or that we are being deliberately wasteful. In fact, much of our stuff comes from planning for a rainy day. But our stuff exceeds our space. It’s become a burden to store, to move, to organize, to keep, to find, to give away.

With a move in mind this summer, we’re finally tackling our stuff. It’s work and letting go is hard sometimes. But it’s also incredibly freeing and I feel myself stand a little taller, freed from an invisible weight, each time we donate, list, or sell something.

While it’s great to talk about downsizing and Spring cleaning, the task can feel monumental. I have honestly started this project more times than I can count and stopped, finding more pressing things to do (like blogging). We still have a ways to go with listing items and keeping up with the “new” stuff that needs to go, but I’m feeling more confident about our ability to conquer our stuff problem. Here are some things I’ve learned along the way.

7 Spring Cleaning Tips from a Stuff Addict

1. Treat it Like Mini-Projects. One overarching goal to rid your house of stuff or to “Spring Clean” is nice in theory, but you can drown in the enormity of it. Choose one area, one item, one box, or one category. Conquer that first, celebrate the high of listing items on ebay, tossing stuff, recycling, and donating. Ride that high to tackle your next category.
2. Continue the Momentum. Ridding your home of stuff feels good. Really good. Take advantage of the adrenalin high of your last project and keep going. This high will help combat nostalgia, guilt, boredom, and exhaustion.
3. Use the Buddy System. Going through your stuff is less overwhelming when you tackle it with someone else. My mom helped me go through the embarrassing amount of clothing I’d stored, making the project fun with good conversations and memories. My husband and I usually tackle separate projects, but at the same time. This allows for conversation, helps us to encourage the other to let go, and feels like a team effort.
4. De-Clutter First. Make it Pretty Later. There’s no quicker way to derail clean up efforts then to make a trip to the store for storage items. Sort and purge, then organize with what you have. You can pretty it up later. There’s nothing worse than feeling the excitement of your first project, buying all of the cute storage bins, organizing them, then realizing you need to rethink your system after going through more stuff. Or worse. Stopping the clean up because you feel great whenever you see your tiny, organized haven.
5. Give it Time. You may only have a few boxes of stuff to sort through. You might be trying to cut your stuff down by a 1/4 or 1/2 in preparation for a move. Wherever you are, try to give yourself a realistic timeline. I personally don’t want to spend all day, every day, on my Saturday de-cluttering. Mark some time off on your calendar, then reward yourself with a good book from the library, a nap, time in the sun, a massage, etc. Just don’t reward yourself with a shopping trip.
6. Make a New Memory. I remember watching a reality show once where the host discovered a stack of sentimental records that no one ever listened to. He encouraged the homeowner to choose a few to frame and sell the rest to someone who would use and appreciate them. We kept lots of paper memories from our trip to Europe – tickets, brochures – and we plan to take our memorabilia and create a shadow box coffee table. Technology today also makes it possible to take pictures of treasured items like old school photos, report cards, and more. The most difficult thing for me is letting go of things like dolls that were lovingly collected for me. As I list them on Ebay or give them away, I imagine them going to a home where someone has room to display or play with them. I enjoyed them and now someone else can make a new memory.
7. Envision the Change. I keep a picture of our dear friend’s home in my mind. We stayed with these friends two summers ago and I can still remember the feeling of peace that permeated their home. These friends live the ideal of “less is more” and their house is open and inviting. I remember walking in and wondering where they kept all of their “stuff.” It soon became clear that they kept the things they used and needed, nothing more. I close my eyes and remember being in their home – all the space that had room for more stuff – and I feel settled. I feel free. And I envision that feeling for my own home.

What are your de-cluttering tips?