Decluttering your home can be a daunting task, but it can also be incredibly rewarding. Not only can it help you make money by selling unwanted items, but it can also improve your wellbeing and mental health.

Decluttering is a great way to reduce stress and create a more organised living space. In this article, we will discuss the benefits of decluttering and how to get started on the process.

The Benefits of Decluttering

One great benefit of decluttering is that it can help you make some spare cash. By selling unwanted items, you can make a nice profit and use the money to buy something new or save for a rainy day.

Usually you won’t make much money on any one individual item, but taken altogether your clutter can be worth a healthy amount.

One survey found that more than a third of Irish adults admitted to having up to €1,000 worth of clutter stashed away in their house. A couple of popular ways of making money from your clutter are selling it on marketplace apps, or taking it to a car boot sale.

Decluttering can also improve your wellbeing and mental health. By getting rid of clutter, you can create a more organised living space that is easier to keep clean and tidy. This can reduce stress and help you feel more relaxed in your home. It can also help you focus on the things that are important to you, rather than being distracted by all the clutter.

You can increase your productivity by having all your items organised into their proper place – this means you won’t have to keep searching for things every time you need them, and won’t have the thing you need being hidden under a pile of clutter.

Finally, by decluttering you can make your home feel more welcoming to guests. It’s unlikely a guest would tell you to your face that they think your house is untidy, but they might feel it – you can avoid this by doing a quick sort out of all your junk.

boxes with stuff in

 

Getting Started

The first step in decluttering is to make a list of all the things you want to sort out. This includes items you want to keep, items you want to sell, to donate, throw away etc. It’s often easiest to do this on a room by room basis, so it isn’t too big of a job to handle.

The second step is to get rid of the items you’ve decided you’re not going to keep. The quickest way to do this is all in one go, which is either donating all of it to a charity shop, or throwing it all out (which isn’t recommended).

A slightly slower option is selling your items, this might involve listing everything on marketplace apps, or taking it down to your local car boot sale. If you have anything truly valuable you might want to find a seller directly, or take it to auction.

The third step, once you’ve got rid of everything you’ve planned to, is to tidy away what’s left. Don’t just move these things from one place to another, you have to find a place for everything. That’s how you’ll know where to find it later. Preferably if you can find cabinets, or storage containers, then your items will be stored away neatly, and you won’t have to look at them until you need them. Furniture with storage inside such as an ottoman or a coffee table with drawers are perfect for this.

If you can’t find a space for everything, then you can always rent a storage unit. This can be especially useful for when you have items you want to sell. While you’re waiting for a buyer, or for the item to go to auction, then you can have peace of mind with the item stored safely away in your local self storage facility.