20 Mar Don’t Let Sentimental Clutter Stop Your Spring Cleaning
Tanna Clark, life simplifier
Spring has sprung and it’s time to start tackling the cleaning and decluttering! I don’t know about you, but as soon as the air gets warmer I fling open the windows and toss out the excess. Okay, not really toss it out the windows, but I do let the house breathe while I tackle the clutter that has accumulated over the winter.
The winter stuff is easy. Washing and putting away some of the bulkier blankets and coats, switching out the kids’ wardrobes, and donating the items that are outgrown. That kind of tidying up usually leaves people in the mood to do more, to get down to the nitty-gritty of organizing. But beware! Most people get hung up on a particular type of clutter: the sentimental stuff!
Sentimental clutter can stop an organizing train in its tracks. It causes you to lose steam and eventually throw in the towel … but doesn’t have to be that way!
The next time you pick up a sentimental item, ask yourself these questions:
- Do I love it? Or am I storing it because it meant something to someone else, like a hand-me down or heirloom?
- Is it important enough to display? Or is it just collecting dust in a box?
Sentimental clutter can take up some prime real estate in your home. If you can’t answer yes to either of these questions consider letting it go. Now I know you are saying, “I love it, but not enough to display it.” Then here’s my advice to you. Take a picture of it and let it go. There’s no need to hold on to things forever when all we really want is that memory. Start a journal. Take that picture, put it in the journal and write down all of those wonderful thoughts that come to mind. One day that will be the greatest gift you can pass on to a loved one, instead of a box of sentimental clutter.
Tanna Clark went from being a “professional organizer” to life simplifier. She helps people simplify life so they can face the new challenges that each day brings. Tanna is passionate about helping people do what they do best and letting go of the rest.
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