With the extra home time, it's the perfect time to spruce up your surroundings by starting your spring cleaning a little early! We've curated a great list on where you should start in your decluttering process and some companies that will take your donations (check their websites to see if they are still open during this period) or allow you to sell your unwanted items online.
Where to Start
Beginning the decluttering process can be overwhelming but here are a few tips to make it easier:
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Break the Cycle - Stop bringing new items into your home until you know what you need. Amazon may be alluring, but try to avoid it except for absolutely necessary items.
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Break it into Smaller Tasks - Try to make it more conceivable to go through. Go room by room, do a sweep of your space and throw everything you no longer use into one box or even start with just cleaning out a junk drawer.
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Visually Track Your Progress - Have visual proof of your accomplishment. Take a before and after shot of the space you tackle to see all the work you did. It can motivate you to tackle another space!
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Start with Areas You Can See - Whether it's the coffee table in your living room or your closet bursting at the seams you'll feel refreshed as you walk by a newly organized space.
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Try the Mari Kondo Method - Chances are you've heard of Mari Kondo and her Netflix series about her decluttering methods. Go room by room, item by item, and see if you feel that item brings you joy, if not, let it go. She also has great tips for how to organize what you do decide to keep.
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The Minimalist Game - This method challenges you to declutter based on numbers. Start with day one of the month, get rid of one item. Day two, throw away 2 items, continue this trend through the end of the month and get rid of 496 items in your home!
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Four-Box Method - Start with one room and four boxes. Label the boxes: put away, give away, throwaway and undecided. Start sorting!
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The One Method - Create a new habit by getting rid of one item per day. That item doesn't need to be anything specific, just one thing.
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20/20 Just in Case Rule - Having trouble with the "I haven't used it in 5 years but I MIGHT need it someday" trap? Try applying the 20/20 rule. Can you replace that item within 20 minutes and for under $20? If yes, get rid of it. Chances are you won't need to replace it, but should be able to if you really need it 5 years later.
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Discard Duplicates - Do you really need all of those coffee mugs? Keep what you need and get rid of the rest.
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The 100 Thing Challenge - Bare it down to the necessities by narrowing your personal items down to 100 things. You can do this by room (i.e. 100 items in your bedroom or kitchen) or be extreme and do it for your entire home. This doesn't include things like your fridge and sink, just your personal belongings like pots, pans and cookware.
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Go Paperless - It's time to toss the stacks of mail that have piled up. Keep all the paper items you do need in an (small) organized filing system.
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Reassess Sentimental Value - Coming across something sentimental can bring your decluttering process to a halt. Put all of your sentimental items in one box and re visit it with a fresh outlook when you're ready.
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Start with 10-Minute Pick Ups - Most of us have ten minutes a day to spare. Use those ten minutes per day to do a sweep and toss everything not serving you anymore.
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Make a Checklist - Create a decluttering checklist of all of the items that you probably have extras of. If you're having a hard time creating the checklist yourself start with this one.
How to Get Rid of the Extra Stuff
Now that you've decided what to get rid of, what do you do with it? While many charities are currently closed, some still remain open for essential items like food donations. Many of these locations have temporarily adjusted their hours, so make note of that when planning your pick up or drop off. You can also make a little extra cash by selling some items online (maintaining proper social distancing!).
ARC Thrift Stores - ARC Thrift Stores are still accepting donations including clothes, kitchen items, books and more. You can even schedule them to pick up your items from your doorstep.
Community Cycles - Do you have some old bikes that your family has grown out of? Those can take up more space than you think! Clear out your garage and donate it to Community Cycles.
Goodwill - Click here to view all of the Goodwill locations that are still accepting donations. All locations with the blue Goodwill logo are open every day from 10:00am-6:00pm.
Harvest of Hope - If your pantry is overstocked with items you're not going to use, consider clearing space and donating to Harvest of Hope located in Boulder. They also accept personal hygiene products if you have any unopened toothbrushes laying around!
St. John Baptist Church - You can drop off any non-perishable items from your pantry to their food bank located at 804 S. Lincoln Street Longmont CO, 80501.
You can also make a little money by selling your items virtually:
eBay - Ebay is always a good place to sell niche or items of high value.
Etsy - Sell your gently used clothes by posting them on Etsy's site.
Facebook - Add it to the marketplace on Facebook to reach local people that may want to purchase it!
Instagram - Take pictures of items and post them to your personal story for your friends to purchase.
Kidizen - Moms, you just found your new favorite site! Post clothes that your kids have grown out of on Kidizen.
Poshmark - All of your unwanted clothes and purses can be sold through this website or download the app.
The Real Real - If you have any designer items you no longer want, post it on this luxury consignment shop.
ThredUp - At ThredUp you can order a package to put all of your unwanted clothes in, send it back to them, then get paid when an item sells.
Tradesy - Sell all of your unwanted trendy clothes on this site.
If you want to wait until times are different to sell or donate your items, just keep them all in one place so that they're ready to go when you're ready! Get started on decluttering your home now!