Are you tired of living in cluttered closets? How long has it been since you were able to see your attic floor? Like death and taxes, clutter is an inevitable part of life. Over the years, we tend to collect things, and as time goes on, all of that stuff starts to pile up. Then before you know it, you’re fighting for space in your own home against your junk. Don’t panic if you’re tired of living amongst clutter but aren’t sure how to start clearing out and reclaiming your home. We’re here to help. Here are five must-have tips to help you make the most of your full-house junk clean-out.
1. Get Your Head in the Game
Cleaning out your house may not look all that difficult on paper. Going through your junk and throwing everything you don’t need out may even sound fun or a little therapeutic. However, once you get started, you’ll probably quickly realize that you have way more stuff than you anticipated and that this particular task isn’t just physically taxing — it can also take an emotional toll.
So, before you start emptying closets and clearing out your attic, you should consider taking a little time to make sure that you’re in the right place both physically and mentally to take on a project of this scope.
If you’re getting ready to move or undergo some other massive life change that may make your schedule a bit more rigid, you should still consider taking a little time to sit down, make a plan, and get ready for the slog.
Once you start the process of clearing out all of your junk, make sure you set time for breaks to avoid hurting yourself or getting overwhelmed.
2. Start With a Goal
The best way to get the most out of your full-house clear-out is by setting a few goals before getting started.
Your goals can include anything from the overall volume of things you would like to keep (e.g., one U-Haul’s worth). Your end-goals can also be a list of the kind of things you would like to get rid of (e.g., all of your old clothes).
Cleaning out your house can feel a bit like a nebulous task, especially once you get started. By setting a goal ahead of time, you have a finish line to work toward and a way to mark your progress, which can make the task feel a lot less daunting once you get underway.
3. Make a Plan Before You Begin
Once you have your final goal in place, you need to create a game plan that will help you get there. Unfortunately, you can’t just throw away everything in your house. Not only can dumping all your junk be bad for the environment, depending on where you live, it can also be illegal.
One of the first things you need to do when coming up with a plan is to figure out how you will get rid of your junk. While you can hire a dumpster or a junk hauling service to come to take a lot of it away, there’s a good chance that a lot of your “trash” could be someone else’s treasure.
Look up local charities where you can bring old clothes, furniture, and toys, and put together a plan to host a yard sale to get a little money back from your cleanout.
Aside from how you’re going to get rid of your junk, your cleanout plan should also include a game plan of how you’re going to tackle the mess. Plan to take on the most challenging areas first, when you have the most energy and motivation. Tackling these rooms early on will make finishing up feel a lot easier.
Finally, your plan should also include guidelines for differentiating between what kind of stuff you want to get rid of and what you want to keep. For example, when going through your closet, get rid of anything you haven’t worn in over a year or that’s at least two sizes too small.
4. Do the Trash First
Once you have a goal and a plan in place, it’s time to get started clearing your junk out. One of the best ways to make this task a bit easier is by getting rid of all of the actual trash first.
Before you start sifting and sorting through your junk to decide what you want to keep or sell or donate, take a little time to go through each room or area and get rid of all of the trash.
Trash includes too dirty or broken items to sell or donate, packaging, old magazines, or worn-out clothes or towels. Once all of the garbage is out of the house, you can focus on the actual sorting process.
5. Take It Room By Room
Finally, as we said before, cleaning out your house is a massive job. And, the best way to take on a big task like this is by breaking it down into smaller ones. One of the easiest ways to break down cleaning out your house is breaking it up into a room by room job.
Pick a starting point, and finish clearing out and cleaning that room or area before moving on to the next task. By breaking your cleanout up into smaller tasks, you can help ensure that you don’t get overwhelmed and that you don’t miss anything.
How to Prepare Your Home For a Junk Clean Out
Whether you’re downsizing or you’re just tired of not being able to close your closet door, cutting back on some of that extra junk you have lying around can help.
Now that you know how to get started and make the most out of your full-house junk clean-out, it’s time to get planning.
Think you might need a little extra help getting rid of all of that excess junk? We’ve got you covered. Contact us for more information about our available services or to book a pick-up today!
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