Elevate the Vibe of Your Home with Spring Cleaning + Turn Your Unwanted Items into Extra Cash
It is still Spring, so you know what that means. There is still time left to complete the ritual of Spring Cleaning, specifically decluttering. Many of us have spent a lot more time in the house over the last couple of months and have become much more familiar with everything inside of our space. If you are like me, you have realized just how much stuff you own and owning some of those things are starting to make you uncomfortable because they bring you more stress, than joy. This is the perfect time to take an assessment of everything in your home and elevate the vibe of your space by keeping the items that bring you joy and removing the items that no longer serve you through donating them, throwing them away, or selling them.
When I say assess everything, I’m not only talking about the clothes and shoes in your closet and dresser drawers. I’m also talking about those purses, hats, jewelry, and other accessories. What about the old books on your shelves, documents in your drawers, furniture, decorations, crafts, makeup, tupperware, apps, photos and emails on your computer and phone? The list goes on and on. Looking at that list may be overwhelming and that is okay. Decluttering everything at once is a Herculean task, so take it one step at a time. Currently, we are fortunate to have extra time to complete this task and I’m here to give you all the steps to declutter successfully.
Steps to Declutter while Spring Cleaning:
1. Pick an area of focus for your cleaning. Will it be your closet, bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, or living room, and etc?
2. After you have picked an area of focus, sort through your items to determine both their value and condition with the intention of decluttering your home. Remember, that although it was once valuable, inanimate objects can outstay their welcome too. For each item that you would no longer like to keep in your home, place them into one of three piles, donation, resell, or throw away. Keep in mind that the last pile is for the items that are not in a condition to be sold or donated and simply need to be thrown away.
3. Once you have assessed each item, place your donations and throw away items into separate bags and sit them near your front door. Set aside the items that you would like to resell.
4. For your donations, research the local donation centers in your area. Some may have donation drop-off boxes in your area and a few offer pick-up services from your home. Determine which center and option works best for you and set-up a time to donate your things. Setting up a time is so important because the last thing we want is a bag of donations sitting at the front door for weeks or even months.
5. For the throw away items, place them in your trash can or dumpster for the next trash pickup. I am aware that creating this pile and actually throwing things away may be difficult depending on your attachment to your things, but if you keep the intention in mind of “decluttering to elevate the vibe in your home,” it may help with the final release.
6. For the resell items, take individual pictures of them. Pay special attention to the lighting and background, noting your goal to market your item in a way that will make others want to buy it. Next, set realistic prices for the items. Keep in mind that the buyer may want to negotiate the price and that some platforms take a portion of the final sale value. Then upload the photos, descriptions, and prices for the items to resell on platforms like Facebook Marketplace, Mercari, and Poshmark. If you are not interested in an in-person exchange, be sure to state in the item description on Facebook Marketplace that “all items will be shipped after receiving payment.” To learn more about how to easily and safely resell your items, see my previous blog post, Bargaining 101: How to Shop Using an Online Marketplace.
Throughout the process of Spring Cleaning, you may make some discoveries about yourself. For example, on my second go round of decluttering, I realized that I keep old t-shirts for far too long. Although a few of them held sentimental value, the dinginess from wearing them too often made it obvious that it was time to let them go. Other t-shirts, I do not wear at all, so I gladly let them go. Also, when I was assessing the conditions of my things, I heard my grandmother saying, “You can tell a lot about a person by the way their shoes look.” There are so many different ways to interpret that, so I will just leave that quote for you to decide the meaning.
I hope everyone is now motivated to start their 2020 Spring Cleaning journey.
Given the times, I would like to acknowledge all of the essential workers who have continued to work and serve others during this pandemic. Thank you. You are appreciated! I also extend my prayers to the families that have been impacted by COVID-19.
Stay Safe and Stay Healthy Friends!
- T
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