More Tips on Decluttering
Appliances and Furniture:
Storing Applicances
There is no point in keeping broken appliances. If you’ve been promising yourself to fix your old toaster but haven’t got around to it a year later then the chances are you never will. The same goes for old furniture that needs to be fixed or re-upholstered. Generally these items end up in the garage, gathering dust. Fix them or get rid of them. However, if you have perfectly good furniture and appliances that you don’t use, consider these tips:
- Working appliances can be swapped or given away over the internet or you can give them away on Dublin waste website FREE Trade Site.
- Smaller electrical and electronic items can be sold on bidding sites such as eBay.
- Young couples moving into a first home often need furniture. Try placing an ad on the internet or in a magazine such as Buy and Sell or try eBay.
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Storeroom for Toys & Boxes
Furniture that you are keeping for children or items that no longer fit in the home, such as a piano, should be put into Elephant self-storage for just €10 per week.
Decluttering ideas to consider
Ideas for organising you home:
1. Clothes:
Modern houses never seem to have enough wardrobe space. This means it can be difficult to locate items or that clothes get damaged. Many of us have a tendency to stockpile clothes particularly if they are still in good condition. Clean out your wardrobes and drawers of all the items you no longer wear. Charity shops accept old clothes and there are clothes recycling centers in most towns. However, here are some other ideas you could try:
- Have a swop party with friends. I recently attended one its great fun and great finds at no cost. This is particularly good for items that no longer fit and for occasion dresses and outfits that you are unlikely to wear again.
- Sell your old clothes to second-hand boutiques or on a bidding site such as eBay.
- Heavy winter coats, ski suits and hatboxes take up a lot of space. These are generally expensive but are items we only use seasonally or infrequently. Consider a small self-storage unit for these clothes. When you need them they are easily accessible but not taking up valuable cupboard space.
- You can go to a Swop Shop as well. I found this one in Temple Bar SWOPSHOP it great for clothes we all have hanging in the wardrobe and still with the labels on or clothes we just the once. They have a great collection of fashionable clothes and you can even swop custom jewellary.
Gifts and Memorabilia: 
No-one wants to throw away a present from a friend or items of sentimentalal value. However, these items can take up a lot of space in your home. Consider these ideas:
- Go through boxes of old photos. Chose your favourites and put them into a photo album or frames.
- Create scrapbooks for memorabilia such as letters and children’s drawings.
- Gifts that have been stored in a spare room or in the attic are not likely to be missed by whoever gave you an item. Give them away or send them to a charity shop such as Barnardos
- Consider buying boxes and putting them into self-storage for items that you can’t bear to throw away.
Make more space in the house
Human beings are hoarders by nature and over the course of a lifetime it’s easy to acquire more things than your home can accommodate.
It would be nice to actually have space to park your car in the garage. How pleasant it would be if you were able to use the spare bedroom as a home office or living space instead of as a dumping ground for all the goods that have nowhere else to go.
Decluttering a home can be a big job. Trying to declutter a whole house and garage at once is nearly impossible so give yourself time. Tackle one room at a time and work in a systematic way. Here are some ideas to help.
When considering items ask yourself the following questions:
- Do I need this?
- Do I love it?
- Are two or more of these necessary?
- When did I use it last?
- Does it have value, either monetary or sentimental?
Once you have answered these questions it’s time to divide items into boxes or label them. These should be marked as follows:
- Junk – this is everything that should be thrown into your household bin.
- Charity – charity shops need donations. Have a look at the shops in your area and see what goods they take.
- Recycle – glass, cans, paper and old clothes can be brought to recycling centres. This saves on household waste and is better for the environment.
- If you no longer have use for a baby’s crib or a chest freezer chances are somebody will give it a home.
- Renting a small locker in Elephant Self-storage – this is a clever and cost-effect way to store all the things you need especially seasonal items such as sports gear or camping equipment
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