How to Declutter Your Home: A Guide to the 3-Group Method

• Are you looking to organise your home this New Year? This 3-group method will help you to declutter every room in your home, without the guilt.
• Sentimental 
• Need 
• Want
• How to let go of household items
• Acknowledge that you have an emotional attachment to an item
• Go Digital 
• Start with the simple stuff
• Select the best
• Use the Marie Kondo declutter method
• Pass down heirlooms
• Live in the present
• Plan beforehand 
• Planning to declutter? Let us help

Are you looking to organise your home this New Year? This 3-group method will help you to declutter every room in your home, without the guilt.

New year, new you mantras tend to lead us to a January declutter, but decluttering your home doesn’t have to be daunting. Before you start, try to keep in mind your reason for decluttering, and then you can plan where to start. Consider what you want to keep and set aside what to donate or sell. 

Understanding the 3-group method for decluttering can help you enjoy more space and peace of mind. So, how does this method work? Create 3 ‘piles’: Sentimental, Need & Want and only allow 10 items in each pile. Everything else should be donated or sold. Here are our top tips.

Sentimental 

When decluttering, you’ll come across items you cherish, yet no longer serve a purpose.  While these items may or may not hold much value, you have an emotional attachment that often makes it difficult to let go. Whether it’s a gift, a toy, or even a souvenir, if you get this feeling from an item, add it in your sentimental pile. 

Need 

Before you declutter, consider what you can’t live without. Do you have a drawer full of old wires and mobile phones that you think you might need one day? Assess these items logically and only keep what you really need. 

Want

While there are items you cannot live without, there are others you keep for comfort or luxury. If removing the clutter won’t affect your comfort, getting rid of such items could free up some space and help declutter your mind. 

To make the process easier, you may have to declutter one room at a time. You can start with your bedroom and pack everything you hardly use. Repeat the process in other rooms until you clear what you consider clutter. 

How to let go of household items

Although letting go of sentimental clutter may not be easy, here are 10 tips to help you declutter your home and let go of the household items you rarely use: 

Acknowledge that you have an emotional attachment to an item

This is the first step in decluttering the sentimental stuff. To help bring closure, express gratitude and take some time with the item before letting go. Ask yourself, how will you feel knowing this item will no longer be around? You can decipher if you’re ready to sell or donate the item. 

Go Digital 

Some gifts are worth keeping, however, they may occupy space unnecessarily. In this digital era, reduce physical storage by scanning photos and other documents and storing them in a flash drive or phone. 

Start with the simple stuff

Some sentimental clutter is easier to let go of than others. Identify the items you consider easy to get rid of to decrease that overwhelming feeling, then you can deal with the rest one at a time. 

Select the best

Instead of keeping a bunch of similar items, why not keep one(s) that will remind you of joy or value, donate the rest to someone who needs it, and take good care of the item? 

Use the Marie Kondo declutter method

The Marie Kondo declutter method helps in home organisation and freeing up some space. Instead of decluttering here and there, this approach suggests organising your home in one go and visualising the results. You have to tidy up your home and identify what you don’t need before you organise and declutter once. 

Pass down heirlooms

If you have a family heirloom that was left in your care, you may consider handing it down over to another relative. Passing over the heirloom to someone you trust helps you declutter your mind without feeling guilty. 

Live in the present

Instead of holding on to the past, only keep items that trigger positive emotions. You don’t have to feel guilty discarding something that makes you sad. 

Plan beforehand 

Once you decide that you need to declutter, plan how everything will be packed and what to do with each item. This helps you adjust faster once the item is no longer in your possession.

Planning to declutter? Let us help

If you intend to create more space, decluttering your home is always a perfect option. Vintage Cash Cow can buy household items and help you make more room. Get in touch with us for more information or to order your free postal package.