Comments on: 3 Guerrilla Tactics to Get Rid of Clutter

By: Vonna

Vonna — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 19:21:31 +0000

Recently started getting pretty serious about the clutter in my house, I hate it, but my husband is a hoarder. the TLC show has scared me to get into action, I dont sell anything I just take it to our local thrift shop (not Goodwill), it helps our local mentally challenged adults and gives them a job. Plus when I go down there I have found some really awesome stuff, such as a crock that fit the one I broke!! yea me!! Happy decluttering!

By: Sara

Sara — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 11:33:07 +0000

Our problem is that my husband inherited his great-uncle’s house and he was a very eclectic and artistic man; unfortunately I would say that he was a minor hoarder. There are items that are obviously junk and need to be thrown away but there are other “artsy” items that we haven’t been able to sell because the economy in our state is so bad and people aren’t willing to buy it for what it’s worth. Any ideas?

By: Natalie

Natalie — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 01:16:06 +0000

My de-cluttering generally happens when I move. There’s nothing like packing and moving everything yourself to make you question what’s worth keeping. I don’t think I’ve ever had a period of time longer than three years between moves, but I’ll probably move less now that I have a nice house.

However for those that have been in the same house for a long time, I would suggest the same thing. Move everything out that isn’t used regularly and move it back in one item at a time. Everything must have a place or be seasonal. Otherwise it goes to charity. This will also help you get organized and do spring cleaning.

I frequently get hung up on keeping stuff because I know I can sell it on Ebay, craigslist, or at a garage sale, but then never getting around to selling it. I’m much more aggressive about giving stuff away now. Also if I’m on the fence about keeping an item and it is less than $20 I opt to not keep it. The amount used to be $10 for me, but I’ve upped it over the years. I’ve never regretted getting rid of something.

I have one plastic bin for sentimental stuff like family photos. Those are the only exception to the rule, but that’s only one box.

Another common hang up for keeping things is not wanting to “throw things away.” I counter this by donating everything to charity. I let them decide if it is useful or not. I’ve started giving and purchasing from Goodwill much more since I have a baby. I wonder how many toys they have that are recycled over and over. Another good option is Freecycle.

I think our generation has a much easier time letting go of stuff than previous generations. The depression and wwII affected how our parents and grandparents were raised. They learned not to throw away or you will starve. We have the opposite issue.

By: andy

andy — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 14:59:42 +0000

For me personally, I allocate 1 hr a week to take care of items on my personal “aka Clutter” list. I really find doing it a little bit at a time is much more effective than the overwhelming feel of having to go through a lot of clutter.

By: Auna

Auna — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 12:24:36 +0000

One tactic with clothes is to turn all your hangers backwards. When you wash it and put it away put it in the correct way. This way you can see what you haven’t worn in awhile. I would go with 6 months to a year on this test.

By: G.E. Miller

G.E. Miller — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 22:47:20 +0000

@ Landon – didn’t have one in mind. I just know that if I threw out everything under $100, I’d be left with like 5 things. haha. I see where you’re coming from.

By: Landon Loveall

Landon Loveall — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 21:25:17 +0000

@G.E. I just kind of picked $100 at random. What I am looking at is that if I have not used it in the last year; I am probably not going to use it in the next. But, if it is an expensive item (>$100), and I may use it in the next few years, maybe it is worth storing. What would you suggest as an appropriate dollar value?

By: Griffin T.

Griffin T. — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:23:55 +0000

I really need to do this with clothes – I have so many that haven’t fit me for years, but I have such a hard time giving them away.

By: G.E. Miller

G.E. Miller — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 12:17:28 +0000

@ Moneyedup – yeah, I’ve tried that before. It is effective to a certain extent, but it really does involve you going through every single item and saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on each – and the answer (at least in my case) was almost always ‘fine, I’ll keep it for now’. That’s why I wanted to go guerrilla on it. I’m going to be trying one of these three strategies in the near future and I’ll report back with results.

@ Landon – $100 seems kind of steep!

By: Moneyedup

Moneyedup — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 04:04:19 +0000

I’m a big fan of garage sales, and giving things away to charities and second hand stores. When I do a big clean up I make three piles: Keep, throw out and give away/sell. From there, I would divide up the give away/sell pile into stuff that can be sold and stuff that can be given away to charities and second hand stores.