It can be quite therapeutic to declutter your home and reclaim your space. 

Candace Wiebe with Household Assistant has a lot of experience with organizing and decluttering. She offers some tips to help you get rid of items that no longer serve you. 

Tip 1: Have a mindset of grace 

When you're decluttering your home, you'll find things you spent money on that never ended up serving you, she says, and you can face a lot of regret, guilt and shame. “So, I think if we just own those mistakes and move on, get things out of our house that don't serve us anymore, we don't have to face that item ever again when it's making us feel guilty. So have some grace for yourself and don't be afraid to let go of something that maybe was a money-spending mistake.” 

Tip 2: Let go of items you don’t use 

This tip ties into Tip 1. She says we can feel guilty about getting rid of items we don’t use, because we worry about having wasted money on the item. The reality is that the item doesn’t get more valuable by hanging onto it longer. “The truth is that your money is already gone, it’s not like you're spending the money again by donating it.” To help you decide on getting rid of an item, ask yourself, “how would I feel if this just disappeared and never came back?” 

Tip 3: Start with a small decluttering project 

“If you pick a very doable project, maybe something that takes 5 or 10 minutes, like a bathroom drawer or underneath your kitchen sink, maybe a junk drawer or going through all your T-shirts, then you see really quick progress and you feel motivated to do another small project. And the best thing is you start to feel like you're actually capable of decluttering and of doing these projects throughout your home. And I think that's just such a huge benefit. If you start small, then you feel like you can go and do more.”  

Tip 4: Prepare properly before you start decluttering 

Have a box or bag to collect items for donation. You’ll also want a bag for garbage. And you’ll need a 60-Day-Bin. “Or I’ve heard it called a ‘Time Will Tell’ bin, where you can put things you’re really not sure if you’re going to use it this year or in the next few months, and you really don’t want to let it go yet. You can have a bin where you keep things for a month or two months, I go with 60 days, and if you haven’t reached into the bin to find something in those 60 days, those items can probably go.” She cautions against having a bin for items to collect and sort through later. “If you’re decluttering and you find something that’s out of place and belongs somewhere else in the house, just go right away and put it where it belongs.” 

Tip 5: Your closet should only have clothing you can wear right now 

“I’m a big believer that everything you have in your closet should be wearable today. It should fit you right now, you should love it on you, be comfortable in it, find it flattering on you, and you don’t want to crowd these outfits with clothing that you don’t like and don’t wear. And it’s totally okay to have four outfits that you love wearing all the time.” She says we don’t need six tops that we love, and five that we don’t like. “Everything you have in your closet should be an option for now.” 

Wiebe finds a decluttered home is a peaceful home, with less stress and calmer. She appreciates the positive energy that comes from a relaxing space and that’s what motivates her to help others with decluttering and organizing. 

-With files from Carly Koop.

Related Stories