Many life transitions lead to homeowners downsizing to a smaller home or reorganizing and decluttering their current home. Divorce, separation, empty nesting, and getting older may motivate individuals to reexamine their homes and realize they need to change.
Decluttering and downsizing require a thorough home cleanout, enabling homeowners to discern the items they want to keep, donate to a charity, or leave out for the trash. Sorting items releases many emotions as memories flood the mind from each memento or item. How do homeowners decide what to keep or throw away? Tranquil Transitions discusses managing a successful home cleanout without a flood of anxiety!
Downsizing: Tips to Minimize “Stuff” and Manage Your Emotions
The reasons for downsizing are numerous; some must sell their home when going through a divorce, and others want to retire in a smaller and more manageable home. Downsizing almost always requires minimizing possessions for a more streamlined lifestyle.
Individuals who live in a home for years or decades acquire more items than they realize. Only when homeowners are forced to sort through every item do they fully grasp the vast
amount of possessions lingering in the home. Every item may hold a memory–even a simple piece of paper.
While some homeowners gleefully anticipate minimizing their possessions to lighten their load, others face the prospect of letting go of items with sadness and anxiety. For those who feel more stress than joy about decluttering, Tranquil Transitions recommends these five tips:
1. Start with one room. Manage the micro, not the macro. Tackle one room at a time.
2. Sit with the feelings. Don’t rush the process. It’s okay to sit and hold an item, but managing emotions is different for each person.
3. Understand that donating an item allows it to have another life and be cherished by another individual.
4. Consider giving items to loved ones like adult children or friends. Make a pile of items you can offer and let friends and family choose what they want. Letting go of items is easier when those items are rehomed with a loved one.
5. Think about the new home, its layout, and its size. Some items must be donated because they just won’t fit.
Decluttering: Only Keep What You Love
Anyone can choose to declutter their home. Decluttering does not necessarily mean that the homeowner is moving or downsizing. They might realize that they simply have too much stuff, affecting the layout and functionality of their home.
Tranquil Transitions declutters closets, children’s rooms, basements, and every other room in the home. When homeowners need to lose the excess, they must identify what they should keep and what must go.
Decluttering Children’s Rooms
Decluttering a child’s room can be an emotional experience. Children grow attached to certain items, and parents also could feel a pull to specific items in the room. Many parents make peace with the cleanout by holding on to a few special clothing items they may pass on to younger siblings or even grandchildren.
Make Digital Copies of Artwork
Children make many cards, paintings, drawings, and other items for parents. Keep and frame special artwork, and scan or photograph the other pieces to save them forever.
Invite Children to Participate in the Cleanout
Don’t just toss out old toys or games. Help children understand that older toys will be donated to a charity so other children can enjoy them. Let children keep their most loved toys and plushies. Discard any broken toys and games.
Psyched in San Francisco explains that some children are prone to accumulate more items than others, and these children may struggle in letting go of toys and items. The site explains that parents can help children by pausing new purchases, managing the donation or discarding process in steps or stages, and even by establishing guidelines around what items or how many items need to be donated. The site notes that these guidelines should be written down, and, for children who “collect,” the list also may establish items that should not be in the room (food, items littering the bed or other spaces, etc.).
Organizing a Closet
Clothes hold emotional memories. We may love a particular outfit because of the memory it evokes. Cleaning out a closet needs to be simplified to assist homeowners in minimizing their collection of clothes. Use this simple chart to understand better if a clothing item is a keeper, a charity donation, or if it’s ready for the landfill:
Item Assessment | Donate | Keep | Landfill |
Classic Piece / Good Condition / Wrong Size | ⭐ | ||
Classic Piece / Damaged or Stained / Right Size | ⭐ | ||
Classic Piece / Good Condition / Right Size | ⭐ | ||
Current Style / Damaged or Stained / Right Size | ⭐ | ||
Out of Date / Good Condition / Right Size | ⭐ | ||
Out of Date / Good Condition / Wrong Size or Fit | ⭐ | ||
Current Style / Good Condition / Right Size | ⭐ | ||
Current Style / Good Condition / Wrong Size or Fit | ⭐ | ||
Out of Date / Ripped or Stained / Wrong Size or Fit | ⭐ | ||
NWT (New With Tags) / RightSize | ⭐ | ||
NWT / Wrong Size or Fit | ⭐ | ||
Shoes / Out of Date / Right Size | ⭐ | ||
Shoes / In Style or Classic / Wrong Size | ⭐ | ||
Shoes / Worn and Old | ⭐ | ||
Shoes / In Style or Classic / Right Size | ⭐ |
Managing Thrift Store Donations
A home cleanout or downsizing may result in many bags of donations for a local charity. Thrift stores accept clothing, shoes, cookware, and other items. However, each store also may have a list of items they cannot accept. Used mattresses, baby cribs, and car seats will not be accepted. In addition, not all thrift stores accept furniture.
Tranquil Transitions manages all thrift store donations for homeowners during a cleanout or downsizing service. However, homeowners can specify which charity or store they wish to donate their beloved items.
Cherished Mementos: Keeping the Items You Love
The Tranquil Transitions team helps homeowners keep the items and mementos they love and cherish. We understand that keeping certain items is non-negotiable. We strive to help homeowners find solutions to keep items they hold dear, recommending digital preservation of photos, children’s artwork, personal letters, postcards, and more. Thanks to technology, there are many amazing solutions to save notes, old cards, and other mementos without collecting piles of paper.
Tranquil Transitions understands the emotions involved in downsizing, decluttering, and a home cleanout. We partner with every client, staying with them and guiding them every step of the way. Our team serves as a trusted friend during these life transitions. We also help parents who need to take control of their home’s organization to create serenity and calm.
Reach out to Tranquil Transitions today to learn how we help manage downsizing, decluttering, and home cleanouts. Discover our processes and know you have a friend and a partner guiding you every step of the way.
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