Having memories and keepsakes is lovely, but at a certain point the clutter can become too much! That’s why it’s important to learn how to declutter sentimental items.
It can be difficult when certain items have a strong emotional attachment, but that doesn’t mean you need to let go of the lovely memories associated. We asked our expert housekeepers how to navigate the decluttering process when items have sentimental value, and they had some excellent advice.
So, check out our expert techniques to declutter sentimental belongings!
Hello, Brave Soul! Ready to Part with Your Precious Keepsakes?
It can be tough to muster up the courage to declutter and discard sentimental belongings, but sometimes it has to be done.
If you find the process to be very emotional, check out these tips for letting go of sentimental clutter.
How to Declutter Sentimental Items
Start by setting some clear goals and intentions. What are you aiming to declutter, and why? Understanding your motivations and needs can help keep you focused when emotions become strong.
Begin decluttering with items that hold less emotional attachment, like duplicates, damaged items, or those you haven’t thought about in a long time. This will help you ease into the process.
Then, create categories of sentimental items; maybe one for letters, photographs, stuffed toys, clothing, memorabilia, old gifts.
Decide how many items across each category you’re going to keep so that you can preserve what’s most important to you whilst still decluttering.
Keep reading : Transform Your Home with These Innovative Storage Hacks
Questions to Ask When Decluttering Sentimental Items
To help make these tough decisions, try asking yourself:
- Does this item truly represent the memory or person?
- Does it align with my current values and lifestyle?
- Would someone else benefit more from having this item?
And remember, decluttering sentimental items doesn’t mean they’re gone forever!
You can donate to organisations and charities in need, gift important items to fellow loved ones, or even digitize old photographs and letters to preserve the memories. This way the memory remains, just not in the form of clutter.
Who Said Letting Go Has to Be Hard? Discover the Joy of Minimalism with Our Fun and Easy Steps
Decluttering sentimental items might seem daunting at first, but sometimes letting go feels better than holding on. So, let’s look at the bright side!
Our physical environment often plays a huge role in our mood, wellbeing, and mental health.
For example, it’s much easier to focus and be productive in a clean and organised office, right? Embracing minimalism allows us to truly appreciate life’s beauty by eliminating unnecessary distractions that hinder our experience.
Letting go doesn’t mean you have to turn your back completely on beloved possessions.
It’s more than just getting rid of clutter, it’s about creating a space that reflects who you are and allows for relaxation and creativity.
If you’re surrounded by lots of clutter and objects that trigger an emotional state, you’re going to feel quite overwhelmed.
We tend to feel much better when we own less “stuff”, but what we do own is high quality, aligns with our values and lifestyle, and makes us feel good.
This also frees up a lot of space, and makes your home much easier to clean, organise, and maintain.
And look on the bright side – the process of decluttering sentimental items gives you the opportunity to look through your belongings, revisit the memories associated, and give them a fitting farewell.
So now you know a bit more about how to declutter sentimental items, lets meet the people who can talk first hand about the benefits!
An artful approach to organising and declutter sentimental items
You might already be familiar with Marie Kondo, an organising consultant turned famous bestselling author who wrote about the Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.
She emphasises the KonMari method, which encourages people to declutter and keep only items that “spark joy” Kondo believes in surrounding yourself with items that truly matter and contribute to your happiness and well-being.
Eventually, Kondo’s book was turned into a documentary, where we got to see her help numerous people declutter and organise their own homes.
Some had extremely emotional reasons for struggling to let sentimental items go, but all of them reported feeling extremely empowered and cathartic after decluttering and streamlining some of their possessions.
How to embrace minimalism?
The process of embracing minimalism often involves reflecting on your values, priorities, and goals.
It can help you gain a deeper understanding of yourself, your desires, and what truly brings you happiness and fulfilment.
With fewer distractions and a more organised environment, minimalism can help you focus better on your priorities and tasks, leading to increased productivity and efficiency in both personal and professional aspects of life – not to mention the aesthetically pleasing state of your clutter-free living space!
So if you’re struggling to declutter sentimental items, just remember that you’re not being careless or throwing out things because they don’t matter.
You’re simply re-evaluating the material objects you choose to allow into your life and being more intentional with your possessions.
And if you need a hand with the decluttering process, you can always enlist the help of a professional housekeeper through Wecasa.
Happy decluttering!
