4 Tips on Getting Rid of Your Junk in the Trunk!

Are you afraid of your garage or basement? Every time you walk near it, you *sigh* or *cringe* because of the clutter and things that you no longer use are eating up all the space. Now your storage is limited. This is why when I am out with clients at consultations, I always say:

• (If it is Staging to Sell) “Clutter Eats Equity!” which is very true since buyers usually get so blindsided by your stuff, they can not see anything else, including their own belongings in your space. If they cannot visualize themselves living in that space, you can kiss that offer goodbye. So yes, clutter does eat your equity.

• (If it is Staging to Live) “Clutter eats Tranquility!” You get annoyed when you can’t find your papers, checkbooks, keys, due bills, the list goes on, because they are all buried underneath your junk. It puts you in a bad mood and you feel annoyed and cannot concentrate in your space. Your mind feels cluttered as well. And then you get drawn into this vicious cycle where you just dumps everything on top of every other thing. Then your room looks like pecks and valleys — a pile then a pile then another pile then…. It bothers you and you can’t get things done.

Everyone wants to declutter (I have to smile because a lot of homes that I’ve been for Redesign to Live, I generally find a book on their bookshelves talking about decluttering ). It’s really not difficult to do, but the biggest obstacle is you. There are 4 golden rules:

1. Start small. Rome was not built in one day, neither was your clutter. So to kill off your clutter (which you already probably feel very daunting about the task at hand), do it slowlyyyyy~ take 15 minutes a day and do it. Just do it. Nothing else is more important than your peace of mind. So just do it. No excuses. 15 minutes is not a lot, but ten 15 minutes add up to 150 minutes of decluttering. Now that’s a lot!
2. Be persistent. Decluttering is like dieting. You gotta work at it. There are no quick fixes (no, throwing things in a box and push into your closet does not count as “decluttering” despite its popularity ). Do your15 minutes everyday and you will see the results in a few weeks!
3. Divide and conqur. Organization and division is going to help you “de-claw” your clutter. Group similar items together and label them properly. You can get organizer containers at IKEA or Target for very reasonable price. I use a label maker for this purpose, especially on filing. It is easy to read and keeps things clean. (I love my label maker!)
4. When in doubt, call a professional. Iif you have a ghost, you would call ghost buster, right? If you have a plumbing problem, you would call a plumber, correct? So when in doubt, call someone to help you. A 3rd person can help you get rid of your junk relentlessly. It is difficult to do it yourself sometimes since you are so attached to your belongings (this is why you still have them in the first place!). Personally it would be very difficult for me to sell my parent’s home, for example, since I can become very emotional and then irrational in terms of my decisions, even if I am a professional stager.
   

   Here are a few professionals to consider:

1. A professional organizer. You can find one through National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO).
2. A professional closet organizer, garage organizer, etc.
3. A professional stager if you are selling your home. You can find one through www.stagedhomes.com.

Let me know if these articles have been helpful to you, and if you would like to see other tips!

Cheers,

Cindy
cindy@staged4more.com
www.staged4more.com

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