Post-Declutter Sentimental Item Management Strategies by Home Organization Professionals
Spring Cleaning: A Guide to Examining Your Emotional Clutter
The spring cleaning season is here, and you're likely veering towards those packed closets and messy drawers bursting at the seams. However, when decluttering this season, you may stumble upon sentimental items that hold dear memories but take up precious space. We spoke to professional home organizers to offer guidance on dealing with sentimental items during your cleaning spree and determining whether they are worth holding on to.
- *Jamie Hord*is the founder of Horderly Professional Organizing.
- *Mindy Goddingis the founder of Abundance Organizing and president of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals*.
Decluttering with Emotion in Mind
Choosing which items to part with during a cleaning session appears easy - old kitchen tools can be donated or discarded, as can worn-out clothes. But when it comes to sentimental items, the process often becomes much more complex. Heirlooms from loved ones, cherished childhood items, or tokens reminding you of a specific time in your life can create a strong emotional attachment that leads to difficulty letting go.
"Stick to the best of the best," advises Jamie Hord, founder of Horderly Professional Organizing. "If there are more than one items you wish to keep, limit yourself to one box per person."
If decluttering with family, assigning everyone a box for sentimental items is excellent for managing the amount you're keeping while making storage more manageable. Mindy Godding, founder of Abundance Organizing and president of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals shares similar sentiments.
"I'm a big advocate of 'shrining' - selecting one or two favorite items from a larger group of keepsakes to represent a time, person, career, or life event," explains Godding. "Establishing a designated space for this shrine helps in determining the number of items kept, rather than allowing the total amount to decide the space needed. Choosing your most meaningful items that evoke memories is key."
Instead of focusing on what needs to leave, reframe your mindset instead. "Many individuals attempt to initiate a project by first determining what must go; we recommend starting with what absolutely must stay," advises Godding. "Once your favorites are protected, letting go of extraneous items becomes far easier."
Storing Your Special Mementos
If you have the luxury of storage bins or spare space under your bed, you'll have options for storing your keepsakes away from active areas. However, for those already strapped for space, finding a place for essential keepsakes can be a challenge.
"Social media and platforms like Etsy can be valuable resources for locating skilled upcyclers who could breathe new life into an item," Godding suggests. "Creative organizers collect these ideas and may have suggestions for repurposing items."
The sky's the limit for enterprising upcyclers, transforming even significant items like furniture into unique, useful pieces.
"Some of my favorite projects from past clients include customizing Tervis Tumblers with vintage scouting badges, turning a mom's mink coat into luxurious teddy bears for her grandkids, cutting a family dining table into smaller occasional tables, and repurposing grandfather's military dress blues as custom handbags," Godding shares.
In cases where items must be let go, capturing them on film can serve as a substitute for keeping the pieces while preserving memories without taking up space.
"Consider if taking a picture of an item is sufficient to hold its memory," suggests Hord. "If you want to physically keep the item, these pieces can typically be stored somewhere not in prime real estate."
Letting Go with Ease
Sometimes, preserving memories can be a sensitive topic, resulting in complicated feelings or even guilt when decluttering. Remember that it's your home, and you have the power to decide what stays and goes.
"You're paying for the space you're living in, so you shouldn't keep anything that doesn't add value," says Hord. "It's essential to normalize not keeping gifts that aren't wanted or needed!"
If guilty feelings arise, tracing the source of those emotions may be helpful.
"Guilt usually stems from a sense of duty - where we cling onto items as an obligation for someone else, regardless of the item's usefulness or personal significance," asserts Godding.
Decluttering doesn't have to feel overwhelming, and it doesn't have to be an immense undertaking! Start small with a single room, or establish a 15-minute timer, then take a break from cleaning. When encountering sentimental items, remember it's okay to keep things with emotional significance or find new ways to use them in your daily life.
Embrace the Swedish Death Cleaning Mindset
For a mindful approach to letting go of your emotional clutter, consider adopting these six strategies inspired by Swedish Death Cleaning:
- Examine Your Motives: When you consider whether to keep or discard an item, ask yourself, "Would anyone be happier if I saved this?" This helps you focus on the items that matter most.[2]
- Tackle Emotionally Neutral Areas First: Start with less emotionally charged items like clothing or household goods, instead of diving into the more sentimental belongings like photos or personal mementos.[2]
- Evaluate the Item's Purpose: Question whether keeping the item serves a purpose or brings joy. If not, it may be time to let it go.[3]
- Re-gift or Pass Down Thoughtfully: If an item holds sentimental value but no longer serves a purpose for you, consider giving it to someone who might appreciate it more. This allows the item to maintain significance while reducing clutter.[2]
- Create a Memory Box or Album: Instead of keeping all sentimental items out in the open or stored away, consider creating a memory box or album. This makes it easier to preserve memories while minimizing clutter.[3]
- Picture Your Absence: Consider how your family would feel and what they would do with your belongings if you were gone. This perspective can help you determine which sentimental items to pass on or keep without guilt.[1][2]
- Reminding yourself that you have the power to decide what stays and goes in your home during spring cleaning can help manage sentimental clutter.*filled with interior design tips and home improvement advice, Bhg.com could provide useful suggestions for repurposing keepsakes and upcycling items.
- Next time you encounter a sentimental item during decluttering, reframe your mindset and focus on what absolutely must stay before making decisions about what to let go.
- Consider using social media or platforms like Etsy to find skilled upcyclers who can breathe new life into your keepsakes, reducing their physical space while preserving their sentimental value.
- If you're struggling with guilt over decluttering emotionally significant items, try tracing the source of those feelings to help eliminate unnecessary emotional attachment.
- Adopting the Swedish Death Cleaning mindset, such as examining your motives, tackling emotion-neutral areas first, evaluating an item's purpose, and re-gifting or passing down thoughtfully, can help with letting go of emotional clutter mindfully.
