What NOT To Do When Decluttering
Decluttering is quite rewarding, but it’s easy to make mistakes during the process. Recognizing such mistakes can save you a lot of stress and trouble. That’s why we assembled a guide on what to avoid when decluttering.
Procrastination is the biggest problem to avoid when decluttering. Putting it off can make you feel impulsive and get rid of sentimental and important items, like family heirlooms. It’s also a mistake to clean before decluttering, as decluttering can make your home messy, so you must clean again.
Some decluttering tips may seem like no-brainers, but everyone has made some mistakes while downsizing. Follow along as we explore what not to do when decluttering.
10 Decluttering Mistakes And How To Avoid Them
1. Impulsively Pitching Sentimental Items
While decluttering, you’ll probably come across a lot of sentimental items in your home. Your first instinct may be to get rid of some of them, but it’s worth giving it a second thought. For example, you may currently feel overwhelmed by the clutter and think that everything must go.
Because of that, you may act impulsively and get rid of many things you come across, including sentimental items that you may eventually regret getting rid of. Instead, temporarily move them somewhere else with other sentimental items and reevaluate them later.
That way, you can give yourself time to think about the emotions and memories attached to the items. The last thing you want to do is throw away an old family heirloom and regret it years later. Otherwise, you can contact family members and see if they want the sentimental items before pitching them.
2. Focusing On Small Items
If you’ve lived in your home for even just six months, there’s a good chance you have a lot of small clutter. This can get out of hand after a few years, and it may explain why you want to declutter in the first place. However, focusing too heavily on small, insignificant items can waste a lot of time and distract you.
You can avoid this problem if you start with large items and work your way down from there. That way, you won’t spend nearly as much time deliberating on whether something should stay or go. By the time you reach the small items, you’ll likely have built a good rhythm.
3. Letting Items Sit For Too Long
Many people split their items up into several categories while decluttering: pitch, donate, gift, and sell. While doing this, you may place the items into boxes and label them based on what you plan to do with them. However, some people make the mistake of letting these items sit in the boxes for far too long before taking action.
This can negate the whole point of decluttering in the first place and cause more headaches. You can hold yourself accountable if you give yourself a deadline to finally get rid of the items you don’t need. For example, you can set a reminder to drop the items in the “donate” box off at Goodwill or Salvation Army.
Similarly, you can immediately list the items you plan to sell on eBay, Facebook Marketplace, or Craigslist. Contact the people you plan to give the remaining items to and have them pick them up, or drop them off at their homes. That way, all the items will be off your hands.
4. Neglecting Your Collections
Are you a collector? If so, then there’s a good chance that your collections take up a lot of space. However, you also probably spent a lot of time, energy, and money building your collection in the first place.
Because of that, you may neglect your collections while decluttering your house. That said, that mindset may be a mistake, especially when decluttering other parts of your home. This doesn’t mean you should get rid of the collections you spent years building up.
However, it’s worth taking the time to reevaluate your collections and think about what’s necessary. For example, you may have some duplicates or items that are in poor condition. Even downsizing your collections ever so slightly can make a big difference.
5. Doing It All In One Day
It’s unrealistic to assume you can declutter your whole home in a single day. This may be possible in a studio apartment, but it’s unlikely if your home has many rooms. Forcing yourself to declutter everything in a single day can result in some poor decision-making.
For example, you may become more impulsive and less discriminatory if you feel obligated to get rid of everything at once. This can cause you to pitch, donate, or sell things that you wouldn’t otherwise get rid of. Instead, you should create a decluttering checklist and stretch it out over a realistic period of time.
For example, you can dedicate a whole week to decluttering and focus on small areas for each day. That way, you won’t feel rushed or overwhelmed, and you can make sure to take your time and make smart decisions.
6. Decluttering Your Roommate Or Partner’s Belongings
It should go without saying, but you should only get rid of your belongings while decluttering. This is quite important if you live with a roommate or a romantic partner. You may not mean any harm, but you may hurt someone’s feelings if you declutter their room and belongings.
That even includes a shared pantry or medicine cabinet in your home. However, you can tell your partner or roommate that you plan to declutter and see if they want to get involved. That way, you can avoid problems and ensure the house gets as clean as possible.
7. Cleaning While Decluttering
You may think it’s a good idea to kill two birds with one stone by cleaning while decluttering. However, doing so can make the process take much longer than it otherwise would. Decluttering can get messy and kick up some dust, but you should wait to clean it up until you’re done.
That’s because no matter how much you clean while decluttering, you’ll still have to clean again when you’re done. After all, you’ll be pulling out tons of old items from neglected drawers and closets full of dust and debris. Instead, focus on decluttering and then clean the house later.
8. Waiting Too Long
The longer you wait to declutter, the harder it will be. There’s a good chance you accumulate clutter monthly, if not weekly. That’s why you should try to do a light decluttering once per month to prevent the problem from getting out of hand.
Yearly decluttering is still important, but doing it monthly may even eliminate a yearly declutter. That said, nobody can blame you if you’re too busy to declutter your home each month. However, you should at least try to declutter your home once per season, which comes out to four times a year.
9. Decluttering Before Guests Arrive
The last thing you want is for guests to see the clutter in your house. Because of that, you may instinctively want to declutter before having people over. However, doing so at the last minute can backfire and cause more trouble than it’s worth.
For example, you may wind up with a bunch of boxes and bags full of items you plan to get rid of. In that case, you’ll have to find something to do with the old clutter in a short period. Keep in mind that decluttering can also kick up some distinct, musty odors, which your guests may notice.
It’s almost better to warn guests that your house is messy if you’re having people over at the last minute. After that, you can declutter your home, clean it, and keep it clean, so the problem doesn’t happen again.
10. Expecting Perfection
It’s easy to get disappointed if you think that decluttering is an instant fix. However, you won’t have that problem if you go into it knowing that things won’t turn out perfect right away. Your house may even look messier while you're decluttering, as you must pull so much stuff out of drawers and closets.
However, it’s what you do when you’re done that makes the biggest difference in your home. Don’t expect your house to look perfect after decluttering — it takes time. This is your chance to redecorate, clean the house, and lean into minimalism.
Summing It Up
Don’t ever impulsively pitch sentimental items while decluttering, or you may regret it. It’s also a bad idea to wait until the last minute and declutter your home in a single day. Give yourself plenty of time over a few days, then get rid of the items you’re decluttering right away so they don’t take up space in your house.
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Nick Durante is a professional writer with a primary focus on home improvement. When he is not writing about home improvement or taking on projects around the house, he likes to read and create art. He is always looking towards the newest trends in home improvement.
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