REWARDS: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO Decluttering

Spending a lot of time at home? What better time to get organized?

- PATRICIA MERTZ ESSWEIN

THE URGE TO PURGE OUR HOMES OF CLUTTER COMES naturally in springtime, and we may feel it more urgently this year, as we hunker down and shelter in place. Tackling a decluttering project doesn’t just clear your closets, basement or garage of stuff you no longer need and let you check off a major item on your to-do list. In times like these, when the world is full of uncertainty and anxiety, decluttering can also give you a sense of control—and even help reduce stress. In a 2019 spring-cleaning survey sponsored by OfferUp, a resale website, almost two-thirds of respondents said they felt de-stressed after decluttering.

“We bring things into our world to enrich our quality of life, until one day we realize that the multitude of possessions is actually detracting from our life,” says Mindy Godding, a professional organizer in Richmond, Va.

If you subscribe to the philosophy of Marie Kondo, the Japanese tidying guru, decluttering can also bring life changes and joy. People who have followed the KonMari Method say they have not only dramatically reorganized their homes but also quit jobs, launched businesses, increased their sales at work, avoided a divorce (or obtained one) and even shed excess weight (see kiplinger.com/links/ kondo). Still, no single organizing strategy will work for everyone.

Decluttering requires a lot of decision-making. For each item, you must decide: Should I keep it or not? If I keep it, where should it go? If I don’t keep it, will I hand it down, or should I sell, donate, recycle or trash it? The box on the facing page has tips from three pros on how to stay on track and avoid getting overwhelmed.