Five More Items You Shouldn’t Save

Sometimes when we help our clients we do a kind of forensic decluttering. We can tell what there favourite reading materials are, what they like to collect, and what they have a hard time getting rid of. We help manage when there’s too much in any of these categories.

Often when we help our clients declutter it’s because things have gotten out of hand – too much stuff in too little space. Sometimes we’re helping cull their possessions because they’re downsizing and don’t have as much room in their new home. Another good reason to declutter, especially for those who find it hard to get around, is to make your home safer – less stuff to trip over so you can avoid falling and hurting yourself.

Here are five more items that don’t need to be saved

1.    Christmas decorations – one of our clients had enough to decorate three homes as they kept replacing and updating, but never threw out the old, the unused, or the broken items.
2.    Make-up – if you’ve come to the end of the tube of lipstick, discard it. Don’t put it back in the drawer as you won’t use it again. Use the same logic for any make-up – don’t keep the empty or near-empty container as it’s taking up space.
3.    Tax returns – in Canada we need to keep the documentation that goes into preparing your taxes for the previous seven years only. Anything older should be safely discarded; consider shredding anything containing SIN, or bank account number information, rather than just throwing it in the recycle bin.
4.    Plastic food containers/glass jars – Think of how many you use during the week – to store leftovers, or to help in household chores – and recycle the rest. Each grocery trip will bring more containers home, so you can replenish your stock if needed.
5.    Newspapers – once read they can be recycled. Even if you use newspapers to help clean windows or to keep the floor splatter-free when painting, you don’t need to keep large piles of them. If you need to refer to an article in a previous edition, it can be easily found online.

Our clients often tell us that decluttering makes them feel better about their homes, and the extra space comes in handy!

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A New Word

On a recent trip to the States I picked up a copy of the U.S. version of More magazine.  They had a tongue-in-cheek article on “Repurposing.” I loved it.

The examples they showed included:

• An outdated mini skirt made into a lampshade
• A now “painful” stiletto shoe transformed into a flower planter
• The itsy-bitsy bikini bottom we no longer fit into turned into a log carrier
• A sanitary napkin no longer needed by the menopausal woman fashioned into a soothing eye mask

These may seem to be bizarre new uses for outdated or no longer needed items, but this may be the best way to tackle a cluttering problem.  We need to put a new spin on things and find uses for items we are storing, but will likely never use again in their originally designed form.

This also reminded me of someone I spoke to recently who was setting up a business to “repurpose” family heirlooms. If you just can’t get rid of grandma’s old china why not turn a couple of pieces into a work of art that can hang on your wall rather than storing the whole set in boxes in the basement. . I also remember my mom taking a lot of old gold jewellery and having it melted down and reformed into one pendant that she then wore all the time.

Let your creative juices flow. You might be able to breathe new life into some sentimental favourites and clear out the clutter in your closets. What better way to make decluttering fun, but then to add a bit of wit, whimsy and innovation to the process.

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Five Items You Shouldn’t Save

We’ve spent hours and hours helping people declutter. There are number of reasons why our clients want to declutter:

• They’ve got so much stuff they’ve run out of space
• They’re downsizing
• They’ve lost enjoyment in their home; it’s no longer relaxing to be at home amongst all the accumulated stuff

Here’s the first part of our list of things you shouldn’t save.

1.    If you’ve lost half of a pair of shoes, then dispose of the remaining half. You might keep the unpaired shoe for a little while, – a week or so – just to see if the missing shoe will turn up. But when it doesn’t, get rid of the shoe. At one of our client’s home we found 37 unpaired shoes.
2.    If an item is broken and cannot be repaired, dispose of it. Don’t put a note on it that reads “broken” and then store it. Storing it will not make it magically repair itself. It’s just taking up storage space needlessly.
3.    If a fry pan has a hole in it, it can no longer be used. The end. No reprieve. No miracle uses. Dispose of it.
4.    There are lots of disincentives now to using plastic grocery bags. Some stores now charge for each bag, some encourage you to switch to reusable bags by selling them inexpensively. The best habit to get into is to not use these bags. But, if you do need to use them, then remember to take them back to the grocery store for recycling. Don’t store them.
5.    Books. This might be a controversial item for some. For many of our clients books are a “clutter” item because they are all over their home, not neatly stored on shelves. If your books are not being read, pass them on to someone who will enjoy them.

What are you storing?

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“Take out the Papers and the Trash”

On a day to day basis it’s easy to handle the trash we create.  But if you’ve lived in your home for decades, you’ve probably got more than a few items that need to be disposed of.

Useable items should be donated, but items not in useable condition need to go to recycling. Here are some hints and tips as we “talk trash.”

• 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, 1-800RID-OF-IT, JuNK iT!: This type company picks up your stuff, and the service includes going into your home and carrying it out. They usually charge by how much bin space you use. If you have a lot of trash shop around to find the best price, being aware of how big the bins are for each quote. And check with each company to ensure the items are properly disposed of, and not all just taken to landfill.
• If you want to spend a few days yourself sorting and tossing, you can order a bin to be set in your driveway, then have it picked up when you are done. This alternative is less expensive, but you have to do the heavy lifting to take things outside.
• If you have smaller amounts consider taking it to your local transfer station yourself, or if your local pickup has limits, you can usually buy tags and put the extra at the end of the driveway.
• Most municipalities have a documented program of what they will take. Check with your local city hall to find the rules. For example, many municipalities will pick up old white goods – appliances – but only if you call for pickup.

Hazardous waste is another category of garbage. This includes paint cans with paint still in them, solvents, fertilizers, poisons, even fluorescent tubes. Check with your municipality regarding those items considered toxic. Many have hazardous waste collection depots where you can drop off items. In some locations, there is a “Toxic Taxi” that will pickup these items.

We’ve got hours of experience disposing of items safely. We can help make these decisions for you. The fewer details you have to look after when you move, the less toxic the move will be for you!

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Donating

As Seniors Move Organizers we help our clients declutter.  During this process there are always items identified that they no longer need. We help those clients donate items that are still useable and functional.

Here are suggestions for organizations that will accept your donations. Please visit each organization’s website for complete information. Also, all organizations require the items to be in good, clean, useable condition.

• Furniture Bank: accepts furniture, bed linens, curtains, and kitchen items. Donated items are made available to individuals currently in shelters and to refugees. It is possible to receive an “in-kind” tax receipt for your items.
• Goodwill: accepts a wide variety of items. Goodwill resells these items to fund their business enterprises that provide employment to those facing barriers to work.
• The Royal Conservatory of Music: accepts musical instruments. A tax receipt is available for the fair market value of the item.
• The Charitable Recycling Program of Canada: accepts cell phones in any condition. Cell phones are donated to those in shelters.

There are many other types of organizations that accept donations. You can work with a religious group, community organization, or government-funded organization in your area. Your church, community centre, and local newspaper can provide contact information. Also, ask your friends and neighbours for referrals.

• Shelters: many can use clothing, towels and bedding and small items since their storage space is limited. Some animal shelters take old blankets.
• Food Banks: will accept canned or unopened packaged food. Check the “use by” date before you donate. Remember that some food banks will take pet food.

When you work with a Seniors Move Organizer, you get the benefit of hours of experience. We’ve done the research to figure out what can go where. Your items can continue to be useful to a whole new generation.

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