The Sentimental Clutter Guide: What to Keep, What to Let Go
Heirlooms. Gifts. Things that have been passed down for generations. They all have one thing in common. This sentimental clutter is tough to get rid of. It’s easy to feel attached to what we own, and when those items come with memories, parting with them can feel impossible. When you’re getting ready to declutter and organize your home, tackling sentimental clutter is an important part of the process. There are ways to decide what to keep and what to let go of, however, and once you do, you’ll be on your way to a clutter-free home.
Price vs Priceless
Sentimental items often fall into two categories: the pricey and the priceless. Something can be sentimental because it cost a lot of money or would be worth a lot of money; think antiques, jewelry, porcelain dishes. Then, there are the sentimental items that are priceless: items from your childhood, old art from when your kids were little, or items inherited from a lost relative. Either pricey or priceless, these items can be tough to get rid of. Pricey items are hard to part with because of their potentially increasing value. Priceless items are hard to part with because of what they represent. When deciding on when to part with something sentimental, this can be a factor you consider depending on what’s important to you. It will be different for everyone, but don’t let these factors prevent you from parting with something you no longer want.
The Gift Doesn’t Need to Keep on Giving
Sentimental items are often sentimental because they were given to us by someone special. Holiday gifts, wedding gifts, birthday gifts… gifts can accumulate, and many people avoid parting with them out of fear of being rude. You don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings, so you hold onto the gift even if it sits in the attic or basement or in the back of a cupboard where you forget about it for a couple years. If this is how you’ve been storing these gifts, it’s a sign: get rid of the gift. It’s okay. Gifts are not contracts; if you don’t use them and don’t want them anymore, find a new home where they will be used. If you find that a gift does still hold sentimental value, then see if you can give it a proper place within your house. The more you can declutter, the more space you will have to honor the sentimental items you do want to keep.
Minimize
One of the easiest ways to deal with sentimental clutter is to simply minimize. Clutter can often accumulate when you keep everything in a sentimental category that comes your way. You might want to keep some mementos of your child’s years in school, to remember that age and the years past. You keep every piece of homework, every art project, every old workbook and it starts to pile up. You don’t have to get rid of everything you’ve gathered in order to declutter. Instead, you can work on pulling out pieces that are representative of what you want to remember. You might keep an art piece they won an award for, or an essay you were incredibly proud of. You can even make a scrapbook of the pieces you want to keep and look back on. Once you’ve identified these pieces, though, it’s time to part with the rest. You don’t need every math assignment to remember an era. Chances are, it’ll spend most (or all of) the year sitting in a box collecting dust anyway. Save yourself the space and storage and be judicial about what you keep. You can always take photos of what you let go of.
Learn to Compromise
Decluttering sentimental items rarely involves the input of one person. When you’re living with multiple people, it’s important to receive their input on what stays and what goes. What might not feel sentimental to you could be very sentimental to your spouse, and vice versa. Having conversations about what you want to keep and what you are ready to part with can ensure a smooth transition and prevent hurt feelings.
Sorting through sentimental clutter can be a difficult process. These items bring up memories and emotions that can be a lot to work through. Learning to part with sentimental items you no longer use or want is an important step in decluttering your home. This process will help you have a more organized home.