Do You Need A Clutter Cleanout?

Clutter seems to be the bane of modern existence. It's so easy to ramp up the amount of objects in your home that it can become quite annoying after a while. As the late, great George Carlin once said, the whole meaning of life is just trying to find a place for your stuff, and that's all a house actually is:  a place to hold all your stuff.  Truer words have never been spoken, and I know firsthand how quickly clutter can get out of control.  I know, deep down, there's got to be a reason I'm hanging on to magazines from 1994 (nostalgia?  posterity?).  And what about furniture that was a perfect fit for your home--three homes ago?  Now it's dated, worn and two sofas and a chair, a coffee table and three bookshelves have no business being in your  10 x 12 living room.   It's time to take a deep breath, and assess your living space.  Here are a few signs that clutter has taken over your life, and what you can do to declutter your home.

Do You Need A Clutter Cleanout?

​Shimmying Is Not Living!

If you have to shimmy across a room to get from one side to another, you’re not living a relaxed life, nor your BEST life. If you have more furniture than your room can handle, or if your furniture is too big for your space, it's time to downsize.  You really don't want to end up shimmying around your house simply because of the size of (or amount of) furniture in your home. To avoid bumping into your furniture left and right, it's time to wave goodbye to some of these pieces.  And if you have large furniture items you're willing to donate, the Salvation Army is willing to come get them.
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​De-clutter Bookshelves

When your shelves become so overcrowded with miscellaneous crap and junk, it's time for a clear out. Granted, family heirlooms and meaningful keepsakes are awesome to display, but having so many pointless tchotchkes scattered about without the adequate space to display them all means taking the chance they may fall, become damaged or break entirely. Take an afternoon and clear out the meaningless junk that's just taking up space and arrange your display(s) in a safe, meaningful way.

You Might Find Some Vintage Piece$

If your garage or basement is harboring miscellaneous pieces of furniture that may never be see the light of day again, they could be vintage and worth a few bucks. Particular styles fetch good money, like the Eames lounge chair and ottoman designs (above). Fun fact:  The Eames designs debuted in the mid-1950s and are some of the most popular designs in the world, still being heavily promoted and produced by American furniture legend Herman Miller.  If you should happen to come across any authentic Eames designs in your stash, consider selling it on Eames Furniture Marketplace. You can open up a free account, with no listing fees and zero commission!

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A room’s decor can become smothered by clutter, so much so you completely forget the design scheme you were going for.  Clear out your space entirely, clean surfaces and work your decor pieces back in one at a time.  You will see that not everything you own, whether big or small, is necessary to have in your space. 

​Check out this infographic to find out what kind of clutterbug you might be: