I love sharing practical ideas for decluttering and keeping a clutter free home because I believe living with less clutter means less stress for us moms. However, you may wonder how to get rid of all the unwanted items in your home.
When we moved from Florida to Nebraska, we were very careful to only take the things that we especially love and use. That meant getting rid of a bunch of our stuff.
My husband is not super keen on decluttering and organizing like I am, but moving across the country was a big motivator for both of us to get rid of some junk.
Today, I’m giving you my favorites ways to get the clutter out of the house once and for all. Depending on what you are getting rid of, you may want to try a few of these ideas.
How to Get Rid of Unwanted Items in Your Home:
1. Throw the trash away.
Yes, some things really just need to go directly in the trash can! I recently got rid of old plastic food containers and worn out rags from my kitchen. They didn’t get donated, they simply went in the trash can.
If you have anything that is stained or ripped beyond repair, the best thing to do with those items is to simply throw them out.
It is such a disappointment to find a shirt at the thrift store that I love, only to find that it has a stain or hole in it. Those clothes should have never been donated. My rule of thumb is If I wouldn’t use it or wear it, than it shouldn’t be given away.
And if you have big items like a couch or appliance, call your local refuse company. Most companies will pick up big items, but you’ll want to find out their policies.
2. Sell kid’s items to kid’s consignment stores.
I love selling my kids clothes and shoes that they have outgrown to Once Upon a Child. It is super easy and I know that I will make at least a little something for the items.
Selling to the consignment stores mean you don’t have to set up a garage sale or price your items. You just take in your stuff and see if they will buy it.
When ever you sell to them, you also get a coupon for 20% off of one item. I usually sell to Once Upon a Child when I need more clothes for my kids each season.
In fact the last time I sold our unused clothes, I ended up using the money I made towards my purchase and only spent a little over $2 for 10 articles of clothing!
Just a personal note about selling my kids clothes, I do make a couple of exceptions. I only sell clothes, toys, or shoes that are in really good condition because Once Upon a Child only takes nice items (which is a good thing).
I also don’t sell clothes that were given to us. I like to be a blessing to others and donate those clothes just like they were a blessing to us.
3. Sell unwanted items on Facebook Marketplace.
This is hands done the easiest way to get rid of items you don’t want or use anymore. When we moved, we had several pieces of furniture that we didn’t want to take with us across the country.
Every one of our items sold and most of them sold within the day they were posted to Facebook Marketplace.
I also sold some baby items that the consignment store didn’t want because they weren’t in the best condition. They were however still usable.
If you have never used Facebook Marketplace, go to the Facebook app on your phone, and click on the house icon in the bottom center of your screen. You can search for items to purchase, or add your own things to sell.
4. Donate to Vietnam Veterans of America.
I started using the VVA about four years ago after they sent a postcard to my house. It is the easiest way to donate your clutter because they will come to your house and pick up your donations free of charge!
You can either sign up to have your things picked up on a day that they will already be in your neighborhood or you can even schedule on a different day.
I like to keep a box (or two or three) in our bonus room and fill it with donations. Usually after one or two months, the boxes are full enough and I schedule a pick up.
The only down side is that they do not pick up furniture, but they do accept clothes, small appliances, and household goods.
If you’ve never tried the VVA pickup before, I definitely recommend giving them a try!
5. Give usable items to homeless shelters or charity drop boxes.
Before we moved, my husband decided to get rid of a closet FULL of dress clothes and jackets that didn’t fit him anymore.
We donated them to our church’s homeless shelter/men’s mission. Before we donated them, we called to make sure that the mission could use the clothes.
They were so happy to get the dress clothes and jackets and we were happy that the clothes were going to be used.
When donating to shelters, it is important to only give things that they will actually use and to ask before hand. Otherwise, your donations may be more of a burden than a help.
6. Drop off your stuff at Goodwill or thrift stores.
Lastly, if I need to get the stuff out of my house fast and none of the above options are a good fit, I’ll simply drop the donations off at good ol’ Goodwill!
Your clutter may be someone else’s treasure. I know of some people who score amazing finds at Goodwill because someone else was willing to part with their clutter.
Honestly, Goodwill is not one of my favorite places to shop and I like to support places that I like shopping at. There are some great Goodwill stores out there, but it seems to vary by location.
So that is why Goodwill is my last resort when getting rid of clutter.
With that being said, if you have a hard time taking the steps to sell, sometimes simply filling the back of your vehicle up with your donations and driving straight to the thrift store is the best thing to do.
That way you don’t second guess items or leave piles of some-day-I’m-going-to-sell-these-things sitting around your house.
So now it’s your turn. Take a look at your clutter piles. Can you make some cash off of your stuff? Then head to the consignment store or take a picture and put it on Facebook Marketplace.
Maybe you are just ready to have your valuable space again and want to simply get the clutter out of the house once and for all. That means it’s time to fill up your vehicle and drop off your donations at the thrift store.
FAQ about Getting Rid of Unwanted Items:
If something is no longer useable and you know you won’t be able to fix it, throw it away. However, you may have something that you’d like to get fixed. Set a deadline to get it fixed. If they deadline comes and you still have not gotten it fixed, throw it out. It wasn’t that important to you.
Throwing everything away will probably be the easiest solution, however you could help out a lot of people by simply donating your items. This is especially true if you don’t want to make any money from your items but just want to get them out of your house.
If you are moving, that is a perfect time to get rid of unused things that have been sitting in closets and garages for years. If you haven’t used it in this house, you probably won’t use it in the next house. Big ticket items could be sold at garage sales or on virtual platforms. Small items that others may need could be donated. The rest should probably be placed in the garbage.
The best way is to have a plan. Set a date to declutter and a deadline. Print out a list of items to declutter in each room of your home. Once you have a plan and a deadline, the next step is to start. Once you start making progress, it will be easier to gain momentum and you can declutter faster.
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