Decluttering: 3 huge mistakes you must avoid when doing it

What not to do when you are decluttering?

A process of decluttering evolves an investment of time and a commitment to being more organized, but in the middle, you will be confronted with doubts, complicated feelings and memories attached to your belongings that can make it harder.

Stay strong! Discover the three mistakes you might be making — and find out how to actually get your decluttering done!

1. Throwing away everything

At the beginning of decluttering by your own, you can feel lively and focused to get away of things you don’t need anymore. This energy is amazing, but when it’s badly driven, you can make the mistake of throwing away important things (and get deeply sorry after this).

So although some organization methods suggest you should throw away many things that you are not using or love, it’s important to reach a balance point.

For example, if you don’t like that old jacket and want to buy a brand new, but can’t afford it now, you better keep that one, until you have the condition to replace it. It’s necessary to remember that when you're caught up in the excitement of decluttering, it's easy to make decisions you might regret.

Moreover, you can also prepare for this new purchase in advance. Set aside a budget or savings goal for replacements. If you know you want that new item but financially it’s not feasible now, preparing for it over time is wise.

Another scenario that can bring trouble to you when throwing everything away is to clear out all your winter gear in spring, sure you won’t need it—then winter comes back, and you're shivering without coats and boots.

To avoid this situation, you can use a smarter strategy: organise your wardrobe by season. Before deciding what to discard, wait until the season finishes—if you’ve never worn an item by then, it’s likely safe to let it go.

Finally, let’s think about your memorabilia, the things you keep because they bring sweet memories to your mind. If you toss out sentimental items in the middle of decluttering, thinking you’ll replace them with something 'better' later, you may find that nothing feels quite as meaningful—and you end up regretting the loss of the originals.

So, to avoid clutter and preserve memories, keep a "sentimental box": a special place for items that you don’t use but which still matter. Over time, periodically review it—if something no longer holds meaning, let it go.

2- Keeping things just in case

When decluttering starts, do you feel many things are important and you can’t throw away them? So things get out of control and you put everything back, wishing you should never open that wardrobe or cabinet again?

That’s pretty common because those belongings can be part of you, your loved ones or your house. They are not just simple stuff. They were used in special moments, belonged to special people and are full of memories, right?

In fact, accordingly with Nick Neave, an psychologist of Northumbria University, for Scientific American:

“We all keep things and take great comfort in our possessions. It's part of our evolutionary heritage.”

We often keep items because they bring us comfort; that’s completely natural. Trouble starts when everything becomes important, such a candy paper of your first crush or each drawing your kids do.

Again, balance and time will be necessary to decide what you must keep and what should be thrown away. In this process, maybe you will need to get over feelings as well.

Another situation is when you want to keep things just because you think you’ll need them. In this case, you must evaluate:

• When you’ll probably use it: if you don’t know any real situation when you will use that object, throw it away.

• If this is hard to get: that cardboard box is free and available everywhere? Don't keep a stock in your garage!

• This can be fixed or not: if something you like becomes worn out, and it isn’t rare or especially valuable, you might consider whether the cost or effort to restore it is worth it.

But before discarding it, here is an important matter: consider repairing, reusing, or repurposing. In many cases, the act of giving something new life is part of its value.

Besides when it's time to part with items, recycling is a responsible choice. In Ireland, there are several options for recycling various items.

Clothes Pod

With over 1,200 locations across Ireland, Clothes Pod offers convenient textile recycling bins. They accept a wide range of clothing and textiles, promoting reuse and sustainability.

Recycle IT

Specializing in recycling Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), Recycle IT offers free collection services in Dublin for items like computers, printers, washing machines, and fridges. This way you can avoid to contribute to e-waste.

3 - Delaying to give things a destination

Okay, so you are done with decluttering, is happy, but don’t have time to take away the things. Then a week or a month pass, your kid wants that toy back, you keep boxes in your living room and things got messy again, bringing you a lot of stress.

That’s because the decluttering process is not over until you take those things out of the room and give them a destination.

So, before decluttering starts, it’s very important to be prepared. For example, find some organizations where you can donate things and take the boxes there as soon as possible. This way it will be easier in the next decluttering.

Besides, donating unwanted goods to charity shops or online platforms helps to keep products in use longer and reduces demand for new resources. This practice supports a circular economy and minimizes waste. You cand find a few institutions below:

• https://downsyndrome.ie/

• https://www.cancer.ie/

• https://www.svp.ie/

• https://vi.ie/

Decluttering needs a planning process of organizing your space, so it can be hard to do by your own. If you feel overwhelmed and is thinking like “oh, I need help organizing my house right now”, consider a home declutter service. The professional organiser will guide you to make better choices, respecting the stories of your belongings, and finding space for everything that matters (additionally a destination for everything that doesn’t matter).

Find out what else the professional organizer does and what are the advantages for you!

by Mariana Teodoro