4 Principles to Declutter Your Home for Sale

If you are considering selling your home, you need to think about decluttering the home before you sell. If that brings on a feeling of overwhelm, this video is for you because I will break down some simple stress-free steps to managing your clutter so you can focus on getting your home looking its best before it hits the market.

To get started with selling your home, keep in mind, there are just 4 Main Principles to decluttering your home. But, you will need to get a few things done first.

• Organize Your Supplies! Gather your supplies of clear garbage bags, totes, zip ties, zip lock bags, labels, and markers. Organize everything into 4 categories: Keep, Donate, Recycle, and Trash.

• Trash The Junk! If something is broken, doesn’t work, can’t be fixed or (be honest with yourselves) it won’t get fixed, get rid of it. If it can be replaced for under $5, get rid of it. If it no longer brings you joy (the Marie Kondo way), get rid of it.

• Get Started! Gather all items of the same type in one place. For example, bring all of your house towels to one area and start going through them. As you do, put each cloth into one of the four categories.

First, take care of the discard pile (the trash) first – remove the temptation to keep things you don’t need. Next, take whatever is in your donation bin straight to your car, that way it will be out of your way for the next pile of items.

And finally, fold up the cloths you wish to keep and organize them to maximize space in your tote. Store items according to space, not amount of use.

Decluttering Timeline

Day 1: The first task on your list is to go through the entire house and remove broken furniture and appliances. Clear out closets of items that haven’t been worn in a long time, including winter clothes and boots that no one has worn for past season.

Dispose of any papers and junk mail laying around that have expired or out of date. Throw out ditch stained, worn or clothes that have been outgrown, and excess shoes. (After all, how many pair of garden shoes do you really need?)

Day 2: Time to tackle the junk drawers! Go to all the places your stuff tends to accumulate, kitchen counters, junk drawers, tables, etc. Toss the screws and hardware you haven’t used in over a year or don’t know what they are for.

Get rid of the hardened crazy glue and old chap sticks. Discard or file any booklets and instructions manuals for items you still have.

Day 3: Go through your kitchen and bathroom cupboards. Get rid of plastic storage containers that are missing lids. Duplicates of baking pans you don’t need or those that are worn out. If you keep empty yogurt and butter tubs for storage, get rid of those. You will likely have a replacement when you get groceries at your new house.

Pots and pans that have lost their “joy” (lost their Teflon). Excessive dishes (how many wine glasses will you actually need? … Don’t answer that.) And kitchen appliances you haven’t used in years.

Day 4: Take on the pantry and any other place you store food. Get rid of all expired or stale items of course. Repackage and condense similar items. Discard broken or excess packaging and items that you haven’t gotten around to using in over a year.

Day 5: Go through your drawers. No, really, your bedroom drawers will need sorted in the same 4 categories as above. This can be the most satisfying or the most difficult. Start by tossing unmatched socks. The missing one is never coming back. Let them go. Toss the stained clothes or ones that need to be fixed. Donate items that no longer fit.

We are getting there! If you are finding value in my content, be sure to like this video and subscribe to my channel. I have a few more days to go but I am saving the most important tip for the end, so stick around.

Day 6: Conquer those closets! Go through your clothes or shoes that have never quite fit right or not comfortable. A little too short, a little too itchy? Donate them. The ones that you have tried on and put back multiple times. Donate them. The “someday” outfits that haven’t been worn in over a year? Donate them. Stained or worn items? Toss them.

Day 7: Cleaning out the knick knacks. Get rid of any broken furniture or can’t be fixed or (again, be honest with yourselves) won’t be fixed. Clean out excessive knick knacks or collections that no longer bring you joy, consider getting rid of trinkets or gifts kept for semi-sentimental reasons.

Throw out unmatched, or broken jewelry as well as stained or worn pillows or bedding. And move the things that don’t belong in the bedroom, such exercise equipment, or an ironing board.

Day 8: Tackle the specialty rooms. Throw out the broken toys or things that can’t be (or again, won’t be) repaired anytime soon. Remove items that don’t fit the purpose of the room.

Go through and sort papers that you need or get rid of items don’t need and those that don’t give you “joy”. Do you really need ALL of your children’s artwork?

Usually, saving just a few pieces of your will have more significance than saving every creation. This is also a good time to sort through and organize items that you use often so they are close at hand. Also, go organize the items you need to list the home such as tax bills and warranties.

Day 9: The last day! Declutter the garage and attic. Get rid of mementos, Cousin Bobbi won’t care if you are saving matchbooks from his wedding. Do you have seasonal sports gear that hasn’t seen any action in years? How about broken tools and equipment with missing parts? Left over building supplies that hadn’t been used in years? What about those empty paint cans or hazardous waste? These items are clutter. Get rid of it!

Decluttering your house is a major step in getting your home ready to sell. It will help to make a great first impression on buyers who come to view your home, and it will also make your home seem bigger and more spacious.

By decluttering your house before your list, you show the potential buyer that you are serious about selling and that you have taken care of your home. It will help to the buyer stay focused on features of the house, not on your knick knacks or personal items.

The last and most important area to declutter is the brain! Decluttering the home of personal items is often nostalgic and brings back many memories. So, it is most important to declutter these emotions and detach yourself from the home. Remember, you can pack the memories and bring them with you.

Now that you know the steps to start decluttering your home, check out my next video that deals with letting go of the family home. I will give you some tips on how to you’re head around the idea of detaching from one home so you can start looking forward to making memories in your new home

If you would like some personal tips for getting your home ready for market, click on my link below so we can set up an appointment.