As winter finally comes to an end and spring weather arrives, most people are ready for a fresh start. If that’s you, and you dream of having an inviting, clean, more-spacious home, spring decluttering is your solution!

The question is how do you get started decluttering, and what should you keep, donate, toss, or store? Family heirlooms are probably keepers, for example, but what about old toys, electronics, paperwork, sports equipment, and all that other stuff?

To help you with this important task, the storage specialists at NSA Storage put together this handy guide. It will help you decide which of your belongings to keep, and which to donate, toss, and, if needed, store. If that sounds like the actionable info you need right now, read on!

What Makes Spring Decluttering So Important?

Having a clean, uncluttered, and fresh-smelling home is not only a joy but also good for your mental and physical health! For example, a decluttered home:

• Helps clear your mind
• Reduces your stress levels
• Creates a more welcoming living space
• Improves your focus and energy
• Makes you feel good about yourself

You get all of these benefits, and more, when you declutter your living space in the spring. For those reasons, spring decluttering is an excellent choice and recommended by health experts.

How to Decide What to Keep, Donate, Toss, or Store when Decluttering

There’s no doubt that sorting through everything in your home is a large task. For many, it can feel a bit overwhelming, especially at the start. To make it easier, it’s best to break down everything into four categories:

1. Keep– These are items that, no matter what, you’re going to keep at home. Things you use every day or that hold a special place in your heart. More specifically:

• Items you use either daily or weekly
• Sentimental items like heirlooms and wedding photos
• Items in excellent condition that still serve a purpose
• Anything expensive to replace, even if you only use it occasionally

TIP: If you forgot that you owned an item, you probably don’t need to keep it. On the other hand, seasonal clothing and sports equipment, even if it’s not being used right now, should be kept— if it’s in good condition and will still be useful next season.

2. Donate– Gently used items that still function can be donated to help others in your community. That includes Items you might have replaced with a newer version or that no longer fit your style. Some of those things include:

• Clothing
• Tools
• Kitchen items
• Toys
• Books
• Furniture

TIP: If an item works, is usable, can help someone new, and can be cleaned if it’s dirty, you can donate it!

3. Toss– The things you toss are usually items that have been broken or no longer work. Consider things with missing parts, for example, or that are badly stained or ripped. Other items you should consider tossing include:

• Expired food and medicine
• Unsafe items
• Worn out linens
• Damaged cookware and glassware
• Old makeup and toiletries
• Anything that can’t be fixed for a reasonable cost

4. Store– These are items that, while you don’t want to keep them at home, you don’t want to toss or donate them either. Your children’s favorite old toys, for example, or a large stamp collection your grandfather gave you. Here are a few more items you might consider storing:

• Holiday decorations
• Seasonal clothing and shoes
• Collectibles
• Baby clothing and furniture
• Important documents
• Inherited items (even cars)

Top Tips for Successful Decluttering

Most of your decluttering task is going to be sorting all of your items into the four categories we’ve talked about. While not extremely stressful, this can take a lot of time and energy. To help cut that time and energy to a minimum, here are a few top tips for successful decluttering:

• Use a timer: Set a timer for 15 or 20 minutes and take a break when it goes off. This will help you stay focused on the task at hand.
• Start small: Declutter one room, closet, or even a single drawer at a time. If you declutter three or four a day, you can have your entire home decluttered in a week or two without overdoing it.
• Be quick with your decision making: If you can’t decide right away on something, you probably don’t need it.
• Enlist the entire family to help: The more people involved, the quicker the decluttering task will be over. Plus, it can sometimes be fun to get the family involved!

Organizations that Can Help You Declutter

While decluttering is a personal task that you will mostly need to do on your own, there are some organizations that can be quite helpful. Some of them will come to your home and pick things up that you wish to donate, or take away items you wish to toss. The best include:

• Goodwill- Great for donating clothes, toys, books, and electronics.
• The Salvation Army- Similar to Goodwill, and some will even take larger donations like furniture.
• Habitat for Humanity ReStore- Perfect for donating furniture.
• Local Animal Shelters– Certain shelters are open to donations of used pet products like leashes, carriers, bowls, and beds.

Self-Storage: The Decluttering Solution

For most people, what they keep will make up the largest of the four decluttering categories. However, that can still leave an awful lot of stuff at home that uses up all of your storage space. For those who want to keep a lot of items but don’t have the storage space for it, self storage is the perfect solution.

Some of the benefits of self-storage when decluttering in spring include:

• Storing items when remodeling or renovating
• Protecting items that are valuable or antique
• Freeing up storage space in your home
• Keeping sentimental or fragile items in excellent condition

For extremely valuable or fragile items, a climate controlled self storage unit is the best choice. These specialized storage units control internal conditions throughout the year. That can protect fragile or valuable items from temperature spikes as well as moisture which can cause mold.

Store with NSA Storage For Your Spring Decluttering

There’s no denying that spring decluttering and cleaning is a big task. We hope the tips and hacks we’ve provided today will help you cut that task down to size. If anything, they’ll help you prepare your home for spring and summer fun to come!

If you need to rent a storage unit to store your belongings, NSA Storage can help. We have clean, safe, and secure storage units across the United States. If you need to store a vehicle, select NSA Storage facilities offer garage storage or uncovered car storage to help you free up some more space. You can reserve a storage unit online quickly and easily! Once you do, you can start storing things right away and make your decluttering task much easier.