What to Keep, Toss, or Donate

An article on household organization

The struggle is real

Many people who attempt to organize the house struggle with what to keep, toss, donate, sell or regift. If this applies, read on to learn more.

A golden rule

A golden rule is a basic principle that should be followed to ensure success. A primary goal of organizing a household is to remove clutter or unwanted items. But what stays and what goes? Here’s a general golden rule:

Keep items that are:

• Wanted
• Needed
• Useful
• Valuable
• Sentimental
• Work well

Remove items that are:

• Unwanted
• Unneeded
• Not useful
• Not valuable
• Not sentimental
• Broken/don’t work

Owning too much

Folks who own too many things and attempt to keep and maintain them can become victims of their own clutter. Hoarders of unnecessary things often have difficulty releasing items. Folks who seek to organize their households must embrace a positive approach for success, with the understanding that reducing clutter is largely beneficial.

Numerous benefits

Concerns associated with organizing the household may be present. For instance, some fear that the job will be too hard physically and/or emotionally. Others may worry about getting rid of things they may later need. Or they may not know what to keep, toss, or donate. These are just a few typical concerns. Don’t lose sight. Remember that there is great promise in organizing, for the act affords people an improved lifestyle. When people release clutter, note that their homes are often safer, cleaner, and better functioning for them. If fear holds you back, seek the advice of a professional organizer or ask trusted friends or family members to help you.

Rome wasn’t built in a day

How long will it take to get organized? This answer varies per household and is dependent upon how much you own and how quickly you can decide what stays and what goes. By streamlining the process, a lot can be accomplished in a short amount of time. This means finding ways to be efficient, effective, and by employing fast or simple work methods.

What to toss

Items that get tossed are generally junk with little to no value or things that are broken that cannot be repaired or reused. This category can be broken down into trash or recycling. Check local regulations to understand the difference.

What to keep

Anything you decide to keep will be given a home or place to go. That way you can easily access it and put it away or neatly store it after use.

The word “release”

“Release” is a word that may be used by professional organizers. It is sometimes said when dealing with clients who are sensitive to discarding absolute junk. Due to the client’s reactive nature to phrases like “throw it away,” “toss it out,” or “get rid of it,” it’s better to ask, “Is it okay to release this item?” They will then respond. Sometimes it’s best to assign a value to the item to decide if it stays or goes. Low value items are released, meaning they are tossed, donated, sold or regifted, whereas high value items are kept.

How to assign personal value

One must differentiate household items by assigning importance to them. This is the value the item has to the homeowner. For the sake of simplicity, let’s use a scale of one to ten to assign value to items. Let’s use 1 for low value items to be released and 10 for absolute keepers.  For instance, a baseball mitt that is unused and lacks sentimental value is generally an item to be donated, regifted, or sold. That’s because on a scale of one to ten, it’s likely close to 1 in terms of personal value to the homeowner since it is not wanted, needed, or used by them, and it lacks sentimental or financial value. However, a favorite coffee mug that they drink out of every morning is a 10 because it’s sentimental and used daily. So, it’s a keeper. As you organize, each item you own should be quickly and individually evaluated. If you can’t decide, set it aside and move on. Come back to it later when you have more clarity.

Donating stuff

Donating items that you no longer want, need, or use – that are in good condition – is an easy way to get unwanted things out of the house quickly. In addition to helping yourself, here are three main advantages of donating items locally:

• You are doing good for others in your community  
• You may be eligible for a tax deduction which lowers taxable income
• You are likely creating job opportunities for others

Tip: Before donating, reach out to the donation center of your choice to find out what they accept. Remember that they seek items that are useful to others or function well and are in acceptable condition.

Selling stuff

Having a yard sale or selling stuff you no longer want is a reasonable option. However, understand that you rarely recoup the original amount you spent for items. Also, having a successful yard sale or selling stuff online requires real dedication and follow through to get things out of the house.

Regifting items

This refers to giving items we own but don’t want to a friend or family member for free. While the act of regifting comes with good intention, often, people don’t want someone else’s used items. Sometimes, they feel bad saying so, and accept things they won’t use. So, only regift select items to people who really want them.

Conclusion

In closing, getting rid of clutter is beneficial. However, it may be challenging to know what to keep, toss, donate, sell, or regift. The main task is to toss trash, then decide what stays and goes by assigning values to items on the “what-to-keep scale,” with one being low value and ten being high value. For the low-value items, meaning the things you do not wish to keep, one must evaluate its path by asking, “Should I donate it, sell it, or regift it?” Donating is largely the most popular choice of the three as it gets a sizeable portion of no-longer-needed items out of the house fast and can yield quick results when organizing. Looking for more home organization articles? If so, click here to jump to How to be more organized.