Do you have sentimental clutter that’s weighing you down? Maybe hand-me-downs like your grandmother’s China, or piles of old photos? Or maybe it’s your kids’ artwork or your mom’s old clothes stuffed in a closet somewhere?
Do you feel guilty even thinking about getting rid of those things?
If you’ve got too much sentimental clutter, here’s how to declutter those things without the guilt.
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After my paternal grandmother passed, I inherited her antique deacon’s bench. For years, it fit our home style, it fit the size and shape of our home, and I loved that bench.
But then we changed homes and the kids grew and it just didn’t quite fit the same way as it used to. I had to decide whether to keep that bench just because it was my grandmother’s or to part with it because it was causing me stress every time I walked by it.
I also inherited a white bone China set from my maternal grandmother, but she passed away when I was a teenager, and then later Dean and I didn’t have room for it in any of our houses.
So for years, that lovely China set sat tucked in a Rubbermaid tote wrapped in old tea towels and aprons and things like that in my mom’s basement, and then later in my sister’s basement.
Sentimental Clutter
At some point or another, all of us will have to deal with things that people that we love and cherish give to us that we don’t necessarily want or have room for.
Because we love and cherish those people, we often subconsciously assign emotional value to those things that they’ve given us, which is when it can become sentimental clutter.
And sentimental clutter, for some, according to a Yale University medical study, can be painful to get rid of.
But hanging onto all those things and feeling the stress and pressure of that is not the same as holding onto the lovely memories that come with those things.
I want you to know that it is possible to keep the memories without all the stuff. Here’s how…
How to Declutter Sentimental Things
There are a few things that you can do to help you clear out some of the excess sentimental things that may be cluttering up your home.
Do Not Declutter Sentimental Things FIRST!
The very first thing and the most important thing to remember about decluttering sentimental stuff is not to start there.
Instead, start somewhere simple like a bathroom or even a kitchen. Rooms like those rarely contain things that have emotional or sentimental attachments.
As you declutter things that are not sentimental items in your home, you will gain confidence in your ability to make decisions as to what to keep and what to get rid of.
You’ll gain a little bit of muscle memory when it comes to decluttering, and that will help you a lot when it comes to the sentimental things.
Know That Sentimental Things Are Not Bad
It’s also really important to accept that keeping sentimental items is not bad in and of itself.
Holding onto those things only becomes negative when you don’t have the space for them or when they’re causing you stress and pressure instead of reminding you of the good memories that come with them.
Keep Some, But Not All
So, if you have too much sentimental stuff, what if instead of keeping all the things, you kept a select few items instead?
An example is my grandmother’s bone China set. I was given a massive collection of this lovely white bone China with a gold rim on it.
Does that go with pretty much anything and everything we have in our house? Yes, it does. It’s actually quite pretty.
However, over time, I can only assume that my grandmother purchased additional pieces in case some got broken. The result of that was that when I was given her China collection, it was made up of a random number of something like 11 dinner plates and 15 teacups and saucers, but only eight of the salad bowls.
So instead of keeping all of that, I paired it down and only kept eight full place settings, a platter, a serving bowl, and the creamer and sugar bowl. That’s it.
I did not keep all of it. I kept some of it.
By doing that, I’ve preserved the memories and we enjoy using those dishes. I also have plenty of space to store them.
Less is different than none.
Part With Other Things
On the flip side though, sometimes it is better to part with something and keep the memories in another way, instead of keeping the thing.
I did this with my other grandmother’s deacon’s bench. It just didn’t fit our home after a few years. It didn’t fit what I needed for the kids. It didn’t fit our space. It didn’t fit our design style.
So rather than feeling stressed every time I walked past it, I asked my sister if she wanted it, and she did. Now that deacon’s bench of my grandmother’s lives at my sister’s house.
6 Questions to Ask When Decluttering Sentimental Things
There are six questions you should ask (yourself or someone you’re helping to declutter) when trying to declutter sentimental things.
- What is significant about this item? Give yourself time to feel the feelings to remember the person you associate with this item.
- Am I only keeping this because I feel like I should? Is there guilt associated with it?
- Will I use this item?
- Do I truly love it?
- Do I have space for it? (This is a huge one when it comes to decluttering anything but is especially key with sentimental items.)
- Can I somehow preserve the memories without keeping the item? Can I take a picture? Can I write in a journal about it?
Asking yourself these six questions will give you clarity when deciding what to keep and what to get rid of.
FAQs
No, I would start somewhere easier like the bathroom, where there are rarely any items with emotional attachments.
You can if you don’t have room for them or don’t want them. But you can keep the memories of them by taking a photo of them too. (And obviously, they can be donated instead of trashed.)
Ask yourself why you are holding onto the things. What is significant about the item? Is it possible to keep the memories without the stuff?
Summary
TL;DR: Here’s a recap of how you declutter sentimental things:
- Remember that keeping sentimental things is not bad. It only becomes a negative when you don’t have space for them or they’re causing you stress.
- Don’t tackle decluttering sentimental things first. When you’re decluttering your home, tackle other things that have no emotional hold on you first.
- Ask yourself some important questions like, do I have room for it? Do I love it? Am I only keeping it because I feel like I should or do I feel guilty thinking about getting rid of it?
Do you have sentimental clutter you need to deal with? I’d love to know what you’re struggling with. Or if you’ve successfully dealt with hard sentimental things, I’d love to hear about that too. Let me know in the comments below.
