Are you moving from Joliet? Do you just want to organize your life so you can live happier? Maybe it’s just time for a good summer cleaning. Either way, are you panicking at the prospect of cleaning out your home? No worries. It can be done smoothly IF you have a plan in mind. First, you’ll have to book a dumpster rental so you have a receptacle to place all the junk you want to get rid of.
Next, heed these tips for cleaning out your Joliet home.
Work in Reverse
Instead of thinking about what you would throw out, think about what you would keep. Think of it this way: if your house burned down and you lost everything, what you would replace as soon as your homeowner’s check was cashed? Make a list of the things you can’t live without – the really important things.
Don’t do this at home, though, or you’ll be tempted to look around and get caught up in sentimentalities. Do it from the library or coffee shop, somewhere where you can really concentrate and make an objective list. Don’t worry about specifics like model numbers. Jot down anything you would spend money on a second time to replace if it were lost.
Declutter in Small, Focused Bursts
Remember, de-cluttering is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. You won’t be able to clean out your home in one day, so don’t even attempt it. Make a plan and target specific areas where you want to declutter, clean up, and organize, and then stick to it. Start with one room for one 30-minute burst, followed by a half hour break and then another half-hour burst.
This will help you avoid the frustration and brimming emotions associated with deciding what stays and what goes.
Think in Terms of Utility First; Sentimental Value Second
Whether you’ve had something for decades or it holds some special value to you, it’s never easy to let go. This is totally normal, but when it’s time to downsize and declutter, you must separate yourself from your feelings. Ask yourself:
- “What does this item do for me that nothing else does?” Focus on the utility of the item, what makes it unique among all your other stuff, and what function it provides.
- “Do I have anything else that does this better?” This is where you decide between that one can opener and the other cool can opener with a bottle opener on top. Choose the one that adds the most value to your life.
- “Does this hold sentimental meaning?” The answer may be easy when you’re looking at tools or appliances, but it becomes much more tough when faced with a box full of mementoes, photos and old movie stubs from when you were dating your husband. Sentimental value is important, so this doesn’t mean you have to toss everything that doesn’t have a strict function. However, try not to get dragged down into the “feelings” of an object and start thinking in terms of how much space it takes up.
Use the Four-Box Method
For each room, place four boxes: one marked keep, one marked sell/donate, one marked store and one marked toss.
- Keep items you need or that you use regularly, and have enough space for.
- Sell/Donate items will go to your favorite local charity, or that you can sell online.
- Toss includes junk and broken items.
- Store are boxes of things that you can’t part with but that don’t exactly play a role in your daily life.
Contact Big Box Disposal
For all those boxes marked “toss,” you’ll need a dumpster to throw them into. For that, contact us today in nearby Lockport at 815-205-1886 and choose from our many dumpster rental sizes.