Sentimental Clutter (And How to Get Rid of Them)

Store your treasures stylishly in the Uttermost Living Room Truett Wooden Storage Bench.

Going through your family mementos and even some of your childhood toys is not just a tiresome task but also something that can be emotionally taxing. But with more and more people already signing up to become minimalists and after knowing what the benefits of this lifestyle brings, don’t you think it’s about time to rethink your stored stuff?

If you have decided to embrace minimalism, then you need the right method to begin. When you’re about to go through some tear-inducing family treasures, then you do need to honestly classify which ones are just being kept for their sentimental value and which ones are being saved for future use.

There are correct questions to ask so that you’ll know whether one thing should still be kept or if it can be given away. And there are also factors to consider when getting rid of sentimental clutter.

Know the Back Story

There are objects that bring to mind a certain person or a time when you were with him or her. These might also remind you of places that you’ve visited. These are the objects that could easily conjure a story in your mind because they have meanings.

Such objects with back-stories could be something beautiful as a watch, locket or any piece of jewelry. These could also be damaged items such as a rusty typewriter or an old textbook.

Between these objects, it is obvious which ones you should endeavor to keep.

Categorize the Precious Pieces

There are certain stuff that have the potential to become more valuable the more years that they are kept. Such things as childhood photographs, diaries and even love letters are reminders of different points in one’s life. These are the types of things that are often preserved by people for their sentimental value (but for a good reason). These are the things that you won’t mind taking up space in your home.

There are also author-wannabes who might want to keep their manuscripts for future use.

Consider Displaying or Using Them

There is no doubt that your sentimental pieces bring you joy. Your grandmother’s chinaware is the type of collection that definitely brings back a lot of good memories, so, instead of keeping this inside the china cabinet for many years, why not bring them out and use them?

Bringing out your treasures for daily use is a good way to keep remembering the reasons why you kept them in the first place. And a wise counsel says that you need to use the good china now that you’re still living and breathing.

Define the Feelings for Each Piece

Are you intentionally keeping some sentimental clutter? If so, then you have to find out why. This may be because you would end up being devastated when these pieces are lost or if they’re ever thrown away.

Instead of keeping your book collections in the garage and having them left boxed there for so many years, why not bring them out and display them on a shelf? You can even organize weekly book reading with your kids so you can introduce the classics that you so loved.

Know which pieces are irreplaceable and find out how to store them or use them daily in a proper manner.

There May Be Doubles

Who knows, you may have unconsciously kept double of everything. If you have backed up your videos and photos, then you’re doing great so far. And for those pieces that cannot be backed up, then you should know how to store them. Find out if you would want to have these pieces forever with you.

If you have an unexplainable attachment to some things, then you might also want to consider speaking to an expert about the causes of hoarding and how to avoid them.

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This entry was posted on Friday, December 21st, 2018 at 8:47 am and is filed under Home Maintenance, Interior Design 101. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.