Articles

by Martha Tobin

Reaching out for help is rarely easy.  Feelings of shame and ‘less than’ can surface.  But the first step of any self-care journey is always the hardest.  And the rest we’re going to make easy for you.  

At Declutter4Good we are committed to helping make your organizing and decluttering issues better. That’s it.  No judgement and no pressure.  

5 Steps about what’s next when you reach out to me:

1. You’ve probably reached out because you are feeling overwhelmed and maybe even at your wits’ end.  That’s a terrible feeling so we’ll respond fast (usually within an hour or so).
   
2. We’ll have a 15 minute or so phone chat so that I can get a sense of your situation, and your space.
   
3. On that call we’ll then book an in-person or virtual consultation. 
   
4. Our consultation will take about 20 -30 minutes.  During that time I’ll be able to provide a clear plan, a timeline and an estimate.
   
5. At that same time we can look at our calendars and determine the most convenient day/time for your session(s).

And that’s it.  Right from our first chat you’ll start to feel better and more in control of your clutter.  

At Declutter4Good we love what we do.  Helping you fulfills us.  

So reach out.  Lighten your load.

“The moment I jumped off of it

was the moment I touched down”  

(Lyrics of ‘Thank you’ by Alanis Morissette)

by Martha Tobin

Oftentimes when we’ve worked previously with clients they want us back to do other areas of their home.  Sometimes they need us to even come back to ‘tweak’ areas that we previously did so that those areas stay organized and decluttered. 

Here are 5 reasons to reach out to us again:

#1.  Time:  Time is the one thing most people just don’t seem to have enough of these days.  Working with us means you’ll have more time to do the things you love. 

#2.  Energy:  At the end of your workday or on the weekends, you probably don’t have the energy or the bandwidth to tackle areas that you’ve been intending to do. The end result is that ‘stuff’ just keeps adding up until you feel overwhelmed by it. 

#3.  Fall in love with your home again:  Our goal is for you to be able to use your home to its full potential.  Maybe enjoying family meals again in your dining room or parking your car in the garage).  By removing the clutter and organizing those spaces, these goals are attainable. 

#4.  We take your donations:  As you know we will happily load up our cars and take your donations with us at the end of every session.   We see this as a WIN-WIN.  You get more space and calm and others in the community get items they need. 

#5.  Decluttering and Organizing are transformational: The process opens up space both physically and mentally so that you can actually do the things you’ve dreamed of doing. Maybe that’s clearing out a space to make an art room or decluttering and organizing your basement to create a workout area.   

Whatever the room or area is that you want to do some decluttering and organizing, we can help you find more space, more calm and more enjoyment. 

Reach out and we’ll gladly help out again. 

“The moment I jumped off of it, was the moment I touched down” (Lyrics of ‘Thank you’ by Alanis Morissette)

by Martha Tobin

Of late it feels like the world is in chaos (i.e. tariffs, wars, climate change, etc). When the outside world is in chaos, it’s more important than ever to create a calm home that is a safehaven where you can recharge and regroup.

An easy way to create this calm is to set up some systems for items. These systems allow you to reduce the visual effects of clutter thereby reducing the overload of stimulii around you.

5 suggestions to get you started with some organizational systems:

1. Set up a basket near the front door for incoming mail, flyers and pamphlets.  Review this basket weekly and recycle items as needed.
2. Set up a bin in the kitchen for kids’ artwork, bills or receipts. Review the contents of this basket every few days and take action on any actionable items.  For kids’ art consider taking a photo of some of the art so that you can keep the memory but let the item go.
3. Set up a donation bin in a closet or in your laundry room.  As you come across clothing or footwear that you no longer want, put them in this bin and when the bin is full, drop these off to a local charity.
4. Set up a bin for often-used tech accessories (i.e. charging cords, adaptors, headphones etc).  This way everyone knows where to return these items and where to find them when needed.
5. Every evening before bed take a tour of your main living spaces and put items back where they ‘live’ in your home (i.e. kids’ homework in their room or backpack, clothing back to closets, etc).

The news these days can quickly wear us down but by creating a home that is more calm, you can reduce your feelings of overwhelm, frustration and helplessness and know that at the very least your house is a safehaven to come home to.

“Your home should be the antidote of stress, not the cause of it.” (The Simplicity Habit)

By Martha Tobin

“Out of sight, out of mind” applies often to basements and garages as these are typically where many items get tossed when you don’t know how to dispose of them.

If you are looking for a place to take scrap metal items like old bikes, tvs, stereos, appliances, filing cabinets, car parts etc (see full list in link below), there is a Scrap Metal Collection happening at the Glebe Community Centre on Saturday, June 28 (8-10 am).

Or if an item is in working order, you can donate it to local charitable organizations in town. See a list on our Charities page.

Not sure where or how to start to declutter? Check out my Tips & Tricks page for videos etc.

Recycling or donating items is always a WIN-WIN. You get more space and more organized areas in your basement and/or garage while minimizing waste by repurposing or recycling items you no longer want.

Need some assistance and want to see results fast? Reach out to us.

“Recycling is proof that the future can be better than the past.” (Dan Coppersmith)

List of items taken here: https://gnag.ca/gnagevents/scrap-metal-pick-up/

By Martha Tobin

With Father’s Day upon us you might be thinking about organizing your basement tool room, your garage or your shed.  But what to do with all the tools you don’t need anymore?

There is a great local organization called the Ottawa Tool Library where you can donate these tools (or on any job with Declutter4Good we can take them there for you).

As well on Saturday, June 28th the Ottawa Tool Library is hosting an Electronics and Battery recycling drop off (10-2pm).  This free event allows you to not only see what the Ottawa Tool library is all about but as well they will provide a safe way to recycle your electronics and batteries.

Everyday on the news we see the damaging effects of climate change (i.e. more fires, heat, droughts and floods etc) so recycling has never been more important.

Our children and grandchildren will be the ones most affected by what we all do now.  At Declutter4Good we are committed to being part of the solution.  

“The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit.” (Nelson Henderson)

by Martha Tobin

During the pandemic many people’s guest rooms became indoor storage sheds.  No one was coming over so you could just toss items in there and close the door.

Fast forward to today – people are dropping by again and guests want to come and stay for a few days.

Here are 5 tips for getting into the right frame of mind to declutter your guest room (or any room):

1. Get clear on your vision for this space.Letting go of items you no longer need, use, love or want is always going to move you forwards.  Decluttering opens up physical space in your home as well as life opportunities (i.e grandkids sleeping over, creating an area to scrapbook).
2. Your stuff does not define you.Your possessions don’t tell your life story – your memories and relationships do.  A sobering thought is that obituaries never mention the stuff we owned.
3. Find a place for items to ‘live’ in your home.If an item is worth keeping then it’s worth finding it a place to live in your home. Whether that’s a travel keepsake, a book or an inherited item.  Ending an item’s nomadic journey in your home and finding it a place to live will not only allow you to enjoy the item more but to find it easily.
4. Our stuff takes up space.  Your ‘stuff’ can take up a lot of physical space in your home but stuff also takes up a lot of emotional and mental space too (i.e guilt over half-finished craft projects, shame over underused exercise equipment or regret about clothing purchases, etc), Letting go of such items will also release you from the negative emotions associated with them.
5. Only keep a few of something.It can be difficult to let go of items that are associated with memories. Consider keeping just a few meaningful pieces (i.e a few handwritten letters instead of a whole box, a couple of figurines instead of the entire collection, etc).   Perhaps take a photo of a keepsake to preserve the memory but reclaim the space.
   Living more by owning less is a mindset rooted in creating space so that you can be more present with the moments of your life and more grounded in supporting the person you are now.

“The way you spend your days is how you spend your life.” (Annie Dillard)

By Martha Tobin

When you are decluttering how do you determine what items to keep and what to let go of?

Here are 6 questions to ask yourself about your ‘stuff’:

1. Have I used it in the past year?
2. Would I buy it again now?
3. Where will it ‘live’ in my NEW home?
4. Is this item worth repairing?
5. Is it worth the space it WILL take up?
6. Would a photo of this item be enough?

Every home only has a finite amount of space in it and when those spaces are maxed out, it’s a good time to do some decluttering.  

Decluttering and organizing your spaces so they’re used efficiently is always going to make you feel lighter and more in control.  So take a look at your old sports equipment, your extra linens, your unworn clothing, your rarely used utensils, etc and ask yourself those 6 questions.

Studies show that decluttering positively impacts our mental and emotional health as well as increasing our productivity and focus. In short, decluttering is where you gain not lose.  

Keep your treasures and enjoy them but let go of those items that have been weighing you down and fencing you in.

“Be a curator of your life. Slowly cut things out until you’re left with what you love, with what’s necessary and with what makes you happy.” (Leo Babauta)

by Martha Tobin

Often I get asked, “where do I even start to declutter?”. I recommend starting in a small area and using the 6 box method to sort items. This is going to make the process easier and faster.

To begin, set up 6 boxes (medium to large size) and label them:

1. Donate/give to family and friends
2. Sell
3. Trash/recycle
4. Memorabilia to review
5. Paperwork to review
6. Maybe items

-Sort all items in this area that you are focusing on into these 6 boxes.

-When you come to paperwork or memorabilia, just sort these items into their respective boxes. I recommend reviewing these two categories are a later date so that you don’t get taken off track from the decluttering process at this point.

-For any items that you just can’t decide on, put them in the labelled ‘maybe’ box and put that box aside for a few days. This allows you the time to think about these items without making a rush decision.

-For items you are having a hard time letting go of (even though you no longer need or use the item), consider taking a photo of the item so that you can keep the memory but let the item go.

-For collections (i.e. inherited china set, books, figurines, etc) consider keeping just one or two of the collection so that you can keep the memory but let the other items go (either by donating or sellin them or giving them to family or friends).

-For those items you do decide to keep, determine where they will ‘live’ in your home and move them accordingly.

Decluttering is always transformational and where you gain no lose. Keep your treasures, feature them so that you can see them often but let go of those other items that have been weighing you down or fencing you in so that you can reclaim that space.

“The more uncluttered I lived, the more joy I found.”

(Zina Harrington)

By Martha Tobin

I read an article called ‘Choose Your Hard’ (by A. Alabi) that resonated with me. In it the author compared many life situations like the ones below:

—Being dependent on someone is hard but being depended upon is hard

—Being employed is hard but being unemployed is hard.

—Being married is hard but being single is hard.

In the end the article summed up by saying that every situation comes with its challenges so pick the path you can be most content with.

I think back on this article when people reach out to Declutter4Good for organizing and decluttering help. Clearly these clients have come to the conclusion that living with their clutter is harder than the thought of finally tackling it.

If you are ready to finally tackle your clutter and gain some space as well as peace of mind, I can assure you that my team and I will make it much less exhausting and challenging than you think it will be. And we’ll do it in a fraction of the time it would take you to do.

“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” (Ralph Waldo Emmerson)

By Martha Tobin

Time is our most precious resource. In fact it’s the one thing most of us just don’t ever seem to have enough of.

What if this year you gave your mom the gift of less ‘stuff’ and more time?More time to do the things she loves to do like gardening, crafting, reading or spending time with her grandchildren. More time for herself.

Decluttering and organizing doesn’t just clear physical spaces (like crowded closets, stuffed basements and jam-packed drawers), it creates mental and emotional space so that we can focus on those things that matter most.

Give the gift to your mom (or yourself) this year that allows her or you to spend less time managing ‘things’ and more time living. Decluttering is about realigning with your purpose and what matters most to you.

And on any job we’ll take those items you no longer need or want and donate them to local charities.