I just finished sorting through the last of 12 bins of stuff. A few days ago, I sorted through 20 bins. So, I think I may now be able to offer a few pointers to anyone else who’s sorting through a ton of stuff, either because of an impending move or because of an estate issue. (I actually have years of experience with this type of thing! The first time I got too much stuff to sort through all at once was when I bought a house crammed with stuff. It was an estate sale and the woman who had passed away kept quite a lot of things. Her family took a few things and then left the rest because they felt overwhelmed. The next time was when a family member moved to a retirement community. The next time, another house filled with stuff that the previous owners didn’t clear out before settlement. And so on.) Before you run weeping to a hotel and refuse to go back home until the stuff is gone, give my tips for sorting out way too much stuff a try:
- Break the job into sections. Twenty bins or even 12 bins was way too much to handle. So, I divided the amount of stuff by the amount of days I had to sort through it. The last set or bins I divided by two days, which meant six a day. If you have a month to get the job done, you can do a lot less a day, but I hate cluttery messes and do as much sorting and organization as possible in a day.
- Set up sorting stations in each room. I label a bag for trash, a bag for charity (Nothing like getting to the thrift store and realizing you’re holding the wrong bag and you threw away the stuff to donate…) and a bin for each category of whatever I’m sorting in that room. For example, if you are sorting a toy room, you might want to have an animal bin, a stuffed pet bin, a car bin, a doll bin, etc.
- Get help. If you are sorting kids’ stuff or sentimental family stuff, enlist someone else to help you with the iffy things. For example, you might tell a child that you are going to give away ten old toys to make room for the mounds of birthday gifts he or she just got and then have the child tell you to keep or donate until you reach the magic number. You’ll be surprised at the toys your child won’t part with or can’t stand.
- Be ruthless. If you have the slightest hesitation over whether something is worth keeping, it probably isn’t. (If you are dealing with possible collectibles or antiques, box the discards up to take them to an appraiser before donating them.)
Do you have any tips for sorting out way too much stuff all at once?
Photo: SXC
Post from: Blisstree