Getting the Clutter Out of the House

Did you just declutter your house and now you need to get rid of the stuff you don’t want? Try these seven ways to find new homes for your clutter.

Sometimes the actual getting rid of the clutter is the hardest part of decluttering. Don’t let it sit in a box in your basement forever—get it out of your house for good! 

This is Day 29 of 31 Days to Less Clutter and More Peace—my 31 day decluttering challenge.

If you have been working through the challenge with me, you should have a lot of stuff you no longer need in a box somewhere by now.

If you haven’t already gotten rid of it, make sure to read below for several ideas to help your things find a new home.

And if you’re just here looking for ideas to get rid of the stuff you’ve decluttered on your own, you’re definitely in the right place!

This is the donation box in my office. I’m too tired to traipse downstairs to get a photo of the stuff in the basement. Just imagine it’s about twice as much as what’s here.

I have amassed an impressive collection of clutter this month.

Unfortunately, a large box of it is sitting in the corner of my office, and the rest of it is sitting down in the basement. It is still in the house, taunting me.

I want to get it out as fast as possible. I know from experience that much of it has a way of creeping back into your life if you don’t move it out quickly. I’ve already found a few things that I know were in the box hidden under my youngest daughter’s pillow.

The next step is actually getting it out of my house (and my life) for good.

But how? This post has several possibilities for you.

7 Ways to Get the Clutter Out of Your House for Good!

1. Give it away

I always try to save a few things for friends if I know they can use them.

One of the things I worked on this month was the clothing storage in the basement. I have three daughters, which means I have bins and bins full of clothes for little girls. And bigger girls. And baby girls.

At one point, I thought we would have a fourth child, so I never got rid of my youngest's clothes when she outgrew them. Sadly, it wasn't to be, and she is now 8 years old and I have too many clothes that I don't want to keep.

I started actively giving away her clothes when she was 6 years old, but there were still all of those 5 and under bins sitting in the basement.

To make a long story short, I was able to give most of those 5 and under clothes away between two of my friends who have girls that are younger than mine. It feels good to help someone out—I know I always appreciated hand-me-downs, even if I couldn't use all of them.

We also gave a few books away to friends we knew would enjoy them.

2. Have a garage sale

Depending on how you feel about garage sales, this can be a good option. For me, it isn't.

I know some people love doing this and the thought of making some good money off of your clutter is an attractive one. But I have had garage sales in my life, and I have decided it is just not worth it to me.

I don't want to have to declutter and then sort, price, and set it out. I don't want to have to advertise. I don't want to have to sit there all day haggling with customers. I don't want to clean it all up when it's over.

I just want to be rid of my stuff, and I don't care too much if I am able to recoup the costs. All of the work involved in a garage sale is not worth the little bit of money I would make.

I have added my items to neighborhood garage sales here and there, but I'm not going to save it all waiting for one to come around. Besides, garage sale season is done!

3. Sell it on eBay or elsewhere online

There's eBay, Craig's List, and even local swap/sale groups on Facebook.

But, see above about garage sales. Call me lazy, but I do not want to go through all the work of photographing and listing and dealing with bids and buyers. I just want my stuff gone. The end.

Edit: I have found that the Facebook sales groups are easier than they once were. If you tell people they need to come pick up the items that day, they usually do and it's quick cash.

4. Organize a swap

Our church does this from time to time, and I have heard we will be doing one here soon, so I may save my box for that. But only if it's really soon!

The idea is that everyone brings the stuff they no longer want to the church, and people can come and take any of it that they would like.

You, of course, can also take anything that you want from among the things that others brought. (But think carefully about this! Only take it if you know you love it and will use it! Don't create more clutter!)

Anything not taken by the end date (we left our last one up for two weeks), is taken to Goodwill.

Again, there is extra work involved in this, but I do like the idea of helping others out in this way. I just need to not take my kids to these things, because they always want to bring home random stuff that undoes all of the decluttering we just finished doing.

5. Consign it

One of my favorite ways to get rid of things is to consign it.

We have a great local consignment shop that takes almost anything, and will donate anything that doesn't sell after a certain period. This means that all I have to do is drop it off and they will take it from there.

I only get paid for what sells, but I really don't care too much about the money. I just want the stuff out of my house!

Other consignment stores will pay you up front for the items they deem worthy to sell in their store. Still others will accept certain items, but you will not get paid until they sell. If they do not sell after a certain time period, then you are required to come pick them up.

Since I am constantly decluttering little things here and there (mostly clothing), I have a box ready for consignment every other month or so. I tend to earn about 25 dollars a box, which I can either cash out or use for store credit. I have done both.

6. Donate it

Sometimes the best thing is to just drive your box o' clutter over to the Goodwill or St. Vinnie's or DI and donate it.

You can get a receipt for a tax write-off, which is nice, but the important thing is that you got all of that stuff out of your life.

7. Throw it away

Some things really are just garbage.

I feel sorry for workers at Goodwill who have to go through things that are just not worth trying to sell. Be honest about your stuff, and if nobody is going to want it, just throw it out.

What's your favorite way to dispose of your clutter?

Find all of the posts in this 31 Day Challenge here: A Place for Everything: 31 Days to Less Clutter and More Peace.

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