De-clutter your home


We all need to de-clutter from time to time, but before you put those unwanted items straight in the bin, there are lots of things you can to do to extend their lives, sell, donate or recycle before chucking.

Top tip: When you start, tackle one room at a time to make it easier to manage and be less daunting. Don’t try and do it all at once.

Step 1

Ask yourself four questions and you’ll know what to do with your excess stuff:

  1. Have I used or worn it in the last 12 months or more?
  2. It is broken beyond repair?
  3. Do I have more than one of the same item?
  4. Am I hording stuff unnecessarily?

If the answer is 'no' to the first question and 'yes' to the others, then it can be recycled, sold, donated or reused!

Step 2

Step into action (remember tackle one room at a time to make the job more manageable) get all the family involved and you’ll get things done quicker!

Step 3

Recycle, reuse, donate or sell any unwanted items.

Recycle

Before binning, check our A-Z list to find out if you can recycle it.

Recycle any clothes you've either outgrown or fallen out of love with Every year in the UK, it is estimated that over 1 million tonnes of textiles are needlessly thrown out - however much of this can be reused or recycled by de-cluttering your wardrobe.

Reuse

Reuse is an easy way to get rid of unwanted items - not only will they be given a new lease of life but you'll also be preventing them from going to landfill

Reuse online – there are loads of dedicated websites for swapping or giving away items you no longer need:

Freecyle

Gumtree – check the ‘freebies’ section

Freegle

ReLIKE

Top tip: have a clothes swapping party with your mates

As many of us are starting to count the cost of the ongoing credit crunch, clothes swapping parties (swishing) are a great way to save money and the environment without compromising on style.

The concept of swishing is simple. Get a group of your friends together.  Brief everyone to bring a selection of clothing they no longer want and get swapping!  Not only does it make for a great evening in, it’s the cheapest shopping spree you’ll ever take part in! 

Top Tip: Hold an outside toy/clothes/household goods swapping event - if other families in your area are in home overhaul mode too, why not suggest a swap party? You can wave goodbye to all of your unwanted stuff and welcome any new items into your home...just remember to keep your spring cleaning glasses on and avoid opting for anything you don't need!  

Donate

  • Charity shops - local charity shops survive by selling on your unwanted items and are an essential way to raise funds for UK and worldwide charity projects. All you need to do is bag up your clothes, shoes, toys and accessories and take them on down to the charity shop during opening hours. Some shops also take books, CD's and kitchen crockery so if you want to add these items in, it's worth checking to see if they accept them.
  • Donate furniture to charity or homeless and housing projects items of furniture can be reused again. There are many community groups across Wales that will re-house your unwanted items.

Here are some useful links:

Track 2000

Menter Mon

Crest Cooperative

Sell

Sell online - provided the items you want to dispose of are in good condition, there's no reason why you can't sell them. Online auction sites are a good bet

Gumtree

Ebay

Freeads

Adtrader

Attend a car boot sale - a great way to get all the family involved; not only will it incentivise them to have a good clear out but it will help them earn a few pounds too. Check the local paper for up-coming boot sales or pick a sunny weekend to hold your own garage sale.

Top tip: your loft, garage and garden shed could be a little treasure trove for items you can either sell on, donate to charity or take to your local recycling centre.  If you’re storing items in the loft that you no longer use, why not turn them into hard cash online?  Also it makes perfect sense for you and your wallet too.

Other useful links

Source:

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