This time of year, everyone is the purge mode. I think it is the reaction to the over consumption, clutter fest that are the holidays. It also could be result of cabin fever. We are all indoors a little more this time of year. All I know is that even though I am not putting my house on the market (yet)m, I am purging like I plan to do so soon. If you are putting your house on the market or are considering doing so, a good purge could mean a lot more money for you!
A clutter free house feels like a bigger house. The lack of clutter makes a space feel open and airy. I have been in homes where every single surface was covered in tchotchkes and it made my skin crawl. The same goes for dated items that have been collected or inherited. We often keep things because we feel obligated and in time, they can make our home feel cluttered. The need to display all of our collections is also something we need to be rewired about. When you have visitors to your home, be they guests or buyers, you don’t want your house to shout at them. Instead you want them to feel welcomed in and then allowed to discover on their own.
Via: Theme Park Review
The eyes need a restful place to go and when every single space is covered with “stuff” it can create anxiety. Walk through your house and really look at what is going on. That spot in your kitchen (everyone has one) where everything lands, it needs to be cleared daily! All of the things you love may not need to be displayed at one time. Perhaps you can rotate them by season? The collection of cow cookie jars that you started when you were 16, are they really giving you joy or just staring at you. Do the contents of your closet fall out when you open the door? Are your shoes taking over? Purging also makes us face things that need to be done, like refolding linens or dusting the tops of door frames…(I have started doing this as well…it’s pretty grimy).
Transitional Bedroom by London Photographers Elayne Barre Photography
Getting started often just needs a spark.Taking down the holiday decorations, I had to go into my attic and the mess I have created by hiding things there was more than I could take. So I pulled it all out and reorganized. Same for my linen closet. The search for a pillowcase ended up with a huge purge of old sheets and table cloths. Books are all digital now and there is no way I am going to be unable to find one I might want to reread, even in the middle of the night. Getting rid of the antiques and inherited, sentimental and expensive is a little harder to do.
Via BBC.com
What I recently did was ask myself “How would I feel about this object if I did not have it any longer?” And you know what? I purged a huge amount of things I thought I loved. I started with Christmas decorations, realizing just because I had owned it for a long time did not mean I needed to continue to do so. Then I moved onto all my other holiday items, my linens, clothes and kitchen. I got rid of things that (gasp!) my grandmother made, wedding gifts, tons of books that I may or may not want to read again and I was okay with doing so. I realized someone else might love it and give these things a second life. And the freedom to move around and see blank spaces (kitchen counter and dining table for starters) has made my home more restful and interesting.
My house is by no means purged and completely tidy, but it feels a lot better. Are you finding you need to purge? Is it because you are ready to sell your home? Contact us today! We are excellent purgers and really great real estate agents as well.