• Home
    • Resource Library
    • Business Resources
  • Blog
  • Craft Supplies
  • Free Primitive Patterns
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
  • Contact Us

Prim Mart

For Home, Garden, and Lifestyle

  • The Home
    • Decor & Design
    • Cleaning & Organizing
    • Buying and Selling Homes
    • Electrical & Energy Use
    • Heating & Cooling
    • Home Appliances
    • Pest Control
    • Plumbing
    • Roof Maintenance
    • Security
    • Tools & Equipment
  • Outdoor Living
    • Gardening
    • Landscaping
    • Lawn Care
    • Patio Decorating
  • Art & Crafts
    • Craft Tutorials
  • Food
  • Lifestyle
    • Family
      • Parenting
      • Pets
    • Beauty & Fashion
    • Finances
    • Education
    • Fun
    • Legal Matters
    • Technology
    • Car Care & More
    • Celebrations & Holidays
    • Safety
    • Shopping
    • Travel
  • Wellness
    • Dental Health
    • Diet & Fitness
    • Holistic Health
    • Mental Wellness
    • Physical Health
    • Self Improvement
  • Work & Business
    • Business Tips
    • Business Marketing
    • Office Design
    • Building Upkeep
    • Career Training
    • Work at Home
Home » The Home » Cleaning & Organizing » 9 Ways On How To Get Rid Of A Sentimental Clutter Without A Heavy Heart

Cleaning & Organizing · December 14, 2020

9 Ways On How To Get Rid Of A Sentimental Clutter Without A Heavy Heart

We all have some “sentimental clutter” lying around in our home. These things hold a special place in our heart, but too many of it can pile up in our homes and worse, it will accumulate bacteria. 

Have you seen those gifts you received since childhood, that teddy bear your lovely aunt gave you, souvenirs from the last 5 weddings you have been to, that prom dress that has been gathering dust for the past few years. It can be difficult to let go of these things. You have to keep in mind that you are not required to keep every stuff you get from people.

Here are 9 ways to let go of sentimental clutter without a heavy heart:

1. Evaluate the item that’s worth keeping

Before letting go of certain items, ask yourself, “what makes me sentimental about this item?” In most cases, it is not the actual item you hold dear but the person who gave it, where and when it was given. Remind yourself that those memories will still be in your heart and mind even without the physical object. But if you love the actual item that was given to you because of certain reasons, then it is not a clutter.

2. Don’t feel obliged to keep gifts

You might fear of throwing some gifts because you don’t want to offend the person who gave it to you, so you choose to keep them until it becomes a burden. Do whatever you please if you find the gift to be occupying much space. After all, the giver might not expect that you still have it all these years.

3. Don’t allow yourself to indulge in guilt

Aside from love and nostalgia, people keep items out of guilt. This is a very unhealthy emotion. Do not use guilt as a reason to keep sentimental items, you may feel guilty about your relationship with the person who gave you your old bedside table but you can’t resolve that if you still have that hideous and close-to-rotten table.

4. Preserve memories virtually

Instead of having multiple boxes in your room, you can keep precious photographs, letters or documents by scanning, saving and backing them up on your computer. This will save you tons of space and you can look at them anytime you feel like it. If you want to keep an old toy, take a photo of that toy and save it along with your other photos.

5. Pass it on a family member

If you are dealing with heirlooms, you can pass it on to your younger cousin who might find something to do with it. Before throwing away an inherited item, think of someone who can benefit from it and at the same time, would love to have it.

6. Create something new out of the old

If you really can’t let go of your connection to a certain item, choose to recycle it and find it another purpose. According to PropertyOnline Ph, a painting that was given to you can be a nice wall decor in your new condominium, your college ring can be repurposed into a whole new jewelry that suits your own style. Think of that important item that you can transform into something new.

7. Find a new owner

If you have a heavy heart in discarding sentimental stuff, you may give it to someone who really needs it. Maybe a friend of yours could really use that old but still functioning coffee maker, or your neighbor can use that wooden table of yours lying around in the garage for years. Find your stuff, a new owner and a new home.

8. Keep only ONE of the items

If your mom has given you 12 different cards for a whole year, all of those might hold a special place in your heart. But you can’t keep all those 12 cards, choose one to represent the collection or the person and allow yourself to let go of the rest.

9. Donate useful items

You received lots of clothes as a gift every Christmas and most of them are just occupying a space in your closet because you only choose to wear a few pieces and you choose to have a capsule wardrobe. Don’t just dump your clothes in the trash. Donate it to people who need it, especially homeless people.

Be Emotionally Resistant To Declutter Sentimental Items

Always remember, you are not your things. Don’t succumb to the feeling of nostalgia and guilt and allow yourself and your house to be occupied with so much stuff. Try to live in the present more than the past. 

Spread the love

Posted In: Cleaning & Organizing

You’ll Also Love

7 Tips For Protecting Your Carpets From Wear and Dirt7 Tips For Protecting Your Carpets From Wear and Dirt
Things to Consider Before Buying Storage ShedThings to Consider Before Buying A Storage Shed
A Guide to Cleaning Dark-Coloured Fabrics and UpholsteryA Guide to Cleaning Dark-Coloured Fabrics and Upholstery
Next Post >

6 Money-Related Resolutions to Push Your Family Forward in 2021

Search

Hello There!

Welcome to Prim Mart! I'm Katharine, a mom, wife, and blogger with a passion for all things related to homemaking and enjoying life. Prim Mart was founded in 2001 and has grown from just a craft blog to an online lifestyle magazine filled with helpful and creative articles for you!

Join Our Newsletter

Archives

Popular Posts

Categories

Copyright © 2023 Prim Mart · Theme by 17th Avenue

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Read More

Accept Decline Cookie Settings
I consent to the use of following cookies:
Cookie Declaration About Cookies
Necessary (0) Marketing (0) Analytics (0) Preferences (0) Unclassified (0)
Necessary cookies help make a website usable by enabling basic functions like page navigation and access to secure areas of the website. The website cannot function properly without these cookies.
We do not use cookies of this type.
Marketing cookies are used to track visitors across websites. The intention is to display ads that are relevant and engaging for the individual user and thereby more valuable for publishers and third party advertisers.
We do not use cookies of this type.
Analytics cookies help website owners to understand how visitors interact with websites by collecting and reporting information anonymously.
We do not use cookies of this type.
Preference cookies enable a website to remember information that changes the way the website behaves or looks, like your preferred language or the region that you are in.
We do not use cookies of this type.
Unclassified cookies are cookies that we are in the process of classifying, together with the providers of individual cookies.
We do not use cookies of this type.
Cookies are small text files that can be used by websites to make a user's experience more efficient. The law states that we can store cookies on your device if they are strictly necessary for the operation of this site. For all other types of cookies we need your permission. This site uses different types of cookies. Some cookies are placed by third party services that appear on our pages.
Cookie Settings