This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hippo Sak® for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.
When did my house start to look like a cross between a toy store and a well loved play group? Somehow, despite trying my best not to buy too many children's toys and items, my house seems to be overrun with kid's stuff. Toys, clothes, art work, kindy notes and so much more! All of the 'stuff' seems to be taking over their room, not to mention the loungeroom and the kitchen too!
If you're feeling overwhelmed with all of the kid's clutter, why not join me in a quick decluttering morning. I've put together a plan of 5 items I'm going to declutter today and I can't wait to see my house looking neater and I'm sure it will feel much calmer and relaxed when I'm done!
To get started I've got some trusty trash bags. Don't put things in baskets to look through again later. The trick with de-cluttering is to do it quickly and not spend too much time thinking about each item - otherwise there's a good chance you'll end up deciding to keep way too much!. I like to have my trash bags ready to go and once they're full they go straight in the bin or in the car ready to be donated.
For today's challenge, I've used the Hippo Sak® Tall Kitchen Bags and there are a few reasons for this. The first is that they are really strong. My kids have a LOT of stuff to get rid off, and I really don't want the bags breaking on the way to the bin or the car. These bags have a reinforced bottom making them 10 times stronger than many of the other brands out there. They also have a powerstrip which stops them from tearing (I've had bags of donated goods tear in my car before which makes such a mess - you definitely don't want this to happen!).
How to get started with your De-Clutter
Get two trash bags ready. One for actual trash and one to donate. You're ready to go!
If you can't decide whether or not to keep an item, a few questions to ask are:
- Do they play it with it?
- Is it broken or stained?
- Would someone else be able to use it?
- Does it still fit?
-Will they miss it?
- Can I take a photo of it and get rid of it?
5 items you can de-clutter right now!
1. Clothing
With the change of seasons upon us, now is the perfect time to go through your child's clothes and get rid of anything that no longer fits, or is the wrong season. If they are ripped or stained, throw them away. If they are in good condition add them to the donation bag, or put aside to store for younger siblings.
2. Toys
Go through all of the big boxes of toys. Get rid of anything small and rubbishy (those happy meal toys come to mind!), anything broken and anything with missing pieces. Throw these away! Then look at toys that they no longer play with. If they are in good condition add them to the donate pile (or put aside to sell on sites like Ebay or Craigslist).
3. Books
As much as I LOVE children's books, they do grow out of them quickly (and if you're like me, you're always buying more!.) If you have a 3 year old, then you no longer need their baby books. Go through the books and add them to the donate pile. Your local school or daycare would love a donation of books.
4. Art and Craft
As much I would love to say that you should keep every painting and craft items your child does, it's really not practical! My girls can easily do 8 or 9 paintings a day so keeping them is just not realistic. What I like to do is have a box of special paintings and crafts. For everything else, they go on the fridge or the wall for a while. Then I take a photo of them and get rid of them. At the end of the year you can put all of the photos into a photobook so you still have memories of their artwork - without it cluttering up your house!
I hope these tips get you started on a quick and easy de-clutter! Remember to grab your Hippo Sak® Tall Kitchen Bags and then you're ready to go! Make sure you share what you managed to declutter in our Facebook group.