To finish off our series of New Year’s decorating ideas and design tips, we’re tackling one of the most common problems that keep people from truly loving and enjoying their homes: too much clutter. Whether you’ve tried to over-stuff your small space, you have a tendency to hang on to everything you’ve ever brought home, or your children’s toys can’t seem to stay in the playroom, we’ve put together a few of our own tried and true tips for clearing clutter.

Get rid of anything you don’t love. There’s a quote we live by: “Have nothing in your home that you don’t know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” In fact, we made a business out of it! At The Local Vault, we’ll help you sort through your furniture, decor, textiles and accents to find the ones you truly love, and separate them from the pieces you’re keeping around just for the heck of it. Then, we’ll sell them for you so you can purchase new things that reflect your style and personality, or maybe just enjoy your clutter-free home and take a vacation (hopefully to somewhere warm!) instead.

Rent a storage unit. If you’ve downsized your home but not your furniture, or you’ve sent a kid to college but can’t bear to get rid of their things permanently, consider renting a a storage unit. The extra space can be had for a fairly low monthly cost, and that way if your son ever comes home and decides he wants to collect all his football memorabilia, you’ll be able to happily oblige him without having to look at it everyday in the meantime.

Hire a pro. Organizing doesn’t come naturally to everyone. And even if it does come naturally to you, there’s a good chance you might not have the time to sift through your pantry and categorize each item by meal type. That’s where the professionals come in. An organization service or specialist can evaluate your home, come up with a plan that suits your lifestyle and you family, implement it, and even offer advice and strategies for keeping everything in place. You’ll be trading time for money, but when your sanity suddenly seems to return after you walk into your clean home, you’ll know it was money well spent.

Thinking about getting rid of a few pieces of furniture? Get in touch with us!

Do you have any organizing tips you swear by? Share them, below!