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Decluttering
General
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You don't need it if...
You haven't used it in the last 12 months
You don't love it anymore
You wouldn't buy it again
If there is at least 1 YES, then keep it!
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Introduce yourself
Clarify with client which area requires decluttering, andwhat are their goals
Tell her as we take everything out to look through, we will allocate the items according to 4 piles
Keep
Trash
Donate
Sell
KIV additional piles if they have specific people they want to give to
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If client is busy or wants minimal involvement
Ask them for some guidelines, e.g. Any categories of things that they’re definitely keen to clear, or which year to cut off for documents
We set aside a “suggest to throw” pile as we look through
30-45mins before end of session or whenever client has the time, let them check through before discarding
If client will be involved the entire time
We can assist to take everything out together with client
Ask client to start looking through the first pile and decide what they want to keep/throw/donate.
As client is selecting items to keep, you can help client to sort into categories
In between, assist to put things into trash bags, or bring out more items while client focus on decision making
Make sure to check in every few hours if client needs a short break, or if they need any help or suggestions
If client is having decision fatigue, always fall back to our decluttering guide or set them aside as KIV pile
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Remind them of their original goal of engaging us
Gently nudge a bit with questions from our decluttering guide
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Use the decluttering guide
Or if still undecided, suggest to set them aside as a KIV pile, and revisit at the end of the session, or next session. Make sure to set a deadline for them as to when to revisit this pile!
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Bring client back to the goal of the session, which is to declutter.
Remind client that we will recommend appropriate organising products after decluttering is done, and after measurements are taken, as we do not want client to over purchase unnecessary organising products.
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Ask client which part of the house is giving them the biggest headache, and start from there.
Or if client is unable to decide, you can choose on behalf of the client. Usually the living room or kitchen will be a good start as that’s where most people spend the most time.
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You can recommend that they engage Lalamove, Gogovan or Grab Express to drop them off at donation drop off points.
We usually recommend to drop them at Something Old Something New as Salvation Army usually have more than enough donations.
Sentimental Items
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Mostly are photos, letters, drawings from kids or small presents given by other people.
Some less common examples include: clothing, gadgets, cups, etc.
If the client is no longer using that item but only wants to retain it as a keepsake, consider it sentimental.
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Priority is to look at the amount of space left and decide based on that
If space is not a concern, suggest to keep things that provide good memories, remove any duplicates
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Option 1: By Person
Child A (his own specific things or events)
Child B (his own specific things or events)
Couple things (e.g. things specific to the couple)
Family (e.g. photos or things that involve at least 1 kid or at least 1 parent)
Option 2: Phases in life
Schooling days
Work
Dating
Pregnancy
Family
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Set them aside neatly for client, then suggest that they only look through those items only when they are ready.
You may suggest that they set a 3-6 month reminder to revisit them again.
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First try to ask a few questions from our decluttering guide. Show that you empathise with them and respect their decision.
If they are still not ready to let some things go, suggest that they set a 3-6 month reminder to revisit them again.
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Photos
If there are a lot of photos, suggest to digitise them
Kids artwork and letters
Get an accordian folder and big storage box and sort by age
Artispique: Convert bulky or large volumes of artwork into an artbook, cup, t-shirt, etc.
A lot of bulky sentimental items
If space is a concern, suggest to take photos, then discard the actual item
Paper Documents
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Bills - Recent 2 years
Insurance - Only active policies
Tax & Business related documents - Recent 5 years
Where to Give Away, Recycle, Donate & Sell Items
Notes For Packing Projects
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To ensure that the boxed is taped well:
Tape it horizontally along the middle line at least 3x
Then go perpendicular across at least 2x
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Pack them according to the rooms in the new house
Make sure that the weight per box is acceptable. It is ok to mix heavy with light items
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Ideally not to write on the boxes directly as some companies reuse the boxes
Label directly on our coloured tape, or labels provided by them
Use 1 label colour for 1 room for easy identification
Make sure to label the boxes on the same side, or same corner of the box
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Fragile items
Make sure to wrap them in bubble wrap, taped securely at the side
When they are packed into boxes, make sure they don’t move around. Add newsprint stuffing or cloth items to fill the gaps.
Books
Only up about 1/3 to max 1/2 of the boxes as books are very heavy
You can add on other lighter items inside to fill the boxes, e.g. soft toys, bags, paper bags
Kitchen
Use kitchen towels or cloths to wrap fragile or sharp items, e.g. knives
Clothes
Leave them on hangers to save time
Wrap a bunch of clothes on hangers with a trash bag, before putting in the box
Things already in small organising boxes
Leave them in boxes and stack the boxes up inside the moving box
if the box or bin has no lid, use cling wrap to wrap around
Loose items without packaging
Keep them in ziplocks
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All boxes stacked up neatly either against the wall away from the windows or in the middle of the room so that they still have access to wardrobes, windows, any thing else still unpacked.
Make sure the boxes are stacked up facing the same direction
All boxes are neatly labelled
Small decor items are all removed from the walls, ceilings (e.g. CNY decor, fairy lights, posters, etc.)
Living Room/Entryway
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Keys
Wallets
Frequently used bags
Letters
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Covid section (Masks / Sanitizers)
Tissues
Mosquito repellants
Umbrella / raincoats
Sunblock
Grocery bags
Outdoor toys (bubbles, sand toys, water toys, etc.)
Kids’ Toys
To save space, we put puzzle pieces and games into ziplocks or zipper bags. Cut out the front image of the box & keep with the bag so that it's easily identifiable
Puzzle boards can be filed
Vehicles
Blocks (Legos, Duplos, other brands)
Magnet tiles
Figurines (animals, action heroes)
Dolls
Kitchen (food, kitchenware)
Playdoh
Heavy toys always at the bottom (magnet tiles, blocks, legos)
Common Categories
Musical instruments
Outdoor (bubbles, water play, sand play)
Educational toys
Games (card games, board games)
Miscellaneous toys (anything that doesn't warrant a category, or have too little of, e.g. pop it toy, gatchapon)
Bedroom
Vanity/Make-up
If there are drawers, use drawer inserts (Adinas) / shallow bins to segregate the make up and skin care
Spacious counter top
Use stackable jewellery boxes with custom inserts, depending on what they have the most (e.g. rings / earrings / necklaces, etc.)
Minimal counter top space
Propose wall hung solutions
e.g. Back of wardrobe door, hanging together with clothes
Adinas
Jewellery
Muji PP Bins
Remove all packaging so that every piece is seen clearly
Study Room
Books
Stationery
Tech items
Phone accessories
Audio (ear phones)
Cables (USB cables, micro-USB, etc.)
Camera equipment
Documents (Paper, Important)
Sentimental
Work related
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Age group
Genre
Language
Read vs unread
Height
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Colour e.g. White, Neutrals, Grey, Black; Pink and ROYGBIV)
Genre e.g. Chinese cooking under Culinary
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Fiction
Non-fiction
Biography
Religious
Parenting
Self help
Business / leadership
World
Lifestyle
Reference
Things that belong in Study Room
Letters
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For incoming letters yet to open
Once it's full, it's time to take action & open them
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A separate pile of letters that have been opened, and to take action, e.g. To pay bills, to reply etc.
Filing Documents
Tips for people who HATE filing
Create broad categories, the lesser the better
Use L-shape folders, so that it's easy to just slot inside. No punching or filing required
Designate an area for dumping papers that are "pending" (e.g. can't throw yet, in case referencing needed). Then spend some time to declutter when that pile is full!
Categories for filing
Important documents (grab and go during emergency)
Birth cert
Marriage cert
Any other important documents
Insurance
Home
Car
Medical (1 file per adult)
Kids (1 file per kid, or if enough documents, can also further split)
Medical
School
Work
Nursery (Baby Room)
Wardrobe
Wardrobe space tends to be under utilised in baby's room as clothes are tiny. Make use of stackable drawers to maximise the space! Always use products to segment the drawers (eg. Skubb or Addison)
Create these sections
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Organise broadly by size e.g. 6-12 months
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Clothes that baby has outgrown to archive or hand down (it can be a bin or a bag)
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Smaller pack wet wipes
Disposable bibs
Car seat / stroller accessories
Diaper changing mat
Designated going out toys/books
Drawers
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Burp cloths
Bibs
Swaddles
Onesies / tops & bottoms
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Towels
Bedsheets
Back stock of wet wipes, creams etc.
Understanding different Organising Styles
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Macro
Tend to focus more on the big picture
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Micro
Break things down into specific categories
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Visual
Need to see items to remember they are there
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Hidden
Like visual calmness and homogeneity
