How to Tackle TWO New Years Resolutions at Once!

Start the New Year off on a green note!

How to tackle two resolutions at once: Get more organized AND live an eco-friendlier life!

One of the most popular New Year’s resolutions is being more organized. And one of the most critical steps to organization is eliminating excess clutter. By eliminating clutter, you’ll literally have fewer things to worry about — so you can be more thoughtful and deliberate about managing what’s left.

Here are some handy decluttering tips.

Clothing

Cleaning out an overstuffed closet can be a daunting task. Many experts recommend the following approach:

1. Take everything out of one closet (one closet at a time) Make sure you have allotted some space and time for this task. Putting your clothes on top of a bed can help you avoid bending over too much and keeps things off the floor. It can also be helpful to have some empty boxes or bags to help with the next stage: Sorting.
2. Sort the items into three groups
   
   • Keep
   • Wave Goodbye
   • Undecided
   If you’re having trouble making decisions, one good test is to ask yourself if you’ve worn an item in the last 6 months (or 12 months if it’s a seasonal item). If the answer is “no”, it should go into the Wave Goodbye group. The Undecided group should be your smallest pile. This step should be done as quickly as possible, to prevent over-thinking (and keeping things you should “wave goodbye” to). If you have trouble letting things go, ask a friend or family member to help.
3. Put the Keep items back into the closet This should be easy — as you should have fewer clothes to fit into the same closet! Take a moment to appreciate how good it feels to have less to worry about.
4. Put the Undecided items into storage You can store them in boxes or in a less-used closet if there is one available in your house. Revisit these items in a few months — and do the same “Keep, Wave Goodbye, Undecided” exercise with them. If you didn’t miss them or need them while they were in storage, chances are you can wave goodbye to them for good.
5. Give your “Wave Goodbye” pile to a charity — or call The Junkluggers! Most clothing in clean and usable (or repairable) condition will be welcomed by local charities who can get your unwanted items to someone who can really benefit from them. A smart alternative is to call The Junkluggers, who take an eco-conscious, sustainable approach to junk removal. Our goal is to donate or upcycle 100% of reusable items. What’s more, we can also haul away heavier stuff like furniture. And speaking of furniture…

Furniture

Do you have an attic, basement, or garage full of old, outdated, or simply unused furniture that’s collecting dust? Getting it out of your life will help you declutter — physically and psychologically.

But there’s a dilemma. For starters, just throwing furniture out means that it will likely join the tons of waste which end up in landfills every year. And that’s not even considering whether your municipality or trash hauler even accepts oversized items like furniture. Plus there’s the challenge of moving it to the curb/to your car in the first place. If it was so easy, you probably would have done it already!

One increasingly popular way to get furniture out of your life is to sell it online using platforms like Craigslist.com or the Facebook Marketplace. You might even consider posting it in a “circular economy” group where people exchange things for free or setting the “price” as free (with pickup!).

Another option is to have The Junkluggers haul it away for you — with the same sustainable mission that we bring to unwanted clothing. We’ll donate or upcycle whatever we can, leaving you with empty space and a clearer conscience.

And the best part? The Junkluggers will do all the heavy lifting. So if “it’s just too heavy/cumbersome” is one of the reasons you haven’t done anything about unwanted furniture, you can cross that off your list.

Old Hobby Items

Remember that time when you were really into fly fishing (or maybe it was scrapbooking or quilting) and tying your own flies? Of course you do, because all your gear is still sitting in your spare room untouched.

Whatever the old hobby you just aren’t into anymore, don’t let all the stuff associated with it clutter up your home — and life — any longer. It’s okay to admit you probably won’t be taking it up again anytime soon.

As mentioned in the “Furniture” section above, there are usually community-based social media groups where you can find someone who wants it. If you aren’t on social media or don’t want the hassle of having to deal with an exchange, ask a friend or family member to help.

Unused Technology

 If you’re like most people, chances are you have an old computer, monitor, printer, or other peripherals sitting somewhere in your house unused. Maybe you have more than one? Or maybe a nest of unused or outdated cables or power adapters? It’s no surprise that Apple recently stopped shipping power blocks with their new iPhones…because we all have at least one already!

It should also come as no surprise to learn that E-waste is one of the fastest growing waste categories, with more than 48 million tons generated worldwide in a single year.

Instead of adding to landfills with your E-waste, consider using a service provider like The Junkluggers to dispose of your old computer hardware and electronics. We’ll recycling as much as possible. Another nice thing about using The Junkluggers is that we do all the sorting and separating of your junk...leaving you one less thing to do!

Need professional help? Call The Junkluggers.

If you’re committed to starting 2022 on a green note, The Junkluggers, a junk removal company with a focus on sustainable practices, can be a lifesaver.

Unlike conventional junk haulers, Junkluggers upcycles, recycles, and donates as much as we can, instead of simply sending your unwanted items to ever-growing landfills.

Give us a call and get a jump start on your New Year’s resolutions today!