Decluttering Sentimental Items: A Gentle Guide

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Decluttering sentimental items doesn’t have to be hard. Preserve memories and declutter keepsakes and mementos without guilt using this easy checklist!

Your daughter’s first pair of baby shoes.  Grandpa’s old cigar box.  Your dearly departed dog’s collar.

These are all beautiful, sentimental items.

But 78 of your daughter’s drawings and scribbled homework from kindergarten through 3rd grade?

Also sentimental.  But maybe also clutter.

Here’s how to tell the difference, and what to do next.

Sentimental Clutter Can Hold You Hostage

Keeping everyday clutter at bay takes work.  But sentimental clutter comes with its own set of challenges.

Have you ever felt offended when your husband suggested you get rid of something that has sentimental value?

“I could NEVER get rid of my grandma’s ceramic clown collection!  She loved those things!”

And there they sit, on your bookshelf-cum-clown car, all 44 of them.  Creeping out guests and collecting dust.

You secretly don’t like them either – not anymore.

But you remember all the times grandma picked you up so you could see them.  She lifted you just high enough that your little eyes could gaze in wonder at the magical scene she had built, piece by piece, over the years.

You remember the sound of her voice as she smiled, telling you about a few of her favorites.  The warmth of her hands, the smell of the wood china cabinet that the clowns called home back then.

THAT’s what you’re holding on to.

You probably think that letting go of those clowns, or whatever other sentimental clutter you’re holding on to, would somehow betray the person they remind you of.

Those dusty little clowns are holding you hostage.

The Meaning Lies Within You

But here’s the thing.  Without your memories, those clowns mean nothing.  They’re just a bunch of old clowns.  You are what makes them special – the memories that live inside your mind and heart are what gives them meaning.

So if the meaning lies within you, do you really need to hold on to those clowns?  Or whatever mementos or keepsakes are lying around, collecting dust?

Maybe you do, and maybe you don’t.  Either way, you shouldn’t let sentimental clutter hold you hostage.  Would your loved one want you to suffer, keeping something they loved just because you feel guilty about getting rid of it?  Hopefully, the answer is no.

Here is a simple process for decluttering sentimental items, plus some ideas on how to preserve memories once you’re ready to let some of those keepsakes go.

Decluttering Sentimental Items Checklist

This checklist is designed to bring alive the memories associated with an item, then decide if you should let it go.

Before you start, you should understand that decluttering sentimental items can be mentally and emotionally exhausting.  As you use this checklist when decluttering keepsakes and mementos, take your time and give yourself grace.

You might even find that you can only handle decluttering a few items in a single session.  That’s perfectly okay.

Decluttering Sentimental Items

1. Who does this item remind me of?

2. What memories does this item bring up?

3. Does my family use, need, or love this?

4. What other mementos do I have that remind me of this person, place, or time?

5. Does this item best represent how I feel about this person, place, or time, or is there another item that has more meaning?

6. Would having a picture of this item help me preserve these special memories while allowing me to physically let it go?

7. Is there a family member or friend who would like to have this item?

8. Should I donate or sell it?

Based on your answers to the questions above, you should get a feel for how much each item means to you, and whether you should let it go.  I can’t tell you what to keep and what to get rid of when it domes to decluttering sentimental items.  Those answers lie within you.

The most important thing to remember is that decluttering keepsakes and mementos doesn’t dishonor the person you associate them with.
Our memories don’t live in things; they live in our minds and hearts.

What to Do With Sentimental Clutter

Congratulations!  You’ve made it through decluttering sentimental items.  Whether you decided to let go of many things or just a few, that’s progress.  Deciding what to do with sentimental clutter usually isn’t quite as hard.

Let’s talk about ways to preserve memories around keepsakes and mementos, and then how to get rid of them afterward.

How to Preserve Memories Around Sentimental Clutter

There are a few fun ways to preserve memories when decluttering sentimental items.  My favorite?  Journaling.

Create a Journal Entry With a Photo or Video

You can preserve your memories around sentimental clutter by journaling.  This is a great thing to do as you’re running through the decluttering checklist above.

Preserving memories as you go makes decluttering sentimental items easier.  You can do this with a physical journal, a digital journal, or even a video journal.

Physical Journal

A simple notebook or journal works fine.  Write about the person the item reminds you of, and the memories it brings up.  You could even take a picture of the item and attach it to the page.

Digital Journal

Instead of using a physical journal, you could also create a digital journal.  This is easy to do in a program like Microsoft Word or Google Docs.

First, write about the person and memories around the keepsake or memento, but do it in a digital document rather than a physical journal.

Then, snap a pic with your phone and upload it to a cloud drive, like Dropbox or Google Drive.

From there, you can import the photo into your document.  Just a add a new page for each sentimental item you’d like to journal about.

Video Journal

Another cool option is to record videos of yourself talking about the item, the person it reminds you of, and the memories it brings up.

You could record these directly on your phone and upload them to Drop Box or Google Drives.  You could also do a Facebook live video, then download it later so you’ll have it permanently.

This is a great way to share memories with friends and family who are on Facebook!  Just be sure to adjust the privacy settings before you start recording, if you only want certain people to be able to see the video.

What to Do With Decluttered Sentimental Items

Once you’ve decided to let go of a keepsake or memento, you should decide what to do with it and take action to make it happen.  As a result, you’ll get rid of it sooner and have less time to change your mind.

Here are some options for what to do with sentimental clutter.  There are options for items with sentimental value only, as well as items with monetary or cultural value.

• Give to a friend or family member for whom the item has special meaning
• Donate to a thrift store
• Donate to a charitable organization for use in a silent auction or other fundraiser
• Sell in a consignment shop
• Sell to an antique dealer
• Place in an online auction, such as eBay
• Donate to a museum

Regardless of what you choose to do with the item, one thing’s for sure.  Your memories of it and your loved one will stay with you, always.

Decluttering Sentimental Items:  Conclusion

Overcoming the guilt associated with sentimental clutter might be difficult.  But taking the time to enjoy and preserve the memories associated with a keepsake or memento, then moving the item on to a more useful home, is a great course of action.

Above all, give yourself grace.  Remember that your loved one wouldn’t want you to suffer with the pain and guilt of getting rid of something that was once theirs.

That collection of grandma’s clowns?  Keep the one with the most meaning, snap a picture of the whole collection, and let the rest go.  Our memories lie within our minds and hearts, not within our things.

P.S. – If clutter is an issue for you, you might want to read my post on clearing clutter.  And if you’re ready for a major clutter overhaul, check out my post on how to declutter your house in one day!