This is Spring Clean Week and so far I’ve posted a blog on how to Style Your Collections and organise your home for those Just In Case situations. These are common areas that cause clutter and anxiety in the home.

 

Today I’d like to share with you how you can ‘let go’ of your treasures, when they no longer are useful or attractive to you, without feeling disheartened. It’s difficult letting go of something that holds memories to you, but sometimes you no longer have the space for it. Maybe you’re downsizing or moving abroad and have to make the critical decision of what to keep and what must go. It’s a very difficult and emotional time but hopefully this will make it a little easier for you.

 

One of my clients was in a similar situation as he was retiring and downsizing. He lived in central London and had collected many precious things that filled his 7-bed house over the years. When it came to deciding what to keep and what to get rid of, he was finding it difficult and running out of time with the inevitable moving out date looming.

 

In particular, he needed emotional support as well as expert advice on how to let go of his carpentry tools that he knew he’d would never be using again. The tools held so many precious memories of the furniture he’d lovingly and painstaking made, like the rocking chair for his children that was being passed down through the generations. How could he get rid of his tools when they were so precious to him? How could he best get rid of his tools when they also had financial value?

 

The solution in these situations, where your treasures have either emotional or financial value, is always to find the perfect buyer who will not only pay the asking price but also love and care for your things that are emotionally precious.

 

For my client, the tools were sold to a carpenter who would not only pay the money and look after them, but also continue to create more wonderful designs in wood. Continuity of the tools was especially important to my client and now he feels comfortable that they have gone to a good home.

 

There are many auction and recycle sites available today that will either take your items and recycle them for free, or allow you to sell them at a reasonable cost. You need to decide whether you want to give the item away so that someone else can make good use of it, or try and recoup some of the initial financial outlay.

 

Knowing someone else will use your item gives you the satisfaction that the value of your treasure is not lost or forgotten.

 

I hope this helps you with your moving out and moving on but, if you’re struggling to let go of things, then I’m always here for guidance and support to make the process less painful and less stressful for you.

 

Happy #springcleaningweek.

Gwendoline Alderton

BIID Interior designer

House Dr Consultant

Radio, Event & Conference Speaker