Need help to declutter/stop hoarding

[NotTonightDeidre]

Posting here for traffic & because I can't think what other category it goes in.

This is really stupid, but someone please tell me it's OK to chuck away "useful" items.
I have baby sized hangers - some wooden/some plastic. There are no babies in my house.
But this is something I really struggle with - binning things that have a (perceived) use. It's OK just to bin things isn't it?
(I have listed on freecycle previously).

It sounds so ridiculous but it's like I almost need permission to throw them in the bin.

Iv recently decluttered and honestly it's the best feeling, everything now has a place the house is easy to keep clean and tidy. You have to just go for it and be really savage everything you don't absolutely need in a black bag and gone. I honestly can't believe how much stuff I had

Check with a charity shop first.

I have volunteered in two different shops which were both part of chains and we have our own hangers. Donate hangers are thrown in the bin.

Check what your local council will collect (mine takes electricals and shoes for example) and yes it's a good idea to try to give away first. I used a local Facebook group for giving away free items. But if that doesn't work yes it's ok to bin it. I read something recently which said everything we own will eventually end up in landfill so it's ok to bin stuff that others won't use.

Listen to the podcast- a slob comes clean. An American woman who teaches you how to not be overwhelmed and declutter. Life saver for me.

Well done! Starting when it feels so overwhelming is really hard, and you've done it.

I totally get the feeling, there's a room and a few spaces on my house which makes me feel like crying so I either avoid it just do a bit then stop as it's too much.

Keep chipping away. I tell myself even baby steps move you forward, and tiny changes add up.

Might help to keep a list of things gone, I find that rewarding to tally up how many bags go over a few months

Think of it this way: Your house is not a trash can or a junkyard. You tried to re-home, but it's junk nobody wants including you.

Don't let others guilt you into keeping junk. No, museums don't want old photos of people you have no idea who they are. They don't want old letters from Great Aunt Mary. They don't want Uncle Bob's old checks from the 1960s.

Thumbs up for making a good start.

if you are in the UK then google Anglo doorstep collections. I read about them on here and they collect all sorts of things and a percentage goes to charity.

@outerspacepotato , well said !

Everything ends up in landfill eventually, unfortunately 😔

My local council recycling don't accept plastic clothes hangers, but on collection day I often walk past houses with recycling boxes (we have open boxes here) with hangers in them. I can only assume the whole lot ends up in landfill.

List stuff on Vinted cheaply and it will sell. I’ve sold all sorts recently

Recovering hoarder here. Some rooms were unusable but at a much more socially acceptable level now 😁
You deserve a clean and tidy home.
In the long run, your landfill usage in this clear out is less than a drop in the ocean.
Charity shops will take most things that are clean and in good repair, if in doubt just chuck it out. Don't let it steal all your mental energy.
Once you are no longer "drowning" you can take the time to sell. Right now, if it's financially viable for you, just donate or bin everything. If you need to sell, keep a time limit to get it out.

This is Cas "Clutterbug"
https://www.youtube.com/live/uI3Y07SYt_k?si=XWDO8c2_f4VqOiNE

Thanks again for the helpful comments, support & links. I got another bag of stuff binned last night. 2 of the 3 vinted items sold so they're packaged & ready to go. I also put a larger item for free on local pages and someone is collecting today.
This morning I've managed to shift a pile of paperwork.

I'm trying to think whether I would want my son to have to clear it out when I'm dead and gone. If it's nothing he'd be even vaguely interested in then it's going. slowly, but I'm getting better.

I find it hard to throw things away ‘in case I might need them one day’ but decluttering to move to a smaller house has forced me to get practical.
I take the view that things have done their duty and fulfilled their purpose and it is ok to let them go.

This is a great attitude to have and I hope it helps as a starting point - the end goal is to have a home that you can enjoy and decluttering is the means to get there.

Vinted is a good start, charity shop for things that are good quality but not selling but there’s no shame in binning stuff either. If you’re getting rid of clothes, shops like John Lewis and M&S do a recycling scheme whereby you can bring in a bag of clothes and get a voucher.

I always get the decluttering bug after watching Sort Your Life Out - five series on iplayer in you need inspiration!

It's a process and it might take a long time but as long as you get rid of something every day you'll get there.

You deserve a lovely home. And try to think of it as not getting rid of things but keeping those things that mean something to you.

Too much stuff makes me anxious so I'm constantly trying to reduce things.