Photo by Sarah Brown on Unsplash

Picture the scene – you’re trying to declutter, but it’s not going well. You’ve found an old coffee machine that you know doesn’t work, but perhaps someone could fix it, so you keep it just in case. That black satin dress hasn’t gone past your hips in a decade, but what about if you lose weight and want to wear it again? Repeat this 47 times, and congratulations, you’ve got a clutter problem.

In this quick guide, we’ll help you decide when to sell or donate your unwanted items and when it’s okay to let things go.

When to sell

Selling your decluttered items is a question of balancing time against potential returns. Prioritise selling higher value items via simple to use sites like Vinted or eBay and research how much other people are selling similar items for to give you an idea of pricing. Top tip: filter eBay search results to show items that have sold to give you a more realistic idea of the price you might achieve.

For more valuable items, get a valuation through an auction house like Bonhams. Bonhams offers a quick online valuation service in return for some photos and a few details about the item. You can even get free and accurate house valuations online – a really useful tool if you’re considering selling, remortgaging, or are just curious about whether your home has increased in value since you bought it. You can value a house online with property buyers Sold, and if you’re in the market for a quick and simple sale, they can offer completion dates to suit you, and cash in the bank in as little as a week.

When to donate

Donating unwanted items to charity is a great way to find a new home for them without the hassle of selling them. Plus, you get the warm glow of doing something for a good cause! Oxfam is a great option for donating as you can either take items to one of their standard shops or specialist bookshops or donate by post for free.

It’s normally a good idea to call charity shops in advance to check opening times and the kind of donations they are currently taking. If you’re a UK taxpayer, don’t forget to sign up to Gift Aid – it doesn’t cost you anything but means the charity can claim back an extra 25% on everything they sell from HMRC.

When to ditch

Sometimes, despite your best intentions, stuff simply needs to be ditched. If something is broken, dangerous or beyond repair, then it’s okay to let it go and ditch the guilt as well as the item itself.

Take a responsible approach and head to your nearest recycling centre to dispose of things sensibly, recycling as much as possible. Some recycling centres even have reuse shops where they sell things that you might have thought were on their last life.

For sentimental items, think creatively about how to save the memory without hoarding – could you take a picture, for example, to save the memory digitally?

Knowing when to sell, donate, or ditch often comes down to instinct, so don’t be afraid to trust your gut when it comes to decision-making. Try to stay objective and be kind to yourself throughout the decluttering process. Remember, you’re not a bad person if the thing you once loved now lives in a bin bag.