Donate, Toss, Upcycle Or Store?

Organising and packing your home can be quite a daunting task so it’s no surprise if you want to throw in the towel and stop halfway or end up tossing most of your items. Here’s our full proof method to help you decide whether you should donate, toss, upcycle or store those items.

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Be realistic

First and foremost, be realistic about your timeframe and goals. Whether you’re planning on doing one room, your shed or the entire house, it's key to remember that you probably won’t finish it all in a day. Set aside a few hours from your week and stick to your ‘clean-out’ schedule to ensure that you finish on time and give yourself the space to take a break from the chaos.

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Get boxes

Before you start, get a few empty boxes or crates and label them with the words “donate, toss, upcycle’ and ‘store’ to ensure that once you unpack something, you know exactly where it needs to go. You can also use black bin bags if you can’t get hold of boxes but make sure to make notes of what you place in the bags since it will be a lot harder to see.

Don’t do it alone

Now that you’ve planned and prodded, it’s time to unpack and categorise! Grab a friend or partner to help you sort through all of your items and make sure that you don’t keep anything that you no longer need. More often than not, we tend to hold onto items due to sentimental value or simply because we hope to use it again. If you struggle with giving things away or clearing out the clutter, then having a friend to help will not only keep you motivated but inspire you to donate or upcycle.

When to toss and donate

We don’t recommend tossing items out as things could always be used so if something is still useable then be sure to put it in your donate or upcycle pile. If items really are broken and ruined, then it would be best to toss - especially if they could be dangerous (like old batteries and broken cutlery).

When adding items to your ‘donate’ pile, make a list of everything in the box as you go. This way, you can provide a list to the charity along with the box and it makes it easier for you to recall if you find yourself looking for that item again.

If there are items worth saving and that you are not ready to get rid of yet, then consider upcycling them. If they can use a fresh coat of paint, then why not give those old chairs a new lease on life? You can also get some beautiful fabrics and a staple gun to upcycle certain furniture pieces with ease.

Time to store

When deciding on what to keep or store, keep it pretty simple and think about the last time you used the item. We recommend thinking seasonally and storing items that are not season appropriate. Depending on the number of items you need to store, Rent-A-Store has got a storage solution for you. Your storage unit is also the perfect place to store pieces of furniture that you can’t quite get rid of or even unused garden and sporting equipment.

Visit this page for more information and to view our array of storage units to suit your needs.