Declutter Archives

A green armchair by a bedroom window with a small side table holding only a lamp, reading glasses and one book

Decluttering for the Life I’m Living Now (Not Just for Someday)

“Grandma, what do you do all day?” My younger granddaughter asked me that on a Saturday afternoon. She wasn’t being rude. She really wanted to know. I opened my mouth …

A floral couch beside a side table holding a lamp, reading glasses, a remote, a phone and a mug of tea

Decluttering the Living Room When You’re Over 60 (Start From Your Own Chair)

Every fall, once it starts getting dark before supper, our living room turns into the busiest room in the house. That’s where we eat our popcorn and watch the news. …

A worn wooden rocking chair with a crocheted throw by a living room window with sheer curtains

What to Do With Old Furniture When Your Kids Don’t Want It (Without the Guilt)

Last month, my daughter sat down in the old rocking chair by our living room window. She gave it one slow push with her foot, the same way I used …

A linen closet with neat stacks of towels and sheets and a handwritten list taped inside the door

How Many Mugs, Towels and Sheets Do You Really Need After 60? (Forget the Magic Number)

A number on a list can’t know who sits at your table. That was my first thought when I saw a decluttering list that said to keep six mugs. Six …

Old appliance and car manuals in two piles on a kitchen table, with warranty cards, receipts and a coffee mug

Owner’s Manuals and Warranties for Things We Don’t Own Anymore

One skinny folder now holds every manual we need in our house. It used to take a whole desk drawer, and the drawer barely closed. I didn’t throw them all …

Looking down a clear basement staircase with a wooden handrail on each wall and a light at the bottom

Where to Start Decluttering the Basement After 60

There are fourteen steps down to our basement. I know, because for thirty years I carried something down them almost every week. A box of dishes we didn’t need. A …

A crowded closet top shelf with a comforter bag, pillows, a floral hatbox, a navy suitcase and boxes above hanging clothes

The Top Shelf: What’s Up There That I Can’t Safely Reach Anymore

“Please don’t climb up there.” My husband said it from the bedroom doorway. I was on my step stool, up on my toes, reaching for a box at the very …

An open cardboard box on a quilted bed with a white mug, business cards, a lanyard badge, two binders, a framed certificate and greeting cards

What to Clear Out After Retirement: The Work Things You’re Done With

The box is brown, a little crushed on one corner, and taped shut with packing tape that has gone yellow. On the side, in my own handwriting, it says “WORK, …

An aluminum walker in a front hall beside an armchair holding a basket of folded towels, with a rolled-up rug against the wall

Decluttering When You’re Caring for Your Husband: What My Friend Cleared First

This summer, my friend from church was standing in her front hall with a laundry basket on her hip when she started to cry. Her husband had come home from …

A white wall shelf crowded with hand-painted resin teddy bear figurines in dusty blue and burgundy, two plush bears and old figurine boxes

Boyds Bears, Cherished Teddies and Tom Clark Gnomes: What the ’90s Gift-Shop Collectibles Are Worth Now

For more than twenty years, I dusted a shelf of Boyds Bears and told myself they would pay for something nice someday. I bought them one or two at a …