Whether you are doing your own clean up, or hiring a junk removal company, reducing clutter and removing junk can be an overwhelming task. But junk removal is a fairly easy process once you remove emotions from the equation and set yourself to the task. Here are 10 Junk Removal Tips. 

10. Pick a day and stick to it. Too often people say, Oh, I’ll clean out my X (garage, basement, etc) Saturday. And Saturday comes and you realize that the Lakers game is on, and the kids want to go see that new movie, and and and … When it comes to junk removal and decluttering doing it is half the battle. So pick a date and stick to it.

9. Approach junk removal with the cold eyes and cold heart of a killer… We get really attached to stuff we buy. In the age of consumerism the products we buy, for better or worse, define us. Even if its stuff we don’t use anymore. So when you begin a junk removal process take your emotions off the table. Like at your stuff like well just stuff.

8. Always question yourself. As you start going through years of old junk and clutter, constantly ask yourself, Do I need this? Do I use this? Will I use this in the next couple of days? Have I used this in the last two weeks? If I throw this away will it cost me a lot of money to replace? If the answer is mostly No throw it away.

7. Use trash bags and boxes. Organize your junk, clutter, and items you are going to save into trash bags or boxes. This will make it easy to haul away.

6. Make three piles. When you are doing your own junk removal make three piles: one pile labeled Keep, one pile labeled: Donate, one pile labeled: Garbage Recycle. Make sure the garbage and donation piles are larger than the keep pile.

5. Be aware of toxic materials. You cannot put paint, household cleaners, and automatic fluids in the normal trash. Some junk removal companies may take away hazardous materials, a lot of junk removal companies will not dispose of hazardous materials. 

4. Start small. If you have a lot of junk to remove and clutter to dispose of start small. Either in one particular area, the smallest room, or maybe even a closet. 

3. Start slow. People often jump right into the middle of a mess and become instantly discouraged, then give up. Clutter doesn’t accumulate overnight and junk will probably not be removed in a day. So start slow. Give yourself time and maybe a couple of days.

2. If you are donating, do it same day. A lot of people pull down clothes out of the closet, bag them up, and then never make it to the charity of their choice. The stuff goes back into the garage or into the basement. So if you have a lot to donate to charity do it on the day of your junk removal. If you have friends help you, give one the task of making periodic runs to your charity’s drop off center.

1. Recruit your friends and make it a party. Friends make everything better, including cleaning up so recruit some friends and turn your junk removal into a party!