By Kevin Doyle | August 05, 2021 | Consumer Reports<\/a> | Get rid of Stuff | Home Insurance<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sealed in a plastic bag in the back of Kris Schwartz\u2019s bedroom closet is the student nurse\u2019s uniform that her mother wore 80 years ago, complete with pinafore and removable cuffs. Her mother\u2019s nursing cape hangs in a downstairs closet, and a journal her mother-in-law kept is safely stashed in the desk drawer of a home office. These relics are just a metaphorical speck in the \u201ctsunami of stuff\u201d Schwartz says she and her husband have accumulated in their Maine home over the decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have loads of books, mementos, baby clothes, and letters from people I\u2019ve forgotten about stuffed in my closets and my cellar,\u201d Schwartz says. \u201cThe garage is so full it\u2019s sometimes hard to get a car into. Most of it serves no purpose or function, but I can\u2019t get rid of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Marie Kondo\u2019s approach to tidying up may have inspired her fans to fold their underwear like origami, but it took a pandemic for many Americans to start to deal with their surfeit of stuff. \u201cA lot of people suddenly needed to find space for two home offices as well as schooling at home,\u201d says Cindy Sullivan, president of the nonprofit Institute for Challenging Disorganization. \u201cThe pandemic definitely contributed to a lot of decluttering.\u201d Many secondhand and resale stores, hauling companies, and professional organizers have reported an uptick in business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For Dawn Castagna, a health industry executive in New York, getting started is the hardest part. \u201cAnalysis paralysis definitely applies to me,\u201d she admits. \u201cMy wife says, \u2018We haven\u2019t used it, so it\u2019s going.\u2019 But I\u2019m like, \u2018Well, I don\u2019t know. Who would be the right person to give it to? Should we sell it?\u2019 And when I\u2019m not sure about the right way to get rid of something, I just stop.\u201d If you\u2019re facing similar struggles, these three questions can help jump-start the process:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. Do you really need it? <\/strong>Anything you don\u2019t use or have multiples of can probably go. \u201cNobody needs 18 spatulas,\u201d Ferrari says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Can you easily replace it? <\/strong>Amanda Scudder, MSW, a professional organizer in Richmond, Va., recommends the $20\/20-minute rule: Anything that would cost $20 or less and take 20 minutes or less to acquire again can probably go without creating much regret.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. If you’re not using it now, will you want it in five or 10 years? <\/strong>\u201cIf it\u2019s already in storage, ask yourself why you need to keep it,\u201d says Amy Tokos, president of the National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You also want to start small. Instead of tackling the garage, start with clothes. \u201cOnce you see how much lighter and more energized you feel after decluttering your wardrobe,\u201d Scudder says, \u201cyou can take that energy into tougher categories.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ferrari recommends not handling anything you\u2019re considering getting rid of. \u201cIt\u2019s better to have a friend or professional organizer hold it up for you,\u201d he says. \u201cOnce you touch it, you\u2019re more likely to keep it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nRule 1: Get Ready to Let Go<\/h2>\n\n\n\n