Start the new year right by decluttering your home and donating items to the Park City ReStore. Getting rid of items you no longer use or need frees up your home—and, often, your mind. You’ll get a clear inventory of what you have and probably discover some things you’d forgotten about. Best of all, decluttering items that no longer serve you lets other people find things they need and has a positive environmental impact. 

Read on for decluttering tips and more motivation to get you started!
 

Decluttering Made Easy

Sorting through your belongings can seem overwhelming, but once you get started, you’ll be surprised at how easy and satisfying it is. These four tips will keep you on task and help you make good progress.
 

1. Start small.

If the thought of tackling the clutter in your entire home sounds too daunting, start small. Do one room at a time or even a section of a room at a time—one closet, drawer, or shelf. Set a timer for 15 or 30 minutes, or however long you think you can focus on the task before needing a break. 
 

2. Sort into piles.

As you go through your items, you’ll find things you want to keep, donate, or throw away. You may also find things you aren’t sure what to do with. Those items can go in a maybe pile that you’ll tackle after you’ve sorted through everything else. Seeing what else you have can help you turn a maybe into a clear keep or donate.

3. Assess the personal value.

As you determine whether to keep each item, ask yourself questions to help you decide:

• Do you have a clear use for it? 
• Do you have a place to keep it? 
• Have you used it recently? 
• Would you buy it again? 
• Do you have too many other things like it? 
• Are you keeping it because you’ll actually use it or because you have a sentimental attachment to it?

There’s nothing wrong with keeping some sentimental items that remind you of a favorite person, place, or time in your life. But you can’t, and shouldn’t, keep everything. With some items, it may be enough to just take a photo of the item (create a special photo folder on your phone!) and then pass the product along to someone who can really use it.

4. Keep clutter contained.

To keep from getting overwhelmed by future clutter, create a system that works for you. You could follow the “one in, one out” rule where you donate one item for every new similar product you bring into your home. Or keep a container in your closet or garage for future ReStore donations. If you pull something out and decide you no longer have a use for it, put it in your container. Once that bin is full, bring your ReStore donations to the store.

Why You Should Make ReStore Donations

Whether you want to contribute to your community or reduce your carbon footprint, donating to the ReStore makes a big impact. Your donations directly fund Habitat’s Homeownership Program, which helps families working in our counties obtain stable housing and pay an affordable mortgage. As a result, you support the economic stability of your community.

There are also environmental benefits to making ReStore donations. You keep usable items out of landfills, reduce the local manufacturing demand for new items, and reduce emissions from the manufacturing process. To manufacture new items, it takes raw materials, energy, and water, plus new packaging to distribute and sell them. Extending the life cycle of items that are already made and in use maximizes the resources of those products and spreads out the carbon cost of each item across a longer time and more users.
 

How to Donate

Review this list of accepted donation items. You can drop off your donations at the Park City ReStore at 6280 Silver Creek Drive or schedule a time to have your donations picked up. Donation drop-off is available Monday through Saturday, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.