Perhaps, you’re looking at your house and wondering what you’re going to do with all the items that you have accumulated over the years. If you have an idea what to do with the stuff you don’t want anymore or was once held dear, but you no longer have a place to put it, below are tips that will guide you into finding those places to donate along with tips that will help make decluttering your house a snap.

You want to start with writing down your goals so that you don’t get discouraged, planning ahead will keep you on track. Plus, seeing yourself accomplish those goals is a great motivator.

Steps to Organizing and Donating What’s inside Your Home

Step 1. Bedroom Organization

Did you know a study was done in 2010 by Personality and Social Psychological Bulletin that shows women whose homes were cluttered suffered depression more than those who kept their homes organized and neat? Having a clean organized bedroom will promote better sleep.

Begin with shoes and clothes that you don’t wear anymore. Do you have a pair of jeans that you hadn’t been able to wear since college days or a pair of ugly shoes your husband bought, or even a jacket that was fashionable in the eighties? Time to put those things in a box and label it to send to your favorite charity. How about old books that are still in pretty good condition, but you hadn’t read in years? To cut back on the clutter of having so many books, you might consider swapping pages for a kindle device. There are many places where you can donate your old books including libraries, schools, charities.

Now you want to open your bedroom dresser and examine what you really want to keep. You may have developed some sentimental attachment to that faded shirt or those too size too-small jeans. You will always have those memories, you don’t need the extra clutter to go with it.

How about your mattress has it seen better days. It may be time to donate it and buy a new one. Remember you want to check and make sure there are no bed bugs, and that the mattress is in pretty good condition before you pass it on to someone else. Plenty of organizations will take it off your hands if it is in fairly good condition.

Step 2. Kitchen

Your kitchen is one of the most important places in your home. A place where you not only prepare your meals but store things that you probably hadn’t used in years. Think about donating that extra coffee pot or toaster that sits collecting dust from the last time that you used it. Everyone has items that have been forgotten and left to add to the clutter. Grab a box and unload your kitchen of those neglected items. Don’t forget your kitchen drawers and cabinets. Do you have double of the same items or kitchen tools that don’t function properly but still usable? Perhaps, you have extra pots and pans, glasses, utensils or those ugly plates that even your Aunt Rose didn’t want when she gave it to you. Freeing yourself of these items will make your kitchen look more spacious and organized.

Step 3. Bathrooms

Your bathroom is a place where you, family and guests will sooner or later occupy. If you want to make a good impression, you can remove some of those unnecessary items and even donate them. First, think about what you need. Those items should be separate from things that you rarely use. Ask yourself if those items that you want to save are important. If so then you should place them in a separate container marked with the words “save”. All other items will go into your box to donate. Get rid of those extra cosmetic items that you haven’t used by donating them to your local charity. Are there any old towels that you don’t particularly care for anymore considering donating them to your local animal shelter? In addition, those items that you save can be found in a new room in your house other than your bathroom which will save you even more room.

Step 4. Living room

A good tip to remember when adding something new to your living room is to get rid of something old. This rule not only applies to your living room but your entire house. You may not feel as if you have anything that you don’t need in that particular room, but if you examine the room you will find that it is overcrowded with furniture and toys? Is there an old scratched coffee table that you know you no longer care for, or maybe it is time for a new couch? Buying furniture that will serve more than one purpose will free up space. What about donating that old bookcase? Many charitable organizations will take it off your hands. Some organizations even have someone to pick up the furniture so that you don’t have to bring it to them. You may even be able to check online for days that you can schedule to have them pick up the item.

Many charitable organizations offer a list of charities that will take large furniture. Plus, your donations help to increase jobs because charities often hire individuals. What about old toys that your child has outgrown. Instead of taking items that cluttered your living room to a place in your attic or a dumpster think about those charitable organizations that restore old furniture.

Step Five. Closets

Now it is time to tackle that closet. You know the one that if you opened the door, you would find yourself swamped by a pile of clothes. If you haven’t worn an item in six months or more you need to think about donating it. Have a box for donations and another for keeping the clothes you do want. How about shoes? Those shoes that you haven’t worn in a while could go into your donated pile while the rest gets placed inside a storage rack that hangs on your door instead of piled into your closet.

Step Six. Your garage

According to one source, one out of four Americans have too much junk in their garage. We all have things we haven’t seen in years inside our garage. Maybe you have old clothes that you haven’t worn or that box of oldies but goodies records. Label boxes for things you want to keep and things you want to donate and start with one area of your garage. Remember this may take a while but if you create a goal sheet along with setting time at different intervals so that you want to get overly tired, you should have the project finish a lot faster.

Decluttering your homes has amazing benefits for not only you but others around you as well. If you have been meaning to do some major cleaning but feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to start, start by going through the major places in your home: bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, living room, closets, and the garage and look for anything that can be given to charity. Handle one area at a time before moving on to the next. When you declutter your home you make a positive impact on people’s lives as they will be able to find use for the things you consider trash and it gives your house a more spacious feel which often leads to a feeling of being more free mentally. If you want to give back to others, while at the same time feeling more free yourself, then it is time to do some spring cleaning and get reorganized.