Keepsakes and sentimental items are one of the toughest categories to try to declutter, by far. These are the items we’ve attached memories and emotions to, bringing us back to a time/person/place that holds great meaning to us. When we get asked to assist clients in downsizing or decluttering, we know this category will be the hardest to deal with for the majority of clients.

A question we frequently get asked is “how much sentimental stuff is too much?” As in, what is a ‘reasonable’ amount of memorabilia to keep long-term? The answer isn't straightforward - it will vary depending on the amount of storage space available to house the items, what type of item is being stored (i.e. photos, trinkets, a large rocking horse, a piece of furniture, etc.), as well as what a “reasonable” amount consists of to each person. In short, the answer will be different for everyone.

If you’re wanting or needing to downsize and facing concerns over your sentimental items, the first place to start is looking at the amount of storage space you have at your disposal. Do you live in a house with a large storage room with plenty of space available? Or do you live in a small condo with next to no storage space for your everyday items, let alone any kind of memorabilia? Take stock of how much available storage space you have, outside of the items you absolutely can’t live without, and you’ll have an idea of the amount of sentimental items you’d be able to house.

Next, figure out what type of items you’re wanting to store. Are the items large, small, heavy, light, fragile, bulky, etc. For items like photographs, the easy answer is to have them digitized, then dispose of the physical photos. Another option would be to create photo/coffee table books, calendars, collages, etc., which are great for those of us who love to look through photos on a regular basis - plus they look great! For things like furniture or larger, bulkier items that take up a lot of room, we love taking photos of these items and putting them into a digital album or, again, a photo book of some sort. The idea in doing so is to keep the memory attached to the item, but not the burden attached to its physical size.

If you’re simply too practical and want the item(s) repurposed, thereby extending their usable life, there are many options available. You can sell or consign the item(s), knowing only someone who is genuinely interested will buy it. You can donate the item(s) to a local charitable donation centre (if available), which will ultimately help raise money for the charity, as well as ensure the item is displayed for as many eyes to see as possible before getting purchased. You can also check with your family members/friends, if this is an option, to see if they’d like to take ownership of the item(s), in which case you’ll rest assured knowing it’ll be appreciated. A favourite option of ours is to repurpose sentimental items into something completely new and different - for example, using a loved one’s piece of clothing and using it to make a stuffed animal for a family member, or a cushion for the couch, or a blanket, which will be a reminder of their loved one any time it’s used.

Another thing to consider when contemplating storing your sentimental items is whether other people in the home need to do the same thing. Do you have a spouse that also likes to collect memorabilia? Do you have children with accompanying baby items that are just too tough to let go of yet? Do you have a parent living with you that needs space to store their belongings, or perhaps you’ve inherited the belongings of a family member who’s passed away? It’s important to look at these higher level questions to see what exactly you need to store versus what you may simply want to store. This may make the task of downsizing seem even more daunting, knowing you may not have room for all of it in the end, in which case, priorities will need to be made. If the idea of prioritizing seems too overwhelming, consider hiring a professional organizer. We are trained in assisting with the process of downsizing and decluttering, making the decision-making process much easier and less stressful.

A favourite tip we tell clients is to decide on a “reasonable” amount of sentimentals to store, then sticking to it, no matter what. For example, if you live in a home with a small storage room that happens to have a small area of space available, we’d “reasonably” assess that the client could keep 2 or 3 mid-sized storage containers full of sentimental items. Once those bins are full, no more sentimental bins may be added. If an item is found later on that is deemed worthy of being stored in those bins, something else inside the bins already needs to be taken out in order to fit the new item in. This means the sentimental items category never grows out of control and it forces you to prioritize based on the space you have rather than your desire to keep too much memorabilia. 

Again, if all of this seems overwhelming and you just can’t think of where to start, just remember these two tips:

• It’s not the item itself that you want to keep, it's the sentiment / memory / feeling you get when you see/touch it. If the item and its associated sentiment can live on in picture-form, think about digitizing it so you can keep the memory and free up space at the same time. If the item can be turned into something wholly new, like a blanket or a cushion, look into options to make this happen. Donating an item to charity also ensures its continued usefulness with someone who will appreciate it.
• The amount of space you have available to store your sentimental items will determine how much of it you should “reasonably” keep. If you have next to zero space available, obviously you’ll likely want to prioritize the items you need on a regular basis rather than items you only look at every so often. If you have plenty of storage space and aren’t cramped for space, then you can “reasonably” keep more memorabilia stored.

We hope you found this helpful! And as always, if you need help decluttering your home, our team is here to help you.