Decluttering Momentum is KEY for Sentimental Clutter 

My two LOL moments were "If you see this in a later video, then I changed my mind" and "I don't type here. I don't know why I did that..." Thanks for the giggles!

It took Dana 12 years to let go of the music box! "Go declutter something easy! SKIP things that are sentimental if they are too hard! Get some momentum going !" Love this! Thank you for your honesty and wise words, Dana! So, so helpful !

I have kept a wedding vase (which was a wedding gift) for almost 30 years, mainly because it's also in my favorite color. However I had a falling out with the person who gave it to me....20 years ago!!! Everytime I look at the vase I am reminded of how she betrayed me! Lately, I've finally felt ready to get rid of it despite the fact that its pretty. Its ugly inside. 🙃

I love you Dana. “I don’t want to talk about it”. Lol. We have soooo many unfinished projects in our house. Thank you Lord, I’m not alone.

I know this video is years old, but I'm really glad you made it, because I needed this today. I have followed you since you were Nony and only had the blog, and my house is now decluttered and *gasp* welcoming to others, which I NEVER thought would happen. But I have 3 sewing machines from my Granny, who passed away in 2015 and was my favorite person on the planet...3 sewing machines...and I don't sew. And my husband reminds me of this on occasion. But they still make me emotional when I think of getting rid of any of them. And now I know that is OK! Our house is so much better than it has ever been; I have clean horizontal surfaces and empty drawers! And your experience gives me hope that someday I will look at them differently. Thank you for what you do every day!

Second video of yours tonight that has really hit home with me. My mom died 9 years ago, and I still have pretty hardcore grief going on, but once I started decluttering better in my house and getting big chunks done (hello, closets!), I decided I would finally go through her stuff. I made myself a promise that if it got too upsetting for me, I'd stop and try again some other time. It wasn't as bad as I thought. I went from 2 huge boxes down to 1/2 a box. But there's still a lot of pictures left because I went through it so fast. I'm holding on to that stuff to declutter again later so I can gain more ideas about what the use the things are. Some I'll keep forever that nobody could ever understand, like 3 of my mom's shirts, but a lot more pics need to go and there are probably some other things I can get rid of because I can get a second look at it all. The momentum was the biggest helper! I'm one of those people who are like "this needs to be done right now or I will never get it done." I didn't stop and ruminate or get distracted, I just kept going. She taught me to clean and loved it, so I think about her every time I clean. Decluttering is different, though, because she was the personification of minimalism and I'm not. So I had a little to get rid of the last time we moved, but it wasn't much at all. Sorry for the long post, I just did that 2 days ago and l don't think anyone else gets it.

And I love correcting yourself from "I thought of" to "No, my brain thought of..." Gosh yes my mind has a mind of its own! I lost momentum and really needed help. Thanks!!

"there's never an end to decluttering" true. I'm focusing on progress or my life will stop until perfection is reached... But I rarely finish projects though 🤔

Omg! I always get frustrated because for me everything is sentimental but, not everything really is, so I try to put that in my mind when cleaning but I just can't and I'm tired of that.

FYI - I love the “end credits” but they’re hard to read/altogether buried by the thumbnails suggesting other videos! Maybe paste them into the info/drop down space as well 🤔🤷‍♀️😎

I look forward to all of your videos! I love how you discuss the thoughts behind your decluttering process! That is so incredibly helpful for me. Decluttering has always been stressful for me, but you have simplified it for me to where it is so fun now! And…you always make me “laugh out loud” and I love that. Thank you for all you do!

Decluttering momentum is so true. Also, after decluttering one item, the next one you look at differently. Good stuff!

Thank you for saying to skip the paralysing things until you are ready. So many advisors tell you to start with the hard stuff or even shame you if you don't. They don't know about kinds of executive dysfunction because of mental health issues, the reason so many people fail at getting their home in order.

It feels so freaking great !!! To declutter everything. So good! When you realize thede things keeps you in the past rather than focus on the now- with the loved ones in the heart, you reached the freedom! I really thought i didnt have any clutter at all, but decided to go in on a full roll once again, hopefully last one, and only in my bathroom /shower/ washingmachine room i had A FULL GIANT of the giant trashbag of just crap!! I am now moving onto my sentimentals like pictures and have over 60.000. Its a process. I made a plan tho for something to do with parts of my sentimentals, im making it into a delicate modern decore and scrap the rest. Its actually ok. I dont need it. Nonone does. This proces also makes purchases so much easier to simply skip.

I love your videos and appreciate the mix of firm advice and gentle humor. Smiles...

I had the exact same ironing boards and came to the opposite solution. I had my mom's ironing board that was very heavy-duty and tired-looking, I thought that the on-the-door ironing board would be so handy. Well, I hated it . My doors are old and are solid wood but also thinner than the modern doors, so the ironing board had some wiggle to it plus if I was doing a big clothes ironing it was on the closet door so it was unhandy to be opening and closing the door to put ironed clothes in and out. I repainted my mom's old board and got a new matching cover and it is useful and a bit sentimental too.

Hello 😊 I'm a fairly new subscriber and really enjoy your very helpful and inspirational videos. I so relate with your ironing story. I loved ironing when I was little and even had my own ironing board that looked like my mother's and was fully functional . I also had a child's iron that actually had an electric cord and heated up to a warm temperature. As a teen, I loved ironing my clothes as well as anyone else's in the family. I loved using spray starch and even had a soda bottle with a cork and metal sprinkler stopper to dampen the laundry, put them in a pillow case, chill them in the fridge for a few hours or overnight, making it easier to iron out wrinkles which I preferred over a steam iron. I still find ironing very relaxing and since I wear a lot of cotton, there's that lovely scent of clean cotton steaming under the iron. I no longer have those ironing items. My mom was a minimimist homemaker which was probably because we had to move so often as well as she just thought the house looked much more relaxing and easier to clean. Your thoughts and experiences concerning decluttering sentimental items are very true in my life, too. I want to add that even though I have nothing from my childhood because of my mom's determination not to hang on to things except our baby books full of all the baby memories as well as photos, I still have wonderful memories of my toys, dolls, books, clothes and much more as well as seeing a lot of these things in photos and making me smile or stirring up conversations with family just reminiscing. My point being, it really is okay to let items go. There are a few things I do hold on to like old letters that document my husband's parents'' time on a 10 month mission trip to Africa, love letters, my journals and other items that really do have significance in keeping them. Linda (Texas)

OMG! I have an ironing board too! I bought mine in 1965 for $1.00 at a Goodwill Store in Brunswick, Ohio. It was one of the very first household purchases I made after I got married. Now we are moving to our retirement home and this all-wood ironing board needs to go. Your video was a blessing. Thanks

I actually had to get mad at myself for things that are "useful" and not sentimental and "cast" them away from me ... when I did that initial chuck, it liberated me and I was able to build on that . Thanks for what you do !

Thank you for being so real, open, and honest! Your videos are helping!! 🥰

Makes complete sense....and. I have to agree...that decluttering momentum really does work!😃

If you still have the old ironing board that your mom gave you it could be fun to use the cover that was on that board and fit it to the one on your door for the best of both worlds 🥰 Just a thought. Thanks for the video!

Thank you Dana! This was very helpful. I agree that now that I have done a lot of decluttering I feel ready to tackle some sentimental items. Thank you for showing that it is ok to keep sentimental things until you are ready to part with them. Your honesty with your own things helps me. Thank you

It's so nice to watch your vids and feel validated. My tribe! 😉 Thanks for being so helpful for those of us who are perfectly imperfect and real. Also, you look terrific in that color!

Currently sitting in my storage unit listening to your video, getting ready to release a bunch of sentimental things. Thank you. ❤

I’m excited to try this! Thanks for all your information and insights on how to make this easier for the sentimental people like me!

I just love you! I love your books! They have been immensely helpful! I feel like you’ve been in my head space because everything you say is so relatable! Thanks for all the encouragement and just incredibly practical and doable advice!!

So helpful! Great tip! Take pics of sentimental items and put them in a scrapbook with a brief explanation. That way you can get just as much pleasure with the memories and can leave those memories behind for descendants when you pass away. Objects mean nothing to descendants without the accompanying stories. I asked my mother to put notes in her teacup collection as to whose they were and where they came from. I still have it but have no idea whether they were my greatgrandmother’s or she bought them at an estate sale.

I loved ironing as a kid, too. I still love it. I even iron my pillow cases. I iron when there is a tornado warning. I go to laundry room for safety. And wallah! Time to iron. And it reduces my stress. I listen to podcasts or RU-vid and make so much progress. Thanks for all your great advice. You're awesome. 😺

I've been bingeing on your videos lately and they're all very inspiring, but this one is particularly touching because I have a terrible memory and am very sentimental about things from my childhood. Which I have a LOT of. So true though, I had a friend help declutter the garage a few days ago and now I've been doing things inside my apartment automatically.

I would really appreciate a future video on holiday decor that needs "decluttering." I need to go through mine and it's just not easy. Any suggestions, much appreciated.

My aunt gave me a very similar music box when I was little. If I find it in my decluttering, I may be tempted to keep it because it reminds me of Heidi and I like the ideal of the old mill house. BUT, I have decided that I will not. It probably was broken many years ago and discarded, but, if it wasn't, I will not keep it. I have not seen it in over 30+ years, I do not need to see it. And, if I want to, I can always watch your video again.

Something I’ve decided to do to help with momentum is to keep a tally sheet of what I declutter. I have general groups to make it simple and so I can feel good about accomplishing something… it’s easy to feel defeated if the closet is still to full etc. I needed something that documents I have made progress and is easy. I still have more to do, but I have done something… some clutter has left my house.

Same exact music jewelry box from my childhood (my dad gave it to me). I finally cleaned it took picture for me to keep as a memory and then sold it on Ebay. Vintage sells on Ebay and now someone else can enjoy it! Yes and mine still worked, it played The Lonely Goathard from The Sound of Music.

Dana..I HAVE got to tell you I have watched all your videos and listened to the audio books of yours. LOVED them both! BTW just for saying I am 71 years young? and have decluttered off and on for 3 out of 4 years...your things that helped me the most are to declutter things right where they are and deal with it right then and there., take care of it....also your "making it better" is great too because too many of us thought to do a good job we had to stay at it and suffer...but thats not true either. As I came across things I didn't think I wanted to let go of YET..I just put it back in its place and in all cases in 2 or 3 days I had thought about it and it was fine to let it go. Love your sense of humor, love everything about you..ty soo much for helping all of us!

Reid, could you make your funny bits at the end scroll more slowly please, I can’t read that quickly!

I am in process of decluttering and I had a patchwork quilt my mom gave me when I was first married and it was worn out and as I am going thru my place at this time it is missing 😭 I finally realized it fell apart and my mom could not repair it and she got rid of it for me. Sometimes we have to just let go and it will be OK 👌🏻 and I remember that is a memory to hang on and item has moved on. 😍

I totally get how those items would be sentimental! Just hearing you describe them made me not want to see you let go of them 😅 I'm trying to ignore my own sentimental items like those until I get rid of the non-sentimental first, but there are so many things- I remember where each item came from, who gave it to me and when, and it's hard to let go. I guess I'm afraid I'll forget those memories/people if I don't have the items to remind me.

Dana you are so AMAZING!!!!!!! You and your books and podcasts and videos are helping me change my whole house!!! Thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!! The ironing board thing from your Mom is so sweet, but that one on the wall- priceless!! 💛

Omg! I have that jewelry box!! I still adore it. It always makes me happy! It's staying!

Love this! It's so true. Now that I've started and think of your video about "better" I'm making a lot of progress, and my mentality is really changing!

Great video! I clicked as soon as I saw the Swiss Chalet music box. My Grandpa brought one for me when he traveled to Switzerland. I kept it for several decades, but eventually was able to part with it. I have four ironing boards, and I only iron when I sew. I would like to replace all of them with one of those wool ironing mats that is sold for quilting, but they are pretty pricey. It would probably be worth the cost. I have a wood ironing board that was my Grandma’s, a full-size one that was my Mom’s, and two small tabletop ones (one that I bought, and one that was Mom’s). Mom loved to iron, but I’m careful not to buy anything that needs ironing. I need to stop being sentimental about utilitarian items that take up a lot of space. Patti

Dana I so relate to you! Thanks! Also, that shirt is an amazing color for you and very slimming!😘

I also have ironing memories, my grandma taught me how to iron dress shirts, pleats, collars, cuffs, ironing the items inside out, learning about starch, linen, cotton, silk, blended fabrics, steam, no steam, low temp, high temp. Today I do not iron. Ever. Simply because I just don't care about mildly wrinkled clothes & my daily dress is casual.

I'm still struggling with the potential for regret of having decluttered a sentimental item that you now wish you still had

Your videos are the best. Thank you for being so real and being so hilarious with how you present your easy to follow decluttering tips. Your sense of humor is the best- you make decluttering fun 😊💕

I really enjoy your videos! If you have a story about something that you are getting rid of you can always take a photo and write a story about the memory (can be on the back of the photo) or scrapbook in a photo album to record the memory so it's not forgotten as time goes on.

Such great advice! I always love reading the comments from you and Reid at the end. They make me chuckle every time!

Thank you so much, this has really helped I started decluttering some drawers. I am throwing out bits and pieces that should have gone ages ago! The sentimental items I do find difficult so I now know/feel this can be done later. Some of it is overwhelming but I will do the immediate non-sentimental stuff first which is a giant step! Thank you again.

Oh my goodness, I had that same music box! Actually, my older sister had one when we were young, and I always loved it. After I was married, I saw one in an antique store (I know!), and I mentioned it to my husband. So later he surprised me and bought it. While I loved the sentiment, I didn’t want the music box but I couldn’t get rid of it because it was so sweet of him! (I finally did though)

Your books are amazing. I refer back to them even now. READ THEM. It will make a huge difference.

I absolutely live your sad ironing board picture. 😂

This is where I'm at! Awesome video!! It is just what I needed!! Thank you 😊!!!!!

You are hysterical and very helpful!!!

Thank you for being so real! ❤️🏆

Love, love, love this video. There is hope for me to get rid of my grandmother’s Havilland China that is over 100 years old.

I'm sitting here in tears, trying to think of something "easy". I am not just a person of clutter, I am a sort of organized hoarder. I'm a future buyer. Now I know that somewhere that is probably a sin, but surely God will forgive me when I pull the necessary 'thing' out of a stack and say, "YES!, I have one, and it still works!!" Anyway thank you Dana, I have watched 3 of your videos in a row, and I just had to stop. I wont give up though, and I will keep trying to find a starting place. Thank you, and oh yes, I also have your book, soft copy and hard copy! :)

The editor comments at the end are still cracking me up! I always have watched to the end, but these comments are so much fun!

Never iron anymore. Gave the iron and board to my son. Problem solved. 🌞

After my mom passed away, I lugged her old, ugly clunky ironing board 750 miles to our home in another state. I do not iron and never used it. It sat in the garage for a few years. I realized that I had memories of my mom ironing and it felt comforting. After I had this epiphany, I got rid of the ironing board.

Oh my life love this video!! I literally just got rid of my big ironing board 🙃 because I don't iron!! Extremely rarely! So I have decided when/if I miss it il get a nice little one. I'm now eyeing up the iron to be gone lol 😆😂 I hate ironing! A towel on the table or floor if I absolutely have to.

LOL! I have that same music box! Had it since third grade and yes, it is impossible to dust. But I'll never get rid of it.

decluttering momentum we build or muscles. So helpful

This was soooo helpful!! Thank you!!

Thanks Dana 😊

Soooo helpful !!! Thank you ! 💕💕💕

No way!! OMG ! I have the same musical box from Switzerland!! I have it in my shelf and I am debating whether to keep it. It does get dusty all the time.

I have that music box my mom gave me when I was 12 and recently I found a smaller one shopping with my mom the other day. We are a lot older now. She is 82💝

Can’t watch you without laughing AND without getting some GREAT inspiration. “I don’t want to talk about it.” 😂😂😂😂😂

10:05 Editor of the year! I really felt how she felt.

Thanks for the encouragement! My mom had one of those music boxes too, I loved playing with it!

I have the exact same music box given to me by my Grandmother. Amazing to see how many others had or have one too! For a minute, I thought Dana and I were the only ones who still had ours, until I read all the comments! 😊

I’am sentimental to my mother ‘s iron board too! Growing up I would hang out with my mother while she iron had heart to heart talks more like bugging her I need to uncluttered the stuff off the iron board

You are amazing! So helpful, finally someone that can help me. Thank you!

I love the little iron! So cute! And that would probably be enough for me as well. I also have an historical ironing board. GDR make. I think the core is actually wood, maybe somebody actually replaced the original with that, not sure. I have a couple of pads on it I think to make it softer. It works just fine! I would definitely be very careful about putting it out for hot dishes or something like that! But for an ironing board it works fine and it’s actually less bulky and not as heavy as what Dana had.

I had the exact same one. It was a gift from grandmother. I loved it as a kid but I let it go a long time ago

Sentimental items, like the little projects your kids do at school for Mum day? Well, you take a good few pictures of them, or even make a video, you store the images on your favourite cloud (better of in a folder ad hoc) and then you say goodbye to the items. The end

I've done this except with the people in my life 😂 like ohh we were friends as teenagers... But now we're so different, goodbye! 😂

My husband has that same exact music box! My kids love it and use it now.

I had totally forgotten about having a music box like that when I was a kid...don’t remember when I got rid of it, but it was fun seeing yours! 😀😀

I have that SAME music box! My grandmother got it for me when she went on a European trip. It ended up on a high shelf in my house. For now.

My mother died in 2013. I don't have much from her save for a Chiefs hoodie, a Bible and 3 pairs of her socks. I don't get rid of Bibles and the hoodie I'll wear. But the socks! Of all things that STILL trip me up! They live in the back of a drawer and never get used but I still can't bear to let them go!

You are SO funny! Lol! I really got sad about the music box & jug. I know. Where does that come from? But the ironing board, I felt heartless about, even though you did have an incredible sad face look going there. Thank you, Dana!

I had that exact same music box when I was a teenager!!! I loved it as a girl but I got rid of it when I went to college. 🥰🥰🥰

Love those "end credits"...I always slow down the video so that I can read them in full. Didn't notice either the light switch cover, nor the saloon doors but went back to see them after the credits. haha! M

I literally iron my clothes on the floor /carpet. Got rid of my ironing board 20 years ago! 😂Maybe I can do that with all the other junk in my house!!

I didn't even notice the cowboy door and light switch until I went back to look for them after reading the credits 😜

I know that watermill music box!! Someone in my family had one :)

Great advice!

Thank you Dana! That is soooo helpful! 🙌🏻💜

Thankyou for all seriously good advice amongst the funniest facial expressions 🥰😘

I love this!

This is so true! Thank you!

Hmm the caption at the end, made me go what cowboydoor??? Now i have to go back and see if i Spot it🤣💕

I just went through that a couple years ago with my mom's old ironing board. It was heavy, but stable, and could be set up at a lower level that let me sit down while ironing, like I did as a child when I ironed my dad's handkerchiefs. But over the years it had gotten bent so the top tilted down on one side toward the user, and the iron couldn't be trusted not to slip off it you put it down. It was still horribly wrenching to let go of (still in my mother's house). The ones that sold when I got married were so much more flimsy, and one of the rubber feet came off and couldn't be replaced, so it is always rickety to use and one foot has to be propped with the proper size prop or it unbalances another way.

Great video

I wish the credits rolled slower so we could read them more easily. Or is that a sneaky RU-vid trick to make us go back & view again? 😉

I have the SAME hanging ironing board - that I rarely use.

so true!

Why did I feel stress when you talked about getting rid of your ironing board? Mine holds no sentimental value, and I don’t need to get rid of mine. I think I may have a problem… 😕🙄😆