How to Declutter and Organize Sentimental Items (Without Feeling Guilty!)

Going through and getting rid of your belongings is no easy feat — especially when those possessions were once loved, received as a gift, or hold dear memories. However, once something has fulfilled its purpose and no longer serves you or brings up only the bad memories — that’s when it’s time to consider letting it go. 

I won’t lie — today is one of our hardest assignments. We’ll be sorting through items with sentimental value to decide if they are worth keeping or letting go. 

It’s important to acknowledge that this is a tough assignment, so as you go through it, make sure to do only what you can, take breaks when needed, and phone a friend or family member for support.

You’ll be sorting through some (or all) of your “sentimental cutter” and deciding what should stay or go. Dedicate this time to one part of your home that houses lots of these items or all the sentimental things we’ve been gathering these last few decluttering sessions (you should have been putting these items aside!).

Go through closets and take out any boxes filled with items you put away for safekeeping but haven’t seen in a while, bring out the photo albums that need to be re-examined, or take a look at all the sentimental decor that’s on shelves, desks, etc. 

Now, I want you to consider what these objects mean to you and make decisions on it. If you don’t feel 100% about letting something go, then don’t. Consider putting it in your “maybe” outbox or putting another date on your calendar (like six months) to reassess certain items.

You have your ground rules in place if you’d like to apply them here, but you should also consider the following:

• Keeping things that bring back quality memories. You don’t want to look at something that brings unwelcome feelings, like sadness or grief.
• Paring down. For instance, if you have multiple meaningful shirts (like from college, camp, or band), try to limit the selection.
• Getting rid of duplicates. This especially applies to photos. If you have duplicates, consider giving the other one to another person in the photo or discarding it because you already have the memory preserved in one image. You do not need the rest. Here are more tips on decluttering old photos.
• Curating a collection. If you notice you have a large number of items — like cards or mugs — you might want to pick out the best or ones you have the strongest feelings for instead of keeping all of them.
• Repurposing your items. Shirts can become stitched into a giant quilt, ticket stubs can become art pieces, and photos can become bookmarks! Lots of your old things can have new life while holding a smaller footprint in your space.
• Creating “time capsules.” It’s nice to dedicate small shoe boxes to each stage of your life; this can be filled with a selection of objects, and you can get rid of anything that you don’t want to reflect on for each era of your life.
• Keeping what you want. Like I said, if you don’t feel 100% about letting go of something, it is perfectly fine to keep it. Don’t feel like you have to reach a certain amount of things decluttered. Instead, consider it time well-spent reflecting on what matters most to you. 

PRO TIP: When it comes to items of sentimental value, it’s important to store and preserve them the right way. Consider keepsake boxes, storage trunks, or frames.

What did you notice about your sentimental clutter? Tell us in our community forum!

• Sign up for email updates.
• Visit the 2024 Decluttering Cure page and catch up on assignments.
• Download the Decluttering Cure calendar.
• Join the conversation by checking out the Decluttering Cure board in our community forum.
• Check off that you’ve completed this task and track your overall Decluttering Cure progress here!
• See all the winners from our 2024 Organization Awards to get your home organized. 

The Cure Program is a tradition here at Apartment Therapy — it happens every January, April, and September. Click here to learn more about the year-round program and when to sign up.