Declutter your home in January.
What to keep, what to let go, what to tell.
After the holidays the house is full: new presents, old boxes, a year's worth of paperwork. January is the right month to make space. With a simple method, one room a week, and extra care for the objects that have a story.
To declutter your home in January, split the work over four weeks, one area at a time, and use four boxes: keep, give away, recycle, tell. The last one is for objects you no longer use but that have a story: photographing them and writing down the memory lets you let them go without losing them.
Clutter weighs more than it seems
A team of researchers led by Joseph Ferrari of DePaul University in Chicago surveyed adults who struggle to keep their homes in order. When clutter builds up, it chips away at well-being and at the feeling of being at home. And, as Ferrari puts it, “clutter gets in the way of relationships”.
responses, just under, collected by the study on objects, clutter and the feeling of home.
The same study points out something important: we feel at home partly because we recognise ourselves in our things. Decluttering doesn't mean throwing everything away, but choosing what truly tells the story of who we are.
You don't need to keep everything. You need to remember why it mattered.
Four boxes to help you decide
Keep
What you use, need and enjoy. Everything has a place: if it doesn't, find it one straight away.
Give away
Clothes, books, toys in good condition. To a friend, a charity, someone who needs them.
Recycle
What's broken, expired or worn out. Separate paper, plastic and electronics properly.
Tell
Objects you no longer use but that have a story: your child's first drawing, grandma's mug. Photograph them and write down the memory.
One room a week, for four weeks
- Week 1: hallway and wardrobes. Coats, shoes, bags. Keep only what you've worn this winter or will wear in spring.
- Week 2: kitchen. Cupboards, duplicate pans, odd mugs. Check the dates and free up a shelf.
- Week 3: desk and paperwork. Bills, contracts, warranties. Sort into “keep” and “bin”, and write down where the important things are. Ideas in the Instructions for your family guide.
- Week 4: the memory drawer. Photos, letters, cards, drawings. Nothing gets thrown away here: you choose, photograph and tell.
Six questions to decide what to keep
What to do with objects that have a story
The first baby tooth, the ticket from a first concert, a primary school report. These are the hardest objects, because they're useless and worth so much.
Photograph them
Against a plain background, in good light. A photo takes up no space and doesn't fade.
Write a couple of lines
Who gave it to you, when, why it matters. Without the story, in twenty years it will just be an object.
Keep the best
Choose a few truly special things and give them a place of honour: a beautiful box, a shelf.
For old photographs you'll find more tips in the Old family photos guide.
Objects go, stories stay
Photograph the objects you let go, record their story and put it in a capsule. It will reach the people who'll treasure it, on the day you choose. And in the Instructions capsule you can write down where the important things at home are.
Gather
Photos of the objects, an audio message telling their story, the letters you found in the drawer.
Choose who will receive it
Yourself, your children when they're grown up, your partner. Nobody needs to download anything: a personal, secure link arrives.
Choose the day
A birthday, an anniversary, next January.
Erabox keeps your memories on servers in Switzerland and delivers them on the day you chose, even many years from now.
Decluttering your home: common questions
Can't find your answer? Write to us from the Support page.
Guides to go further
Make space at home.
Leave room for memories.
Gather the stories of the objects that matter and choose when they arrive.