05/08/2026
Why are sentimental items hard to declutter?
The stories behind the items.
Organization Pending’s Downsizing Tips for Adult Children and Their Parents includes:
* home organizing concepts and questions you and your parents can ask to help think about their future space and their items,
* questions to help your parents start thinking about maximum potential downsizing,
* and quick tips for decluttering books and sentimental items.
How to declutter and organize sentimental items
* Declutter blurry photos, unimportant landscapes, duplicates, and photos of unknown people or pets.
* If you can’t write a caption for it, you can let it go.
* Look for timestamps or handwritten dates, writing the month/year on a sticky note, and start organizing!
* Working on a large project? Use envelopes instead of sticky notes for quick storage.
* Implement a sentimental container for each family member, living or deceased. Revisit these containers every 5-10 years, decluttering items that no longer hold meaning, and reincorporating favorites into your daily landscape.
* Schedule Nostalgia Navigator services, a collaboration of Organization Pending & Vintage Solutions: one-on-one support to gather & organize, then preserve your family’s memories through digitization.