After spending a lot of time lately decluttering clients’ homes, we’ve decided to add another installment to our “Things You Think You Need But Don’t” series.

Do you still have that sorbet maker that Oprah recommended or that Star Wars waffle iron? Consider this inspiration for your decluttering jumping off point. We dare you to go ahead and donate, dump, shred or recycle any of the items below, which were found recently in our clients’ homes:

Do you have the right size rug for your space? A few inches can make all the difference between a rug pulling the room together or making it feel disjointed. One of the more common decorating dilemmas I hear from clients is choosing an appropriately sized rug.

Help is on the way! Below are some general rules of thumb for helping you determine the best rug size for your space. Of course these are just guidelines; do what works best for your situation and follow your gut.

Moving out of a home can be a daunting task. Whether you are upsizing, downsizing or cleaning out the estate of a loved one, this can be one of the more stressful events in your life. My biggest piece of advice is that your move will go much easier if you organize things BEFORE you move. Toss, recycle, or donate things you don’t need or want in your new space.

With that said, here are 9 hacks to make moving faster, easier and less stressful:

Designing a space can be fun and rewarding but also filled with anxiety and indecision. There are so many apps and programs that offer design inspiration, paint color guidance, renovation ideas and so much more.

Here are a few reasons why you would want to use some of our favorite (and they're free) design tools:

Studies have found that a cluttered space makes us feel overwhelmed and unable to focus. Physical clutter prevents us from using our space optimally while emotional clutter connects us to feelings of guilt. You can make clutter a thing of the past but it starts with recognizing what type of clutter personality you are and learning useful strategies to help deal with that clutter style.

Below are three common types of clutter personalities and some tips to help you organize your home better based on each one. A good rule of thumb is don’t let the meaningless get in the way of the meaningful.

Sometimes you need a little something to invigorate your space. In the past, we have talked about switching out pillows and artwork, adding a plant, painting a new wall color, and even restyling your bookcase. But today we focus on seven, maybe not so obvious, decorating swaps that will spruce up your space with minimal effort and cash.

Let me say this upfront, it’s okay to keep things that serve no practical purpose just because you like them. That said, if your home is cluttered with too much space-hogging stuff, it’s time to decide what stays and what goes. For instance, we have a stack of old, lumpy pillows and a stained comforter in our linen closet for “emergency” purposes. We rarely have overnight visitors, and even if we did, we should probably invest in new bedding for them anyways. I’m sure your local animal shelter would be happy to get those old pillows and comforters.

As a professional organizer and home stylist I can’t stress enough that you truly can’t do anything decoratively until you declutter your space. You can add beautiful things like decor and accessories but if you add them to a cluttered home they will never be able to shine. So to make your space more harmonious, declutter before you start decorating!

Once you have decluttered, where do you begin? Below are four steps to help you create a space you will love:

There are so many organizational products out there that claim to make your life easier and more organized. Putting clutter into containers doesn’t make the clutter go away, but I have found some storage solutions that will help tame the chaos in your space. Many will even inspire you to maintain an organized space.

Earlier this year I highlighted my 10 top all time favorite, tried and true organizational products. Below are these MVPs. To learn more about them, check out our Jan 2020 HSH Digest here.

Are you packing up a household or doing a major decluttering project and find you have a lot of stuff you no longer want or need? Sure there are a lot of general online resources like Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace or eBay where you can sell just about anything, but did you also know there are resale apps out there that allow you to reach a specific audience of buyers? There are great ways to sell your grandmother’s china, a child’s old violin and last season’s designer purse.

Check out these five apps that will help you sell a specific category of items to a specific group of buyers.

Giving your home a fresh coat of paint can help make the place feel brand new or completely different. Though painting seems easy enough, there are quite a few things to consider before starting the painting process. Here are 5 things we recommend you know before you paint.

Back to school season is looking a whole lot different this year. Thanks to the pandemic, the process of going back to school is likely filled with additional challenges and stresses. Whether your child is doing a hybrid option or full time remote learning, here are some back to school organization ideas that will help keep your home organized and running smoothly.

Bookshelves are a huge focal point in a room. They marry storage with style. However, they can quickly turn into a cluttered mess if you just randomly throw in things. There is an art to creating a perfectly styled bookshelf, and we have some simple pointers to help you up your bookshelf styling game:

Organizing, decluttering, and cleaning out is hard. It can be emotional and stressful, even for us professional organizers. Learning to get rid of stuff comes down to examining why you feel the need to hold on to it. We hold on to things for different reasons, but it’s rarely because we truly need them. It may be the emotional attachment to your older children’s toddler clothes or the guilt of throwing away that sweater your friend got you that you never really liked anyways. Here are some of the most common reasons why people have such a hard time letting go of excess clutter and some ways to finally purge yourself of all that stuff weighing you down.

Has anyone else been spending a lot of time looking critically at the inside of their homes over the past few months? Our walls have the power to speak volumes about our personalities. Decorated walls exude a lived-in look. Empty walls are a missed opportunity. Artwork is a fundamental aspect of your home, and it doesn’t have to be expensive. Here are six creative ways to add a finishing touch to your walls:

A huge amount of information lives on our phones. Phones contain our lists, contacts and applications that help us get through our workday and personal lives. And things can get out of control pretty quickly.

Make it your mission to give your phone a spring cleanup. Here are five tips on how to make it less of a distraction, and more of a useful tool:

There is no doubt that we are all spending a lot more time looking at the same rooms every day as we shelter in place. Ready to make your home a little brighter and lighter as springtime approaches? There is a lot you can do to love the home you are in without spending a lot, or any, money. We are here to give you some decor and organizational tips on how to do that. Here are 7 inexpensive and free ways to reinvigorate your home for the upcoming season:

We are all spending more time at home than we are used to. As the turmoil and uncertainty of this virus surround us, we can use this as an opportunity to focus on creating harmony in our living space.

Our homes are our sanctuaries - even more now that we are stuck in them. It is during these times that we need to bring more peace and serenity to our home. We have little control over the outside world but we can control our space. Here are three areas of your home that are instrumental in creating a more nurturing nest. Take a few minutes to scan these areas with a critical eye.

Challenged by what to do with the 1000s of digital photos stored on various devices or the printed photos living in drawers and shoeboxes around your home? This is a task that is often reserved for “later”. But now is the time to get control of those photos and create a way to preserve them for the future.

Before you start it helps to have a “why.” Why are you organizing your photos? Do you want to create an annual family photo album? A collage of images for a milestone birthday? Preserve pictures for future generations?

Start with baby steps.

Our basements can become the dumping ground for all the junk and clutter we think we may need someday. It often is the catch-all spot to store items we just don’t know where to put.

If you are tired of venturing into your basement only to be faced with an overwhelming mess, Home Space Harmony is here to give you a roadmap. We have seen many of our clients struggle with how to organize their basement effectively.

So, get “organize the basement” off your forever to-do list with these three steps that will transform your basement into usable storage space.