10 Experts Shared Their Decluttering Regrets — Here's What They Said
It’s the time of year when many households are trying to eliminate excess and get their lives organized and in better order. But in the midst of decluttering, you might end up getting rid of something you actually wanted to keep instead. I reached out to experts to see if they have any decluttering regrets. Here’s what they said.
Sentimental Items
“My biggest organizing regret is that I disregarded any emotional attachment I had to certain items that I ended up getting rid of or donating,” shares Christina Giaquinto, professional organizer and brand ambassador of Modular Closets. Giaquinto cautions that when you do go on a decluttering spree, make sure to be mindful of anything sentimental. “If you are decluttering and organizing and come across items that have sentimental value to you, take an extra moment to consider whether you would later on regret getting rid of them before you toss them into the donate pile. This can prevent any guilt in the future,” says Giaquinto.
Clothing That Comes Back into Fashion
For productivity and organizing expert Jane Stoller, one of her biggest regrets is getting rid of clothing too fast. Stoller would toss anything she didn’t wear for a year, but realized this was too short of a time for her. For instance, she gave away flared bell-bottom jeans in 2007 that are now back in style. “If I’d waited a little longer, I’d have a vintage wardrobe staple,” says Stoller. “Sometimes I am too quick to toss old clothes, sheets, or linens … throwing them out feels easy, but they could have been reused.”
Vintage Furniture
A common regret that many experts I spoke to shared was letting go of vintage pieces passed down from family members.
Pro organizer and interior designer Sasha Patton got rid of a beautiful antique dresser from her parents before she moved into a smaller home, but wishes she kept it. “I rationalized letting it go because I was keeping another chest of drawers that had even deeper family roots,” shares Patton. “I regret letting it go because of how incredibly unique it was, [and] also because of its functionality.”
For Alex Back, interior design expert and CEO of Couch, he wishes he didn’t part ways with a vintage coffee table he had inherited from his grandmother. “It wasn’t the most functional piece and was a bit too bulky for modern tastes, but it held sentimental value. I let it go during a significant living room redesign, thinking I could find something sleeker that would fit better in my space.” But after letting it go, Back realized just how much he missed it, noting that the craftsmanship and history of the table were irreplaceable. “This taught me that functional and sentimental value should be considered when organizing decisions. Even if something doesn’t perfectly fit your current design, its emotional significance can be worth holding on to, especially in a space like the living room where family memories are made.”
Tony Hoang, home organizing and interior expert and owner of What A Room, regrets decluttering an antique desk that’s been in his family for decades. “It wasn’t a high-value piece of money, but it was tied to countless memories of my grandparents,” shares Hoang. “It had a worn yet solid structure, and I initially thought it took up too much space in my home office.” This was a reminder for him that sometimes sentimental value is more important than practicality. “When I work with clients, I always emphasize the importance of keeping items that evoke strong emotional connections, especially if they’re family heirlooms,” he says.
Seeds
Jeremy Yamaguchi, CEO of Lawn Love, tries to keep his garage as organized as possible. “I have all kinds of equipment and tools out there. I also will often move in various plants during the cold months to overwinter them, and I’ll harvest various kinds of seeds and keep them stored there,” says Yamaguchi. However, one thing Yamaguchi regrets accidentally throwing out was some of those harvested seeds. “It was a total mistake. I kept them stored in paper envelopes and was in such an organizing flurry that I accidentally threw them away, thinking they were trash. It was frustrating because I had planned to eventually plant those seeds, plus I had put in the time and effort to harvest them,” he says.
Music Collection
Martin Orefice, CEO of Rent to Own Atlanta, shares that he regrets getting rid of his parents’ record player and vinyl collection when he helped them downsize in retirement. “This was in the early 2000s, and I just didn’t see a future where records were going to be valuable anymore. Boy was I wrong,” he says. “I didn’t — and don’t — have much sentimental attachment to any of those records, but I’m sure they would’ve been a lot more valuable if we had sat on them for a decade or so.”
Household Tools
Most of Carolina Kazimierski’s, co-owner and president of Sophia’s Cleaning Service, biggest regrets have to do with household tools or supplies she thought she was done with and ended up needing again. “I’ve given away or tossed things like old screwdrivers, bags of thumbtacks, etc., only to end up needing them for a future project and really kicking myself!” she says. “For this reason I do recommend hanging on to household items like this, even if they see pretty infrequent use. Chances are you’ll need them down the line, and in a properly organized home these items shouldn’t take up too much space.”
Photographs
Ashley La Fond, founder of home organization company Of Space & Mind, doesn’t consider herself sentimental, and has noticed this has definitely caused her to toss things hastily. “To me, ‘stuff’ feels like a burden — more things feels like more work, so editing feels freeing,” says La Fond. “My biggest regret is not saving photographs. My teenage years were awkward (whose weren’t!) and I am sad now that I don’t have some of those photos to show my daughter.”
Not Letting Things Go Sooner
On the other hand, sometimes, the biggest regret is not letting things go sooner. That’s the case for Lucy Milligan Wahl, owner of LMW Edits. “And by things, I mean all of my papers from all my years of school. I never once looked at any of it — not even the grad school stuff — and it was just taking up space in my house,” she says. “One day, I finally flipped through all of it (found some cute notes friends had written to me in class and texted pictures of them to those friends) and then recycled every last page. It felt amazing, and I had no idea why I didn’t do it sooner!”
Further Reading
I Tried the 90/90 Rule and My Closet Is Now Fully Decluttered
We Asked 8 Pro Travelers What They Never Pack in Their Carry-On, and Here’s What They Said
