I never took decluttering seriously until I learned about the many benefits it has. But if there’s one area of my house that I still find the hardest to declutter, it’s my electronics cabinet. Given how much they cost, the idea of letting go of old electronic items and gadgets never actually came into my mind.
“Why would I let go of the laptop that I paid half my monthly salary for? Even if it’s beyond repair.“
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But last month, while decluttering my room, I took a notice of my computer table and wondered why I had it in the first place. I didn’t use computers anymore. All my work was being done on the laptop, from my couch or the lap desk. The computer had been lying unused for years and the table surface ended up taking the brunt of all sorts of clutter in my room. Any item that didn’t have a designated place was being dumped on this table turning it into an embarrassing mess over the years. The drawer underneath the table was full of old & broken cellphones and chargers that didn’t work anymore. There was an old music player that hadn’t been touched in years and nobody in the house knew why we were still holding on to it.
Within an instant, I asked my mom to give the table away to someone who would appreciate it rather than letting it be a dumping ground for clutter. And then began the process of decluttering electronics from our home. Needless to say, it was the first time that our family was getting rid of old tech gadgets and electronics in bulk but the room looks so much better since.
If you’re looking to declutter the electronics at your home, here are some tips & tricks that have worked for me and might work for you as well:
1. Gather All Your Electronics In One Place
The best way to sort through the electronics is to collect them all in one place. Decluttering electronics should be a collective decision of your family which is why you need to get all your family members to help you do it.
Scout for old electronic items in every closet and drawer of the house. Items like digital cameras, video game devices, broken cellphones, old television sets, headphones, tablets, laptops should all be grabbed and put together on the designated workstation before you can begin to declutter them. Since I didn’t have a proper workstation, I happened to gather these items on my bedroom floor before sorting through them.
Besides the gadgets, grab the old charging cables, batteries, storage chips or any other accessories that go with your electronics.
2. Set aside the items you’re currently using
The first obvious step in the process of decluttering electronics is to set aside the items that you use on a daily basis. These can be your mobile phone, its accessories, the laptop, music system, e-reader and such. Ask your family members to set aside their gadgets too.
While setting aside the items of daily use, make sure that you only keep the ones that are in working order. Be honest with yourself as this decision is going to have a significant impact on your home. Make sure that you plug these items in to check if they are working properly before deciding to keep them. Don’t forget to check the accessories and charging cords too.
3. Store the definite keeps
Now that you have a collection of items that you use on a daily basis, find a proper storage solution for them. I have a designated drawer at my home to store the power banks, digital camera, gaming consoles and similar items. You can also use bins or shelves for this purpose.
You can also have a bamboo charging station for your mobile devices and tablets. But always make sure that there’s a small bin or basket near this charging station to keep the cables and cords after you’re done charging your devices. Also, keep your laptop and its charging cable nicely packed in your laptop bag to prevent any kind of damage to it.
4. Set aside the broken items
Now that you’ve dealt with the items that are a definite keeps, start sorting through the remaining pile to pull out the ones that are broken or damaged or aren’t in working order. There might be tablets and phones with broken screens that are beyond repair. Or cellphones that date back to 2002. You may also find old digital cameras and headphones with poor sound quality or gaming consoles with outdated technology. Keep all these items aside to be dealt with later.
5. Sort through the maybe items
Once you’ve set aside the definite keeps and definite throws, you can move on to the hardest part of sorting through the maybe items. These are the items that you haven’t used in months or even years but can’t get rid of because, let’s face the fact, they were expensive. But for your decluttering efforts to be visible, you have to convince yourself to get rid of anything that you don’t use, need or love anymore.
This can be your iPod that you haven’t used for a while or your old cellphone that you’ve upgraded from. Getting rid of old electronics that are in working order will be hard but it will help you free up some space and you’ll be able to appreciate the gadgets you actually use.
6. Wipe off the confidential data
Once you’ve set aside the electronics that are supposed to go out of your house, pick them up one by one and start wiping off the documents and photos stored in them. You can move all this data to a hard disk drive or your current devices but make sure that your devices are restored to factory setting before being trashed/donated.
7. See what you can do with the items that are a definite No
If you wish to throw away the drives or devices that are outdated or broken, knock them down with a hammer before tossing them in the trash bin. You can also call a Waste Management company that will take them away. Decluttered electronics that are in working order can either be sold away, gifted or donated to someone who may need it.
Now that you’re done, I’m pretty sure you will feel good seeing so much free space in your house. Every time you get rid of something that wasn’t adding value to your life, you’re bound to feel an indescribable sense of accomplishment. So don’t forget to reward yourself after an exhausting session of decluttering because you’ve earned it.
And once you’re done decluttering the electronics, make it a point to not let your home be a clutter hub. When someone from your family brings in a new tech gadget, be it a laptop or a new cellphone, make sure that you get rid of an old one. The ‘One In, One Out’ rule of clutter works best when you can’t bring yourself to get rid of clutter. Besides that, any wires or parts of these gadgets that are not being used on a regular basis should be stored in a distant cabinet of the house. And for the ones that are being used regularly, have a designated storage space that is easily accessible.
Happy decluttering!