in the USA rents a storage unit. That's right.

Many of us have so much stuff that we don't have enough room

to store it in our own homes, so we actually pay

to store it somewhere else.

This problem is not isolated to the U.S.either.

We here in Canada have the second largest storage industry in the world.

And I'm willing to bet that, even if you don't have a storage unit,

you probably have your fair share of excess stuff clogging up

the garage, the basement, the spare room, or maybe even your attic.

And I'll have you know that we, here at the Clean My Space HQ,

are not immune to the clutter and storage demons either.

So this year, we're not only focusing on spring cleaning,

we're focusing on spring decluttering. And over the next three weeks,

we're going to tackle a few areas around my home in dire need of decluttering.

And to kick things off, this week we're going to talk about some strategies

to face our innermost clutter demons, no matter where they reside.

So come along with me for the journey, and let's start decluttering.

♪ [music] ♪

Get really honest about your stuff. If the clothes don't fit,

if the kitchen utensil doesn't have a purpose, or if the item creates

one convenience which is rarely called for, it's time for that item to go.

Sometimes I know it can be painful, but I can assure you that the

feeling of parting ways with items that don't serve you anymore

will make you so much happier.

♪ [music] ♪

Are you keeping the item for a real, practical reason or for emotional reasons?

Understand that emotional attachment to an item here and there is okay,

but an attachment to almost every item or boxes of items is not.

Cut it off at the pass by physically holding the item and asking yourself,

"Does this item make me happy? Does this item help me or burden me?

Is this item currently operating at its highest and best use?

Do I feel inspired when I hold this item?

Has this item's useful purpose outlived itself here in my home?"

If not, it can make someone else happy or inspired

or be put to its highest and best use and can be given away.

This is a very cathartic experience.

♪ [music] ♪

How many of the same item do you have, and do you really need that many?

If I open your closet, will I find 10 blouses that essentially look the same?

Will I find three spatulas in your kitchen drawer?

Will I find 100 pens? Why do you need that much?

There's a difference between stocking up and having too many of a particular item.

Pick your favorite or your favorite few, depending on your real needs,

and then peacefully part with the rest.

♪ [music] ♪

Sigh, the deadbeat tenant. Items we store, like volumes of books,

VCR tapes, DVDs, old magazines, toys, that kind of stuff,

that's what I call the deadbeat tenants.

They're costing you money and living under your roof rent-free.

In fact, you may have lamented that you don't have a large enough home

because of all the stuff you're storing.

Unless these items are actually earning their keep, so they serve

a useful purpose, these are deadbeat tenants and should not be

taking up otherwise valuable space in your home.

Think about how much more space you would have if you

got rid of some of these items which rarely, if ever, get used.

♪ [music] ♪

Free things are not really free. The idea of getting something for free

is wonderful, but the truth is, unless you have a very specific use for it,

such as travel toothpaste and you actually travel,

use the sample or the gift immediately or just give it away.

Like the deadbeat tenant principle, free samples or unwanted gifts cost

you store space, so they had better be of great importance to you.

If you're not going to use that item, give it away or take it to a shelter

where it can be used and appreciated. There's an inherent cost to free samples

or gifts that we rarely acknowledge.

We are super pumped about spring cleaning this year, and I hope you guys are too.

As I mentioned in the beginning of the video, over the next three weeks,

we're going to undertake a few decluttering projects

ourselves that have been long overdue.

So stay tuned for that, and please join along with me

and do your own decluttering this spring.

I want to know if you have too much clutter in your house.

Do you have seven spatulas or a box of DVDs you haven't watched in 15 years?

Share your stories in the comments section down below,

because I love reading what you guys have to say, and frankly,

I might be looking to you for some motivation.

There's a button down there that lets me know you care.

So click it if you liked this video, and click this button right here

to subscribe and begin your journey to a cleaner life.

For some wacky behind-the-scenes photos and videos, be sure

to follow us on Instagram. I'm @MelissaMaker.

He's @TheChadReynolds, and we are @CleanMySpace.

It's fun and interesting and full of cat pictures and completely free of charge.

Thanks so much for watching, and we'll see you next time.

And thank you for sticking around to the very end of the video.

Over to my left, your right, you'll see a couple of great spring cleaning videos

from last year's spring cleaning series. One is a cosmetics and toiletries purge,

and the other talks about cleaning out your closet.

Also, down there somewhere, you'll find our website.

It's CleanMySpace.com. You will certainly want to check that out,

because that's where you will find our ultimate spring cleaning guide,

which will help make this time of year a little,

actually a lot easier for you.

You can also sign up to receive The Dirty Dish, our cleaning newsletter,

which is packed full of great cleaning tips, tricks, and advice,

checklists, and some other interesting tidbits

to make your cleaning jobs a little bit more enjoyable.

Take care everyone, and we'll see you guys soon.