If there’s one thing I’ve learned after having a baby…it’s the power of keeping your home and life organized! And in order to think straight, I need my surroundings to be tidy as well :). With that said, today I have an exciting guest post by Alice Robertson from Tidy Home on decluttering in an eco-friendly way! After having little Ria, our mostly minimalist home became chaotic and cluttered almost overnight. I wish I had the following tips in my back pocket back then. Thanks for sharing these tips with us Alice!

Decluttering your home is cathartic. When your home is orderly and clean, you feel 30 pounds lighter and ready to take on the world. But if you’re collecting your old stuff in trash bags and putting it at the curb, you might be lightening your own load at the expense of the planet.

Thankfully, there are more responsible ways to declutter. While it takes more effort than mindlessly stuffing things into trash bags, decluttering the eco-friendly way benefits the environment, your fellow man and you. Here’s how to do it.

1) Don’t send usable items to the landfill

Your trash just might be another person’s treasure. If you’re getting rid of lightly used goods, donate instead of throwing away. These items are great candidates for donation:

• Appliances: That white refrigerator or top-loading washer and dryer set may be out of style, but if they still work, someone can use them. Many charity thrift stores accept working appliances and some may pick up the appliances for you.

• Cell phones: Keep working cell phones out of the landfill by donating them or selling through a service like Swappa.

• Clothing: Clean, stain- and hole-free clothing can be dropped off at a thrift store. Larger thrift stores like Goodwill also have systems for recycling damaged clothing.

• Furniture: Donate furniture to a charity thrift store or skip the middleman and donate it to a low-income housing non-profit.

• Linens: Bedding in good condition can be donated to charity thrift stores. Otherwise, donate old bedding and towels to an animal shelter.

• Computers: After wiping a computer clean, donate it to a school, library, or computer refurbisher.

2) Don’t donate mindlessly

If you donate items that can’t be used or sold, they’ll be thrown away. Don’t donate broken items; if you’re unsure whether an item can be used, call before donating.

3) Freecycle your stuff

If you have items that aren’t suitable for charity, try giving them away for free before trashing them. Even well-loved goods, broken items or partially used products could be usable to someone who needs spare parts or can’t afford to buy new. Craigslist is the go-to website for giving away or selling items, but you can also donate via groups like Freecycle Network and Buy Nothing.

4) Watch what you throw away

Some things don’t belong in a landfill. These include appliances, cell phones, batteries, medications, paint, and personal care products, among others. Throwing these items away or pouring them down the drain is a major cause of water pollution.

Broken appliances and electronics, old batteries, CFL light bulbs, paints, and aerosols can frequently be recycled through city programs, but you may have to drop off items in person or arrange for a special pick-up. Many cities and towns also offer prescription drug collection, either through permanent drop-off sites or annual collection drives. If you have an item and you’re not sure how to dispose of it, contact your city or search online for the most environmentally-friendly disposal methods.

5) Embrace the cloud

Some things, like family photos and personal documents, aren’t up for donation. However, that doesn’t mean you have to hold onto them as clutter. Use a scanner to digitize photographs and paperwork. Upload your files into cloud storage or a spare hard drive to preserve them without cluttering your shelves.

6) Use green cleaning supplies

The last step in any good decluttering session is a deep clean, and it’s also another opportunity to harm or help the environment. Because cleaning supplies inevitably end up in the air and water, eco-conscious homeowners should be mindful about choosing products that don’t use synthetic ingredients, artificial fragrances or foaming agents. You can purchase eco-friendly cleaners off the shelf or learn how to make your own.

Once your home is clean and decluttered, resist the urge to fill it back up with more stuff. Instead, stock your home with basics you can buy once and use for years. While responsible recycling and disposal is a great way to shrink your environmental impact, reducing consumption is the first and most important step to creating an eco-friendly home.

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