The Hardest Step in Getting Ready to Sell (and How to Make It Easier)

By Dana Gutwein

Today we’re talking about one of the most important — and honestly, one of the hardest — parts of getting a home ready to list: decluttering, or a full clean-out. 

I get why it’s hard. It’s overwhelming, and it’s usually tangled up with guilt or sentimental attachment. Someone gave you that vase as a gift, and it feels wrong to let it go. You’ve saved every one of your son’s baseball jerseys and every piece of art your daughter ever made. There are the jeans you might fit into again someday. None of that is silly — it’s just what happens when a house fills up with a life. 

And I want to name something else, too: sometimes this isn’t even about your own move. Sometimes you’re the one sorting through a parent’s or a loved one’s home, making decisions about things that were never yours to begin with. That’s a different kind of hard, and if that’s where you are right now, please know there’s no “right” way to feel about it. We’ll get to how we can help with that specifically in a minute. 

Here’s the thing about getting ready to sell: one of the most important goals is creating a feeling of space. When a home is packed — every closet crammed, every shelf full — it tells a buyer, consciously or not, that there isn’t enough room here. As a general rule of thumb, we aim for at least 30% empty space in closets, cabinets, and shelves. That’s what creates the feeling of “there’s room here for my life,” because we’re not just selling a house — we’re selling a lifestyle and a fresh start. 

Is 30% empty space realistic for everyday living? Probably not! But for the weeks you’re on the market, it makes a real difference in how buyers experience your home. 

We’ll talk another time about staging-specific tips — depersonalizing, tucking away pet supplies, that kind of thing. For today, let’s just focus on where to take the items we’re done with, to make as much room as we reasonably can. 

A simple way to decide what stays 

If you have the time, I really do recommend picking up The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. It’s a quick read and it will change how you think about your stuff. But if you don’t have time for the whole book, here’s the one-line version: hold the item in your hands. If it brings you joy, keep it. If it doesn’t, it’s time to let the next person enjoy it. 

Where to actually take things 

This is the part everyone asks about, so here’s a real answer. Below are the places we’ve found reliable for donating and disposing of items in the Lakewood, Denver, Arvada, Littleton, and Golden area: 

Furniture, clothing, books, and housewares 

• ARC Thrift Stores and Goodwill — furniture, clothing, books, housewares, and small appliances. ARC will even take a working treadmill. 

• The Action Center — gently used clothing. 

• Dress for Success Denver — professional attire, shoes, and accessories. 

• American Samaritan — one of the only local nonprofits that will take pianos and other large furniture items, with professional movers on staff. 

Free pickup options 

• Building materials in good condition — Habitat for Humanity ReStore. 

• Scrap metal — most metal recyclers will pick up appliances and metal items for free. 

• Facebook Marketplace and Nextdoor — hosting a free “come and take it” sale is often the fastest way to clear out big batches of usable items. 

Specialty and hazardous items 

• Rooney Road Recycling Center (Jeffco) — chemicals, paint, batteries, electronics, and propane. 

• Spring Back Colorado — the go-to for mattress recycling in the metro area. 

WHERE TO TAKE IT — QUICK REFERENCE 

Furniture & Large Items → ARC, Habitat ReStore, American Samaritan (pianos!) 

Clothing & Textiles → Goodwill, The Action Center, Dress for Success 

Electronics → Best Buy, Blue Star Recyclers, Rooney Road 

Hazardous / Paint → Rooney Road Recycling 

Mattresses → Spring Back Colorado 

Big volume? → Facebook Marketplace, Nextdoor, or a garage/estate sale 

Not donation-worthy? → Rent a dumpster, $200–$500 depending on size 

LaDawn Sperling, REALTOR®  |  720-915-2619 

For a full, organized list — including phone numbers, what each place will and won’t take, and whether they offer pickup — we’ve put together a printable resource with everything in one place. It’s linked below. 

When it’s not donation-worthy 

For everything that’s too worn, broken, or outdated to pass along, a dumpster rental (typically $200–$500 depending on size) is often the easiest path. I know it’s not fun to pay for trash removal, but it more than pays for itself in convenience — especially once you’re mid-project and just need things gone. 

If you’re clearing out a home for a loved one, this step can be especially heavy, both emotionally and physically. If that’s the situation you’re in, it’s absolutely worth considering a professional estate company. We’ve worked with several we’re happy to recommend, and having someone else carry part of that load — literally and emotionally — can make a real difference. Some of these companies will even run an estate sale first, then remove whatever’s left, so you’re not managing two separate processes. 

One more option: a storage unit for the in-between 

Here’s something a lot of sellers don’t think of right away: renting a storage unit just for the listing period. It’s not glamorous, and it’s one more thing to coordinate, but it’s so much easier than trying to cram extra boxes into your car every time you have a showing or an open house. A storage unit gives everything a real home — out of sight, but still yours — instead of shuffling it around your garage or hallway closet. 

Most storage companies offer a big discount on the first month, so the cost is usually lower than people expect. And if you price the home right and prepare the listing well, that first month may genuinely be all you need. 

However you got here 

Whether you’re prepping your own home for its next chapter or helping a family member through theirs, you don’t have to figure this out alone. That’s exactly the kind of thing we help with every day. 

Grab the full donation & disposal resource guide — organized by category, with phone numbers and pickup info for every place on this list. 

Donation_Disposal_Resource_Guide 

Questions about where to start, or want a hand thinking through what’s worth keeping vs. donating vs. hauling? Call or text LaDawn at 720-915-2619 — whatever works best for you. 

 

About Us 

LaDawn Sperling, REALTOR® with Coldwell Banker Realty, provides full-service home staging and listing prep for her real estate clients across the west Denver metro area — including Lakewood, Wheat Ridge, Arvada, Littleton, Golden, Evergreen, Morrison, Englewood, Westminster, and Highlands Ranch. Home staging, design, and project management is led by Dana Gutwein, our team designer. Contact LaDawn with questions about how we can help prepare your home for success.