One of the best things anyone can do to improve the appearance of their home, it to reduce clutter. This is probably the one most important action to take when selling your home. Any realtor will tell you to get rid of anything that doesn't have to be around since it distracts buyers and makes a home give the appearance of being smaller. So what you you do with all of the clutter you have piled up from your cleaning efforts?

Let's face it. We all accumulate too much junk and possessions. The longer we live in one place, the more we have laying around. The first important thing to do is separate the things that we need to keep, the things that are broken and can be thrown away and the things we can live without.

Start by throwing out items that are broken and just plain junk. We all have them. You know, those items we were going to fix or use but never got around to it. It's time to send them to the garbage. It's important not to get weak while you are doing this or you will just end up with another pile of junk. If you can't do it, have someone else do it for you.

After you have thrown out what you intended to, it's time to pack away the things you want to keep. These things don't necessarily need to be sitting around the house. These are the items that are creating clutter. Getting some sturdy boxes or plastic containers so that they are neatly stored away in the garage or in the attic. Things should be lightening up at this point.

Lastly, it's time for the pile of stuff that is not broken, we can live without but we just don't know what to do with. This is the pile that you sell and make yourself some extra money. These items can be sold at a garage sale or on sites like Craigslist. Selling on the internet will probably bring you more money than selling at a garage sale. People tend to think of garage sales as flea markets or auctions where they can bicker on the price. Also, garage sale items tend to be cheaper than what is being sold on the internet. It's worth giving it a try and it's free to list. Honestly, I made $155 this week selling 3 items that we heading for the trash.

Decluttering is a great way to give your home a new, clean look. It should also be a part of your maintenance plan. And while you are at it, you can make a few dollars to pay off those items you just sold.