Eco-friendly ways to de-clutter your house while self-isolating

Most of us are spending the majority of our time inside the home, and perhaps tackling a few projects around the house.

From recycling to donating and other earth-friendly options in between, we want to de-clutter the right way, making sure everything that can be reused or recycled gets where it needs to go.

With most donation centers closed because of COVID-19, we turned to an organizing expert in Wayne for ideas and strategy.

"I don't want people to look back on this and say, 'I wish I had spent the time organizing my house. I never had this kind of time available before,'" says Janet Bernstein, from The Organizing Professionals.

She says this is the perfect time to do some de-cluttering and here's how to start.

"I think people can feel overwhelmed, so they don't know where to begin," Bernstein says. "I am recommending to smart small."

Start with three main piles and make bags for: trash, recycling and donations.

For items that can't be trashed or recycled with your normal pickup, consider a junk removal service.

"Companies like Junkluggers and Philly Junk are accepting curbside pickup," Bernstein says. "It's a fabulous resource."

Junkluggers also says it aims to keep as much out of landfills as possible. It is still working with donation sites in the area right now to make sure anything that's reusable gets to the right place.

With major donation drop-off sites and services closed to the public due to Coronavirus concerns, another option is Give Back Box.

Just fill your old shipping boxes with anything you want to donate, and they give you a pre-paid label to send it off.

When it comes to deciding what to keep and what to purge, Bernstein says the rule of thumb is this: "If you don't love it, need it, or use it, it doesn't deserve a place in your home."

Online re-sale and consignment sites like eBay, Poshmark and The Real Real are still up and running, so now is also a good time for a little retail recycling that also earns you some cash.

"And what a time to make some money, when so many of us are struggling," Bernstein adds.