Spring is definitely upon us. And with it comes the chores of decluttering and clearing cobwebs. This may sound a little daunting, but we are surrounded by enough chaos. It can actually be a treat to declutter as a way to simplify your life and even clear the cobwebs from your mind. In fact, you probably have some old photos that need to be included in this process. They could at least use a little pruning, right? Let’s face it: we all have “that one box” we never even look at. We just keep adding to it: family pics, vacation pics, mementos, etc. You might even have a box of undeveloped negatives, prints, or whatever. Maybe they came from older generations or maybe they are recent because you like using old-school photography methods.

Then here’s an easy way to declutter those old photos. Simply sort them into three piles:

1. Absolutely must keep it
2. Would love to have it
3. Could take it or leave it

Think about it…how many of the same basic shots get stuck in our albums and never get purged out of the mix? For example, the 20 different shots you gathered of Aunt Sally getting cake smashed into her face on her wedding day nets you a sequential 360-degree experience of a single moment. But really, in order to simplify, can’t you just keep one or two of the old photos instead? We promise it won’t affect the memory of the experience even one bit.

Next, take your “must-have” pile and get those old photos scanned, printed, and framed so that you can actually enjoy them. Add your “would love to have” pile to a proper album. As for those in the third pile that you could take or leave…toss them. Just let them go.

NOTE: If you have anything that may be ancestral in nature, then we recommend (if it’s appropriate) to include siblings or other family members who would enjoy the decluttering process as well. In doing so, you will probably also discover certain old photos that others in the family will want to add to their own collection. In that case, let us scan and print those for you. And if you come across photos that need some fixing, we’ve got you covered. We do photo restoration too. Learn more here.