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You’ve cleaned the house within an inch of its life. You’ve oiled squeaky hinges, fixed the sagging gate latch, plastered that broken patch in the drywall and repainted the kitchen.

The house sparkles. But you’re still not quite done.

According to all of the real estate advice you’ve seen, decluttering is an important part of attracting buyers. But what, exactly, does that mean? How do you know when things are sufficiently clutter-free?

Do you have to pack up everything you own? Should the paintings come off the walls? What about the houseplants? Must they go as well?

According to real estate agents, it’s not so much a matter of emptying the house as it is making sure it does not overwhelm prospective buyers with your life story. They must be able to focus on the lines of the house, its storage space and its potential to fit their needs.

“It’s important for people to ... realize that because they live in that home and because that space has become so personal to them, they will really have to step back and be objective,” said Shannon Thorson, who specializes in design, consulting and staging through her McMinnville business, Ugly Duckling Design.

So, where do you start? And where do you put the items you remove?

Thorson has a definite answer for the second question — remove them from the property, even if that means renting a storage unit or asking family or friends to store them.

“It can seem like an extreme step to take, but the bottom line is that the market we’re in is very competitive. To sell a home, especially for a reasonable price, buyers need to go the extra mile,” she said.

“I do not recommend moving all the items from the house into the garage. The garage is also a critical sales area of the house, and it also needs to appear roomy and adequately sized for the needs of the new buyer.”

As for getting started, experts advise that you take it slowly, rather than trying to organize everything at once. Start weeks ahead of time, and set aside a certain amount of time each day to work on the project.

Choose a closet, shelf or section of a room to begin with, and focus just on that. When it’s clear, move to the next one, rather than jumping around without ever quite finishing one section.

“An easy place to start is with the bedrooms,” Thorson said, because in those rooms, buyers are less focused on issues like natural lighting. Primarily, they want to see a roomy space, she said.

“A good rule of thumb, when in doubt, is to take everything out but the bed, two night stands and possibly a dresser, if it’s small,” she said. “For a master bedroom that’s decent in size, maybe a reasonably large dresser is fine. In general, you want to minimize the furnishings in the room, other than the bed.”

Since you’ll be moving anyway, this may be the time to start deciding what you don’t want to take with you. The more you donate, give away or sell now, the less you’ll have to pack or store later.

Designate a large box for items you want to donate to a thrift store or other charitable agency and fill it as you go.
If — and only if — you have the time and energy to devote to the project, you may want to consider taking salable items to a consignment shop, or offering them on eBay. You may also want to consider offering still-usable goods on Freecycle, an online program of free exchanges.

If you just want things out of your way, on the other hand, it may be easiest simply to drop them at a donation site.
There are some other items you should keep on hand as you clean: a recycling bin and garbage bag, for anything no longer usable, broken beyond repair, or otherwise past its useful life.

Consider your time commitments, energy level and past history in deciding whether you’re likely to actually mend broken or torn items. Is this something that’s been waiting months, or even years, to be fixed already? If so, maybe it’s time to give up on that project.

As you work, keep in mind the need to let prospective buyers see the house, not your belongings.

A few sweaters neatly folded on a shelf are fine, but sweaters piled to overflowing are not. Ditto for books and magazines. Clothes and coat closets should not be so crammed the hangers cannot move easily along the bar.

“Any exercise equipment should be gone from the house,” Thorson said. “Any storage shelves that hold DVDs or audio tapes, anything that is out in the living area that holds board games, children’s toys, anything along that line needs to go.”

Remove any items that look shabby, such as books with damaged bindings and torn covers. Beloved classics they may be, but a home for sale isn’t the place to display them. Into the packing boxes they go.

The same rule applies to houseplants.

A few lush, healthy plants strategically placed to catch the window light or brighten a corner, can add appeal. Dozens crowded along the windowsills may be overwhelming.

Have friends keep some for you, if necessary, or take a few to the office. The ones you keep on view should be clean, healthy-looking and planted in attractive pots.

Clear natural walkways.

You might be willing to edge around an awkwardly placed desk or piano, but prospective buyers won’t. They may question whether the house is really large enough for their belongings.

“In terms of bathrooms, the floors should typically be clear,” Thorson said. “If there’s a scale in the bathroom, that should be gone. Counters should be clean. That means cosmetics, things along those lines, aren’t on the counters. If there’s a little shelf for towels or something taking up floor space, it might be time to revisit whether that’s necessary.

“In kitchens, the counters should be clear. A lot of people store a lot of things on counters. That can not only be really distracting, it sends the message that there isn’t enough cabinet space, and so often that isn’t true.

“So, you’re putting away the toaster, cookie jar, books, knickknacks — maybe just leaving out the coffee pot and one attractive piece of decor.”

Don’t cram things into closets and cupboards, either, as buyers will want to look in there. Make sure they see a clean space.
“It’s great if you can show some empty shelving space, not just in the garage, but in the kitchen, linen closets, bedroom closets ... Show that the home allows you to live comfortably and that there’s room for additional items,” Thorson said.

If hats, umbrellas, gloves and scarves tend to rain down when you open the coat closet, remove all but one or two that you wear regularly.

In the living room, Thorson said, sellers may want to take a fresh look at the furniture.

“A lot people have these overstuffed couches that just dominate the space. ... Again, you want the space to feel as roomy as possible.

“One option: If they have both a couch and loveseat, I often recommend removing one or the other,” she said. “In an average-sized home, maybe 1,800 to 2,000 square feet, the living room is probably going to show best with one couch and maybe a couple of chairs.”

Also remove any collectibles and large pieces of audio equipment, she advised. “People seem to be most offended by audio equipment — cords, wires, things along those lines,” she said.

Don’t let stacks of mail or other papers build up. Designate an attractive basket, wooden box or other holder for bills and other items that need to be kept on hand a few days. Sort the mail daily, file things as needed, and toss the rest into the recycling bin or shredder.

Remove the collection of photographs, cartoons and lists from the refrigerator door.

If you think the house is likely to be on the market for a while, and don’t want to do without those items, Thorson advised, attach them to the inside of a cabinet door. “So when you need to refresh yourself, you can open the door and see it, but it doesn’t draw people’s eye when they walk into room,” she said.

If you have a family photo display area, remove all or most of it. Remove any art that is particularly idiosyncratic, or likely to be controversial.

Wash pet food bowls daily and put them away between feedings.

Once you think you’re finished, invite a friend over, or your real estate agent, and ask for an honest assessment.
This isn’t the time to feel protective of your home. This is business.

If that doesn’t work for you, consider hiring a professional to go through and evaluate. Hearing there’s yet more work to do may be discouraging, but in the end, your home will be the better for it.