No matter how neat you are usually, clutter is inevitable, and it can pile up in your home without warning. These can include your daily junk mail, tax forms, and items you use a lot and never put away. Luckily, decluttering is possible, no matter how messy your house is — stopping clutter in its tracks.
If you’re unsure where to begin, these proven decluttering tips can help you conquer your mess and regain full control of your home.
Schedule Your Decluttering Sessions
Just like how you would schedule annual termite inspections for your home, scheduling your decluttering sessions in advance is a great way to keep your home clean and tidy — and maintain it that way long-term. After all, you may not get your whole home decluttered on the weekend, but it helps you make great progress.
Visualize then Organize
When decluttering, it’s best to take a moment to thoroughly observe a room and imagine how’d you want it to look like at the end. Determine the most important furniture pieces you want to keep in your bedroom, what you want to on the floors and other flat surfaces. Once you’ve visualized what you want in a room when uncluttered, stick with that, then start organizing.
Establish ‘Clutter-Free’ Zones
Clear one area in your home and deem it as the ‘no clutter’ zone. This area can be your kitchen countertop, dining table, or the whole perimeter around your couch — or the entire living room itself. Whatever place you choose, ensure to establish a rule that nobody can place anything in the area that’s not in use.
Clear Out Your Closet
Clearing out your closet is also a great way to declutter your home, especially if you find yourself going through your wardrobe looking for your office pants for more than five minutes. Find spare time on the weekend, pull out clothes you haven’t worn in a long time, store them in a different area, or donate them to a local charity. Doing this helps you declutter and organize your clothes better.
Take Advantage of the ‘Four Box’ Method
Get four cardboard boxes, label them “trash,” “donate,” “keep,” and “relocate.” After doing this, enter any room inside your home and place an item into one of the boxes, from clothes to family heirlooms — don’t skip a single thing. Although doing this may take a long time, it helps you see how many items you own and give you an idea of what you should do with your stuff. Doing this helps you stay organized and clutter-free.
Designate a Spot for Incoming Papers
Papers usually account for most of everyone’s clutter. That’s because most people place paperwork in different spots around the home, from the kitchen countertop, dining table, work desk, or even on top of your dresser. This factor not only makes your home a paper-filled mess, but it also may lead to lost essential papers. To avoid this, keep your house paper-free, designated a particular spot in your home like your office, and make it a habit to don’t place any papers anywhere but that designated area. From school papers to receipts — put them all in that spot.
Excessive clutter usually happens due to stress, and it can affect every aspect of your life — from the time it takes you to do certain things, your finances, to your overall enjoyment. However, decluttering is still an option, and the tips mentioned make you one step closer to a healthier, happier, and clutter-free life.
