12 Ways to Declutter Your Home: A Complete Guide
Decluttering may sound simple on paper, with the idea that you’re just getting rid of everything extra and organizing what is left so that you have a clean and calm living space. But, in most cases, decluttering is not nearly as easy as it may seem.
Many of us do not live in magazine-quality homes, and our homes contain many things with emotional value as well as unfinished projects, “just in case” items, or, as some like to refer to them, “maybe” items. All these things add up to create clutter that over time accumulates in various areas of our homes, whether it’s from our drawers, closets, garages, or attics. As the clutter accumulates, your home will become heavier.
Decluttering does not mean you have to be perfect, but rather to prepare the space (physical and mental) for your ideal lifestyle. The good news is you do not need a whole weekend’s worth of time, an expensive organizational tool, or superhuman motivation to get started with your decluttering. You must find ways to declutter your home that work with your current lifestyle and that you can stick with.
Identify the Reason for Decluttering (Not By Decluttering)
Ask yourself one question before you start decluttering: “What is my motivation for decluttering?”
Do I want to declutter the space because I’m not able to keep the area clean and organized? Do I have anxiety when I see cluttered areas of the house? Do I want my home to feel more peaceful, lighter, and less cluttered? It is very important to identify a reason to declutter before you can effectively declutter.
Decluttering is both an emotional and physical process. It will be easier for you to remove items from your home if you have identified your motivation for doing so.
De-clutter In Small, Manageable Chunks
One of the most common mistakes people make when de-cluttering their homes is that they try to do it all at once. Trying to declutter your entire house in one go can quickly lead to burnout.
Instead, try to break down what you want to declutter into smaller pieces. For example, you might choose only to declutter:
- One drawer
- One shelf
- One corner of the room
- One type of item (e.g., shoes or mugs)
Set a timer for 15 or 20 minutes and then stop when the timer goes off. By taking things in smaller steps and stopping before getting tired, you’ll find yourself feeling less fatigued and more productive over time. Remember that small steps will always add up over time and that you can achieve greater results through regularity rather than sheer volume.
One Year Rule – Use Common Sense When Keeping Items
The definition of a “One-Year Rule” for decluttering is an excellent way to determine which items you should keep. The One-Year Rule states that if you have not used an item for at least one year, it is most likely that you will not require or want that item in the future.
However, the One-Year Rule does not apply to all items. Seasonal items, important items/documents, and items with sentimental value may not be subject to this rule. The One-Year Rule can be a helpful tool for determining the quantity of clothing, kitchen gadgets, and décor that you own.
If you have not needed an item for one year, odds are that you will not need the item tomorrow.
Declutter by Category, Not by Room
Although decluttering room by room may make sense initially, it can lead to items being decluttered multiple times and can result in you having unfinished decluttering decisions.
When you declutter your items by category (i.e., books, clothing, papers, electronic), it allows you to see a clear idea of the amount of items that you own.
When you collect all of your items in one category together in one location, it makes it much easier to see what you don’t use and how many items you should keep. When you have 5 black t-shirts, for example, and you can see them all laid out in front of you, it becomes much more difficult to justify keeping them all.
Stop Thinking “Just In Case”
Thinking “just in case” causes a lot of clutter in your life and is probably one of the biggest areas of clutter in your home.
Many we keep items thinking we’ll eventually use them, items will be back in style, spices may become popular with someone else, and most of those scenarios never materialize into needing them again or using them.
When performing an evaluation of items to declutter, consider:
• If borrowing will suffice when needing to replace it;
• A suggestion or thought of whether to keep this item, consider if it’s more beneficial than maintaining its space in your home; • And whether there is enough value in the item to warrant occupying space in your home.
Separate Sentimental Items From Everyday Decluttering
Sentimental clutter is the most difficult to handle and can affect progress if you start dealing with it too soon. Allowing yourself an emotional break from your sentimental belongings will allow you to start with easier categories of clutter such as old paperwork, broken items, duplicated items, expired products, etc., before you get to sentimental items.
By the time you finish with your decluttering strategy, your home will feel lighter and your emotions will be in a much better place to deal with the meaningful things you may want to keep.
Keep Surfaces Clear
The importance of keeping surfaces clear in your home cannot be overstated. Countertops and other flat surfaces in your house (kitchen counters, coffee tables, desks, etc.) are going to keep accumulating clutter; they are like magnets for it.
Here’s what to do about it:
• Take everything off the surface
• Put back everything that you use on a daily basis or you absolutely love
• Donate or store everything else.
You will have removed all of the “clutter” from that surface. When you do that; you create an instant visual calming effect!
Being Honest is Key to Decluttering Your Closet
Your closet may hold items that are not the right size for your current body type or don’t make you feel confident about yourself anymore. They may also have sentimental value or represent your past. When deciding what to keep and what to get rid of, consider whether you would purchase the item today, if it fits you now, and if it makes you feel confident. If you have clothes you cannot wear at this time, you may feel guilty about keeping these clothes. However, letting go of these clothes will help you respect yourself. Only keep those items that reflect who you currently are, rather than who you were or hope to become.
Develop Easy Systems (Not Complex Ones)
An effective organization does not have to look good; it just has to be simple enough for you to maintain your system or process.
Use clear containers, labels, and put everything in its own spot when possible. Anything without a designated location will eventually get out of control and become clutter.
Systems that are not easy to use for you will not remain organized; make adjustments to your system until it feels comfortable and easy to use.
Be Relentless When Decluttering Your Paper Mess
Paper is often a sneaky form of clutter. It accumulates quickly through classic forms of “clutters”: junk mail, receipts, user manuals, random notes, as an illustration.
When it comes time to cleanse yourself of all this paper, separate it into four categories: Recycle, Shred, Take Action On, Put In Your Keeper Box.
Digitising will cut down on the amount of paper that your home has because many types of manuals, statement, etc., can be found digitally. The less paper you have, the fewer things under foot that can clutter up your head negro head.
Create a “Maybe Box” For Those Tough Decisions
If you find that some items in your home are difficult to make final decisions about, create a “maybe box.” Get a batch of those items and place them in an old shoebox, lace it shut and write the date from 3-6 months ahead and label it with “maybe box.” If you don’t open your maybe box at the end of that time frame, generally it can be assumed you can cut those items or list anything inside as not required. The “maybe box” method allows you to remove any immediate pressure to make final decisions right away while allowing for continued movement.
Declutter While Cleaning
One of the easiest ways to eliminate clutter in your home is to declutter as you are cleaning up your home.
As you are cleaning each of the surfaces in your home, take a look and ask yourself if the item belongs at that place on that surface. If you find something on your floor while vacuuming, make a note that it was on the floor and shouldn’t be. Making small decisions routinely over time will stop the clutter from building up again.
Decluttering can be part of your ongoing routine and not just a separate “event”.
