It may sound easy to declutter the home, but when you start the process, you realize you have a lot more than you thought. There are old receipts, broken umbrellas, mystery cords, and all sorts of bizarre things.
Finding something exciting, a decluttering surprise, be like finding an old 5-dollar bill to the surprise of the declutterer (and to the surprise of the finder, of course). Something analogical to this is finding a 5-dollar bill.
To achieve a more organized home, more than removing a few items is necessary. Focusing on transforming for the positive is great, but in the end, it will be necessary a few more items to achieve a truly positive change.
1. Declutter Room-by-Room
Attempting to declutter the entire home in one go will likely result in an afternoon of unwanted clutter. The event is likely to end in the beginning of a new benevolent disaster. You will be left sitting in a living room surrounded by all sorts of old unwanted belongings.
You will have a far more organized home, and a more positive change will be achieved with little more than removing a few items from the old clutter. A trash negative to positive change.
You will have a far more organized home, and a more positive change will be achieved with little more than removing a few items from the old clutter. A trash bag here and there will be the only materials you will need to achieve a positive change.
While many homeowners experience that the bedrooms and bathrooms take less time than expected, it is kitchens that can be time-consuming and difficult. Budget your energy as the project can be overwhelming, and most importantly, remember to pace yourself.
2. Sort Everything into Four Types
Determining what to part ways with is the hardest aspect of the decluttering process, so make use of this technique to relieve some stress.
When sorting through your items in each room, divide items into a clear subset of four categories: things to keep, things to donate, things to throw away/ bin, and things to relocate. Get some boxes or bags and put the labels on them so you can avoid confusion hat later on.
Try to remember the last time you interacted with a given item. A sweater that you have not worn in two years, is probably not going to become your new favorite. And that new kitchen gadget you have that is still in the package is most likely on the way to becoming a dust collector (unlike most people, dust collectors don’t make great paperweights).
The relocate pile is the for things that belong in another room. I suggest to avoid the temptation of putting things away immediately, or you will break your flow. Move everything that you sorted into bags/ boxes and make the relocation that clean the room after everything else is complete.
This technique is effective because with each item, you are making only one decision, so you are putting that item in the donate, relocate, bin, or keep pile, while avoiding the worries of where each item should be going. The best part of this technique is that you are making quick decisions, which will allow you to be more consistent and in the process more effective.
3. Tackle One Drawer or Cupboard at a Time
When you are decluttering a room in your house you might think it is a good idea to open a drawer in the kitchen and dump the contents on the floor. While it may appear to be a productive way to declutter, it is a great way to end up getting stressed.
Rather than trying to do it in one big swoop, try to remove everything from a single drawer, spray it off, and then only put back what is actually necessary to use. Once you have completed one drawer in its entirety, you can the move on to the next.
The same goes for wardrobes and cupboards: tackle one section or shelf at a time. This way, you make tangible progress without transforming everything into a chaotic mess.
This method also works well with tight time schedules. If you only have 15 minutes, you can declutter and clean one drawer. These small wins accumulate more quickly than you realize, especially in homes where storage areas tend to be more filled than expected.
4. Use Spring Clean as Your Deadline
When spring cleaning, why not declutter all at the same time?
As you clean and organize the surfaces, you will be handling each item from the surfaces. It is the perfect time to ask if an item deserves to stick around. If not, it is time for the item to go.
This saves you the trouble of cleaning the surfaces and later decluttering. Also, cleaning becomes easier when surfaces are not cluttered.
Cleaning and organizing your home will be visible when surfaces are not cluttered. It also becomes easier to get rid of the bits and bobs that are cluttering the surfaces.
5. Make Sure Everything You Keep Has a Designated Home
Once you’ve decided what stays, give every item a proper home, not just ‘somewhere in that drawer.’
When spring cleaning, group like items together. Store batteries in one place, chargers in another. If you can’t find something in less than 30 seconds, it is a sign that the item needs a permanent place.
This is where storage boxes, drawer dividers, and shelf organizers come in. They stop things from becoming jumbled again. Clear containers are especially useful because you can see what’s inside without rummaging.
Label your boxes so that future you will appreciate how easily you can grab the sellotape without having to search three drawers. The goal is straightforward: everything has a designated spot, and keeping things organized alleviates the burden of feeling like a task.
6. Vertical Storage Options Are Important
A cluttered garage can be difficult to navigate and can make parking your car a challenge.
Walls and the backs of doors are not to be ignored. These are ideal storage locations. Without taking up any floor space, hooks, hanging organizers, and wall shelves can store everything from brooms to jackets.
In bathrooms and bedrooms, over-the-door organizers are also great. Pegboards are great in kitchens and utility rooms to keep tools and supplies organized and at the ready.
Shelves and tall bookcases allow for use of vertical space. They also keep your floor clutter-free. Just make sure to secure tall items to the wall.
More vertical storage makes cleaning floors a lot easier. You can freely mop or vacuum without having to move a lot of stuff around.
7. Know When to Ask for Help
It’s perfectly normal to find some dirt and grime after decluttering your home, especially in those hidden and hard to reach spots, so don’t feel overwhelmed if scrubbing isn’t your cup of tea.
It could be a great idea to hire a cleaner regularly or even a one-off appointment with a home cleaning company to do the scrubbing. This way, you will be able to do the organizing.
Most homeowners appreciate and even hire cleaning ovens, windows, and furniture movers to do these tasks instead of spending an entire weekend doing it by themselves.
8. Maintain as You Go With Simple Daily Habits
To make sure that decluttering does not distract you home, make a few small adjustments to your daily routine. Take five minutes every night to do a quick clean, and deal with envelopes as they arrive instead of leaving them until they become a pile.
It also helps to adopt the “one in, one out” mentality. If you buy something new like a mug or a shirt, make sure to donate or get rid of an old one, or even better, do it in a way that helps someone else.
9. Focus on Goals and Celebrate Your Progress
Spring cleaning is a big project and telling yourself it can be done in one day is unrealistic.
Instead, break the project down into manageable pieces and spread it out over days or weeks. Maybe tackle a couple of rooms one weekend and then a couple of the next.
Set your expectation to be to complete more than you did before. Any completed task is a completed task, so donate a bag, or organize a drawer, and then at the end of your day you can say it was a success.
Give yourself a reward when you complete a room or another milestone. It can be whatever you want, a cup of tea, a little snack, or even a break from chores. You earned it.
Conclusion
Nobody wants to be trapped under a pile of unorganized clutter, so follow the tips to avoid it. You should spring clean because it can be done in a fun way with the plan laid out.
Get the garbage bags ready, and put on your favorite tunes and get to work. You will thank yourself in the future. You can do it!
