DO YOU OFTEN FEEL LIKE YOUR HOME COULD BE SO MUCH MORE? THE FIRST STEP TO CREATING YOUR LITTLE HANDMADE HOME IS TO DECLUTTER RIGHT NOW AND MAKE SOME SPACE FOR WHAT’S IMPORTANT!
Have you ever noticed that when you are organized, your mornings are less stressful, mealtimes are more enjoyable and everything seems to run a little smoother? Imagine if it could be like that every day! It can be, with these 13 ways to declutter right now!
When your home is cluttered, so are you. And what I mean by that is that your mind feels a little more cluttered, your home feels a little more stressful and little bumps in the road seem to turn into boulders. You can combat this, and make things simpler by removing unnecessary items from your home.
Trying to decorate in a space that is filled with clutter is even worse because you end up piling things on top of things and you aren’t even sure what’s there anymore. Adding pieces of decor to a room that is already bursting at the seams can be overwhelming and you’ll never truly love the results. And then when you try to add holiday decor and celebrations on top of the clutter, it’s easy to feel like you’re drowning.
So I’ve come up with a list of 13 ways you can declutter right now. To be honest, there are WAY more than 13 things that could go on this list, but these are a good place to start!
Master The Basics
Garbage
I know it sounds obvious, but sometimes just going through the house and picking up little pieces of trash that have been overlooked can make a big difference. Try to go through the house at least two times, preferably from one end to the other and back again, as you’ll often find things you missed the first time through.
Recycling
Just like garbage, recycling has a habit of hiding. Clear it out, and see what’s sitting there.
The Mail Pile
Unless you have a really good system for dealing with incoming mail, it will often pile up in the entryway or worse – the kitchen counter. Go through the pile once and pull out all the junk mail. On the second time through, pull out catalogues, magazines or things you want to read. Scan them quickly and toss the ones that are now out of date (see the next item below). Then you should be left with only the important things.
Old Newspapers or Magazines
While these items are becoming less common with the ease of online material, you can still end up with a stack if you aren’t careful. If you haven’t read them in a timely manner (2 days for newspapers, 2 weeks for a magazine), you likely won’t. Recycle them.
Past Date Items
Yes, the most obvious suspects live in the fridge and the kitchen cupboards. Yuck. They gotta go. But don’t overlook your bathroom and storeroom either. Past-date medications, pain relievers and other items with shorter shelf lives need to be purged on a regular basis.
Take Decluttering to the Next Level
Clear the Kitchen Counters
When your kitchen is clean, the rest of the home will usually follow suit! Determine if what’s cluttering the countertops even belongs there! You can see how I minimized my kitchen and kicked clutter to the curb.
You’ll find some great tips on what you might want to keep or get rid of.
Carry a Basket with You as You Clean
Pick up any stray items that aren’t in their homes, so that you aren’t running around madly. Add the items to the basket and once all the rooms are clean, empty the basket’s contents to the right places.
Organize your shoes
It’s so easy to accumulate a pile of shoes by the front door. After all, it’s where you use them! If it’s the turn of a season (as it so often is when we get the urge to purge), store your off-season footwear out of the way.
Get a Handle on the Laundry
Left unchecked, the laundry pile can slowly take over an entire house, much like the Blob. Remember that movie? Anyway, keep the laundry going. If that’s a particular sticking point for you, maybe try printing out my FREE Laundry Schedule!
Become a Decluttering Ninja
Donations
Look for items to donate, based on seasonal needs. Is it Fall? A large number of organizations will be looking for coats, hats and mitts in preparation for winter. Consider whether you need every piece that you have. Be sure the items are in good repair, and stain-free.
Identify what you ACTUALLY need
For example, remove items from your home office that you aren’t using. This was a bit of a tricky one for me. I was pretty sure I needed ALL the things when I started working from home, but it turns out – NOPE! I need a computer. And of course a few other items, but nothing even close to what I was considering purchasing! Again, donate what you can.
Books
Books are a tough one for a lot of people, myself included. Sort through your books and think about donating or swapping the ones you have read. Many cities have book swap programs, and lots of organizations will use books as part of their fundraising efforts. If you are pretty sure you won’t read it again, pass it along. However, the caveat to this is if you will read it again, keep it. Just find a place for it.
DVDs and CDs
With the ease of Netflix, Amazon Prime and the like, do you really need all those movies on DVD? If you aren’t ready to let them go, is there a more practical way to store them? We recycled all the cases from our movies and tv shows and now keep our DVDs in these Nylon CD/DVD Binder Cases
, and we love it. They fit nicely inside our footstools!
Online music streaming services like Apple Music, Spotify and Amazon make it possible to have the largest library imaginable without owning a single CD. Ask yourself if you really need it. If the answer is yes, find a place for it.
So there you have it. See how easy it is to declutter right now? It’s SO Easy! And when you get the decluttering done ahead of the holidays, everything will run just that much smoother. Trust me!
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