Clutter appears slowly. When you first move into a home or apartment, you promise that you will keep it pristine and clutter free. Before you know it, piles of papers, knick-knacks, sentimental items, and items you don’t use start to pile up around your home. Clutter can detract from the aesthetic of your home, as well as make a space feel overcrowded and unwelcoming. Decluttering can be an overwhelming task, but luckily you don’t have to tackle your whole house at once. You can take small steps each week to slowly and efficiently remove clutter from your life.
Sit Down and Decide What Must Go
Before you get to work removing clutter from your house, it is important to sit down and decide what you absolutely must get rid of.
You might feel an emotional attachment to items that you rarely look at and can cause clutter. It will be easier to get rid of an item that you have an emotional attachment to if you commit to throwing it out before you meet with it, touch it, and rekindle that attachment.
Deciding what you will throw out also helps shorten the clean-out time. If you know for sure that you will get rid of papers dated before a specific date, a particular type of knick-knack, or items that have no use, you won’t have to carefully consider whether or not you will throw out each object that you come across.
Choose One Room at a Time and Survey the Damage
Instead of taking on removing clutter from the whole house and moving from room to room haphazardly, decide to work on one room at a time. You should commit to clearing one room and not moving to the next until the clutter has been cleaned and stored away. I suggest you start with decluttering your kitchen. Browse kitchen ideas for inspiration on how to have a clean and spacious room. After you’ve tidied up your kitchen, you can move on to other areas of your home. It’s best to save decluttering your garage for last.
Working on one room at a time ensures that you are more meticulous in your efforts. It also makes the whole task of clearing clutter less overwhelming. You can give yourself a due date to help. For example, give yourself one month per room. A due date will help lessen the overwhelming nature of the task.
Stay Clutter Free – Make Use of Storage and Organizational Containers
Of course, when you declutter there will be things that you must keep or want to keep. You don’t have to throw everything out, but things that you keep that aren’t fit to be on display should be appropriately stored.
You can find a variety of storage containers, ranging from tiny boxes to large storage containers, where you can place objects that you need to keep.
Storage containers are ideal for items such as heirlooms, old toys, and clothes that you may want to pass on eventually, as well as rarely used items that you are sure you will use at some later date.
You can also find storage containers and organizational products that can help you store and keep track of necessary documents. Instead of letting papers pile up around your house, designate corners or areas of individual rooms for storing documents and find adequate storage to keep these documents safe.
Storage containers don’t have to be unsightly, either. There are plenty of functional storage containers that are also aesthetically pleasing. These storage solutions allow you to place storage all over your home without making it look crowded.
When you are faced with the seemingly impossible task of removing clutter from your home, don’t get discouraged. Remember that clutter build slowly, and it will take some time for it to disappear, as well. Take proactive steps each week to improving your home, and before you know it you will be clutter free!
