There are many benefits to a clutter-free space. Instead of feeling overwhelmed or stressed out, you can learn how to declutter your home so you can feel peaceful and calm. Your productivity, sleep, and relationships can even be impacted by the amount of stuff you have in your house.
If your home is overwhelming you with clutter and all the stuff that keeps piling up, it is time to declutter. This article will look at how to declutter your home in just ten easy steps without needing a professional organizer.
This is a big job, but it’s one you can successfully do with some time and effort. So, let’s get started.
How to declutter your home in 10 Easy Steps
Step 1: Desire to Change
The first step to declutter your home is to have the desire to change. Until you get to that point, you cannot make good progress on actually going through decluttering. If you desire to have your home be in tip-top shape, it will take work to let go of items that are unused or unwanted in order to foster a calm home without facing the overwhelming amount of stuff that most of us have in our houses.
Decluttering all the rooms will take time and effort, but the results can help you better enjoy your space. Having less clutter will help you feel more calm and peaceful instead of stressed out and overwhelmed. Once you have the true desire to change, you are ready to move forward with decluttering.
Step 2: Determine a Strategy
The next step in decluttering your house is to figure out what your strategy will be. To do this, ask yourself the following questions:
- How much time do I have to devote to decluttering?
- What spaces need the most work?
- What areas of your house stress me out the most?
- When do I want to complete my whole house decluttering project?
Questions like these will help you to determine a workable strategy for your house in this season of your life. For example, it may not be feasible to spend an entire day decluttering. Instead, you may need to develop a more realistic strategy, such as one where you spend one hour decluttering at a time.
It would be best if you also started with an area that will help you feel accomplished. For example, while you may need to declutter some piles of paper, you may not feel much of a boost from decluttering that first.
Similarly, if you start with decluttering photos, you may find yourself spending hours looking through old pictures without much visible progress to show for your work.
You are better off choosing to start with an area you can see daily and be motivated by the progress made.
Step 3: Gather the Necessary Supplies
After determining your decluttering strategy, you should gather the necessary supplies. This will allow you to maintain your decluttering momentum and not get distracted by other tasks if you have to stop what you are working on to get some supplies.
Examples of supplies to start with include:
- Trash bags
- Boxes or plastic tubs labeled with “sell” or “giveaway”
- Cleaning supplies
- Organizational items, such as drawer dividers, baskets, etc.
Step 4: Set a Timer and Get Started
Now you are ready to get started decluttering! Based on the strategy you determined in step two, go to that space, set a timer, and get started. Whether you only have a few minutes or a few hours, you can make good progress on the decluttering process if you set a timer and stay focused.
You do not need to worry about the entire job. Instead, focus on the task at hand. If a whole room seems too much, start with just one drawer or cabinet. You will be surprised how good it feels to go through a junk drawer or cabinet space where you store miscellaneous items.
Step 5: Ask Yourself When You Last Used the Item
As you are going through a particular area of your house, look at the items and ask yourself when you last used them. Suppose you cannot recall when it was used, set the item aside. You want to ensure that items that you keep are actually useful to you.
Sentimental items that bring you joy are also worth keeping, even if they are not necessarily useful, per se. Keeping and displaying such things without contributing to clutter or overwhelm in a space is possible.
Step 6: Ask Yourself When You Can Envision Using the Item
Some items you have not used recently may still be useful and worth keeping. For that reason, you should ask yourself when you envision using the item in the future. Again, be realistic in your assessment.
One example would be seasonal decorations. You might not have used them recently, but you know you still want all of them for the next time the holiday rolls around. In this case, ensure that you have an effective storage system in place to easily find what you are looking for when it is time.
For other household items, you should be realistic in determining how likely you are to use them. While you may be able to think of a situation in which you would use the item, ask yourself if it is actually realistic.
Consider designating one cabinet where you will put the items you want to keep but do not use that often. Then, set a calendar reminder to check back in a designated amount of time to see what you have used.
Step 7: Determine – Keep/Sell/Give Away/Trash
As you are going through the items and thinking about realistic uses for them, it is time to make some determinations. First, you have to decide whether the item should be kept or not.
If you decide not to keep it, you need to determine if you want to sell the item, give it away, or trash it.
Items that are no longer needed and do not have any useable life left in them can be tossed in the trash bag to be disposed of. For example, broken things can easily be decluttered and trashed.
Items that are still useable but do not want or need anymore can either be given away or sold. For example, you may know someone who could use the item and give it away. Another option would be to donate the unwanted items to a local charity.
If you are looking for a way to make some extra cash and do not mind putting in some work, you may choose to sell your clutter. You can do this by holding a garage sale or posting items for sale online.
Step 8: Clean the Space
After you have emptied the space, it is a great time to clean it without the clutter in the way. You can now easily access the nooks and crannies of an area. This is a great time to wipe down cabinets and shelves. You can also clean the floor and baseboards easier without moving stuff out of the way.
Step 9: Reorganize
Now that you have figured out what you are keeping and cleaned out the space, it is time to reorganize and place the items back in an organized manner. The decluttering plan should leave you with only what you use and want to keep.
The key to having an organized space is making items easy to find. Consider utilizing the vertical space effectively, especially in your closets and laundry room.
Using storage containers can also make locating what you are looking for in a clutter-free manner.
When it comes to organizing a hall closet or linen closet, be sure you know what you keep where so that you do not have to check different closets to find what you are looking for. In addition, similar items should be stored together for easy access.
Most living rooms are well-loved, and a regular hang-out spot for friends and family. For this reason, be sure not to overwhelm the space with too much furniture or clutter. Reorganizing may look different for different areas of your house, but the goal is the same – efficient access to the items you are looking for.
Step 10: Determine a Plan to Keep up with Decluttering
Unfortunately, decluttering is not a one-and-done type of task. You will need to figure out a plan to help you keep up with the clutter coming into your house and prevent yourself from getting overwhelmed. It is essential to schedule time to declutter regularly.
To keep your home feeling tidy and organized, consider a few things. Own things that are meaningful and useful to you. Don’t just hide stuff behind a closed door. Create zones of your house to regularly check in on your items.
With these ten steps, you can declutter your house and develop a plan to help you maintain the space. Happy decluttering!
Tips for Decluttering Your Home
Be Intentional With Your Space
It is your own home. Be sure your house reflects you. You do not have to follow every interior designer’s trends.
Decluttering your home should not just focus on your bedrooms, closets, or kitchen. How you decorate affects the feel of your house too. When it comes to hanging items on your walls, sometimes less is more. Be intentional.
Consider Sentimental Value
Decluttering tips often focus on items with no sentimental value. Each person will value items differently, so it is essential to be realistic about what you enjoy having in your home. You do not have to get rid of something even if it is not necessarily valuable for your everyday life.
Store Frequently Used Items Strategically
Part of considering how often you use an item is to help you understand how you need to store the item. You want to ensure that frequently used items are easily accessible. Likewise, you should store similar items together or near each other so that you do not have to go far to get both items.
Decluttering a House FAQ
How do you declutter your home when you are overwhelmed?
It is so easy to put off tasks that feel overwhelming. However, to declutter your home, even when you are overwhelmed, you need to choose an area of your house, set a timer, and just get started. While decluttering your whole house will take a significant amount of time, it is better to set aside 15 or 30 minutes to just get started on the project.
What should I declutter first?
To help you gain momentum on decluttering your house, start with one room or area of your home that regularly stresses you out but is not a complete disaster. This will allow you to gain momentum in the process while also giving you a quick win that had previously been a problem spot in your house.
What is the best way to start decluttering?
The best way to start decluttering is to grab a trash bag and ruthlessly toss items you no longer want or need. So many times, we hold on to items that we could make a quick decision about in the decluttering process – keep, give away, sell, or trash?
What should you not do when decluttering?
When you are decluttering, do not try to tackle your entire house at one time. This will lead to making a bigger mess throughout the house before you can complete the project.
How can I declutter my house quickly?
Consider getting others involved using a declutter your home checklist or making a game out of the decluttering process. For example, you can challenge yourself to declutter for a certain amount of time or a certain amount of items you would like to purge. If you make it a competition with yourself, you will quickly make decisions on whether you want to keep or get rid of an item, therefore allowing you to quickly declutter your house.
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