HOW TO DE-CLUTTER YOUR HOME: 10 DECLUTTERING IDEAS

Everyone has some clutter in their house, whether those are books in the living room, junk mail in the kitchen, or clothes in the closet. Although clutter in your house is common, this level of disarray has many negative effects. Clutter takes up valuable living or storage space that you may need, makes it harder to locate things, and makes a small space appear even smaller. Here are some ideas to help you organize your space and create a decluttered home without needing to be a professional organizer.

10 IDEAS TO DE-CLUTTER YOUR HOME

Ready to commence a significant decluttering project but unsure of where to begin? Here are some organizing suggestions to help you clear your house and create a clutter-free haven:

1. Consider your main objective:  Owning as few things as feasible is minimalism, which is frequently linked to decluttering. While living a minimal lifestyle can be wonderful, some people enjoy having more things and getting pleasure and joy from their possessions. To avoid getting rid of too much or too little, settle on the final look of your decluttered home before you begin.

2. Divide the workload: Setting out to declutter your entire home can leave you feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, or unsure of where to begin. Decluttering is a large task. Instead, divide your objective into more manageable objectives that will give you a feeling of progress along the way. Making a list of your rooms and the order in which you want to work on them is a wonderful way to start the decluttering process (for instance, your closet, your medicine cabinet, or your basement). Additionally, you can group things into lists and then sort the lists according to the groupings (for instance, your books, clothes, or knick-knacks). Select the first area or collection of things you wish to purge, and begin with a small area.

3. Distinguish recyclables from garbage: Set up a system where you have a clear spot for items that you're going to give away to a secondhand store and a trash bag for items that you're going to toss away before you start going through your belongings. This approach enables you to plan as you go. Setting up bins for items you need to return to someone or for tasks you are working on right now is another smart move.

4. Don't be concerned about the cost: You might be reminded of how much you spent while admiring a piece of furniture that hasn't seen much use. The cost of the object is a "sunk cost" because you already paid it, so keeping it around (or spending money to fix it if it needs repair) won't necessarily increase the worth of your life. When choosing whether to keep something or throw it away, try to stop thinking about past expenses and focus only on the present and the future. Ask yourself if keeping the item will improve your life. If not, you should let it go, whether you want to sell it or give it away.

5. Remove duplicates: If you find that you have several of the same item, such as four distinct can openers, consider whether you actually need all of them. Did you purchase a replacement when you couldn't locate the first one? If so, decide to retain one nearby and donate or sell the others.

6. Take note of surfaces in particular: It's simple to use flat, open surfaces like coffee tables, countertops, home office desks, nightstands, laundry room counters, and even the tops of kitchen cupboards as makeshift storage areas for items like keys, trash, coins, and old tools. Think of a way to organize your routines if you're observing a lot of clutter on your flat surfaces. For instance, you could put a small, attractive "junk box" on your kitchen counter where you can put your wallet, keys, and other small items when you enter the house.

7. Create attractive stowage areas: You might feel that your house doesn't appear any neater if you invest a lot of time carefully organizing and decluttering it only to store everything in unsightly cardboard boxes or shoe boxes. When you begin a decluttering endeavor, consider your space creatively and come up with storage options to arrange the items that will remain. Can you use any nicer storage containers for your items? Can you install hangers and a clothes rack near the entryway so people can place their coats? Can you add a bookcase or a set of cubbies with compartments for shoes, kitchenware, books, or papers? To prevent clutter on the table, why not hang some inexpensive shelving from the wall?

8. Seek assistance: Decluttering is a big job for one individual, even if you're doing it efficiently. To free up space to declutter, enlist the assistance of family members or friends for any chores you don't feel capable of handling on your own, even if it's just to gather up and put away everything that's out. Additionally, getting rid of outdated things you've been hesitant to get rid of can often be facilitated by the advice of a trusted friend.

9. Install natural clutter-busters. Consider methods to prevent the future buildup of clutter if you notice a "problem area" where it tends to collect more than usual. Do you have a bad practice of allowing junk mail to accumulate on the kitchen counter or coffee table? Tossing the trash before it has a chance to accumulate, place a recycling receptacle right next to where you read your mail.

10. Regularly declutter. Even observant residents who keep their spaces clean on a regular basis will eventually notice clutter building up. Accept that the clutter exists and resolve to perform periodic "mini-decluttering" and cleanups (whether that be once a month or once a year) to maintain a clutter-free home rather than allowing it to frustrate you.