7 Tips for Decluttering Your Home & Gaining Control Back
Posted on: August 26, 2021 | by: admin
Planning to declutter your home can be an overwhelming task. Which room do you start with? How do you decide what to keep? Should you throw most clutter away or can you donate it? In this article, we’re sharing our top decluttering tips, so you know how to declutter your home without feeling overwhelmed, stressed or anxious.
How to Declutter Your Home
Decluttering your life can be a straightforward task when you know how. And decluttering can elevate your mood. Follow our decluttering tips and start working towards a clutter-free life that’s simple and organized.
1. Focus on One Room
Start decluttering by focusing on one room at a time. Whether that’s your home office or living room, it doesn’t really matter where you begin. You may decide to start with the smallest room in the house first, or where there is less clutter. You can even start with a particular space, such as the kitchen counter if you prefer. Tackling only one area will help you to focus on the task without feeling apprehensive.
2. Place Items into Boxes or Baskets
One of the best ways to declutter your items is to create five piles and put them into baskets or boxes. When tidying clutter, decide whether you want to place an item into the pile ‘to keep’, ‘to mend’, ‘donate’, ‘discard’ or ‘recycle’. This method will help you to stay organized while sorting through your clutter. Once you’ve arranged your belongings you can then take the appropriate action, whether that’s fixing something or putting it back where it belongs.
3. Does It ‘Spark Joy’?
Professional organizer, Marie Kondo, suggests asking yourself whether an item sparks joy. If it doesn’t, then you should discard it. As many people struggle to throw away their clutter or donate it, this tactic can be helpful. Contemplate whether you use an item, how much use it receives, if you like the item, or if it can be given to a loving home. This makes it much easier to get rid of things you don’t need anymore.
4. Place Valuable Items into Storage
Particularly if you’re getting your home ready for sale, you might want to consider placing your unused but valuable items into storage. Some belongings tend to end up just gathering dust around the house until they’re required. If you’re struggling for space, putting items into storage can give free up some much-needed room.
5. Organize Your Storage Spaces
Storage spaces within your home, including your medicine cabinet and kitchen cupboards, can harbour unwanted clutter. Things like out-of-date cupboard items need to be thrown away, while expired medicines can be handed in at a local pharmacy for disposal. Spend time going through each storage space in your home to eliminate out-of-sight clutter that needs to be discarded.
6. Consider the Little Things
Small items, such as pens that have run out of ink or broken sunglasses, may only be small but they can contribute to piles of clutter around your home. Remember to check areas that you don’t spend much time in too. You may find old junk mail, unwanted books, or empty packaging that you can easily get rid of.
7. Tackle Your Wardrobe
You may not view your clothes as clutter. However, your wardrobe can easily become filled with clutter and unwanted items. Go through your wardrobe to remove anything that doesn’t fit, or you don’t wear anymore. These items can be sold or donated to a worthy charity. Place any dirty clothing into your washing basket and anything that doesn’t belong in your wardrobe back in its correct place. Go through your shoes and accessories too. If you’re struggling to decide what to keep, try sorting your clothes into outfits or colour palettes as this will give you an idea of what you will wear.
Key Takeaway
Now you know how to declutter your home, you can make a significant impact on the tidiness and cleanliness of your personal space. If you’re planning on placing some of your belongings into storage, consider working with a professional storage team with secure, climate-controlled storage facilities to keep your items fully protected.
About the author:
Patryk Panczuk runs a removals and storage company called Removals & Storage Experts based in London. He is passionate about helping people make a new house a home and to do away with the stress of moving.