It is inevitable that most of us have some amount of clutter in our homes, as we tend to collect a lot of things as we go through life. As a result of this we can all benefit from decluttering our homes.
Most people feel like their life is out of control when they surround themselves with more things than they can manage. This mess causes stress, frustration, and starts to take over your life.
The only way to protect yourself from an overwhelming number of cluttered areas is by properly organizing your home. Setting up proper storage and organization systems will help you to stay on top of your cleaning and be able to recognize when you start to accumulate too much clutter.
There is no right or wrong way to organize clutter in your home. You need to choose a system or method that is going to work for you and your family and that you can commit to making it work.
Steps to Declutter your home
Step 1) Set Goals:
Before you get started, make a plan. Regardless of how many rooms or how much clutter you have to work through, starting with specific goals can help you create a plan that will reduce the time to manage the clutter. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you get started with decluttering.
a) Write down the areas you want to tackle.
Identify the areas that are the worst and need your immediate attention to declutter so as to prioritize your time.
b) Start one area at a time
Set a specific time for each room and area to get started with when decluttering your home. Make sure to pick a time frame that is realistic so that you don’t become overwhelmed and begin to feel negative if you don’t achieve what you set out to do. Accomplishing small areas in the allotted time frame will encourage you to continue on with decluttering and organizing the rest of your home.
Step 2) Create a Sorting System:
As you go through your rooms, closets and other spaces where you accumulate clutter in your home, you will need a system for sorting your possessions. You can create your own system, or use a frequently used organization method: the “Three -Box Method.” This method lets you make a decision for each item as to whether you wish to keep, throw away, or give away. So that you won’t end up with a bigger mess than the one you started with. Get three boxes or storage bins and label them as:
KEEP THROW AWAY GIVE AWAY
Step 3 Keep Box:
Once you have cleaned out the area and you have sorted all of your possessions into the three boxes. You can now decide on how you wish to store your items that you are going to keep. You can get some boxes to organize and neatly return them to where they belong so it makes it easier to find things when you need them.
Step 4 Throw Away Box:
Items in the throw away box will either just be put into your rubbish bin, or the recycle bin. If you have some papers that have private information on them that you don’t want revealed you may use a shredder.
Step 5 Give Away Box:
You have several options for disposing of items that end up in the Give Away box.
Recycle: Recyclable glass, plastics, and paper can be put into your recycling bin (if you have one). Otherwise, you can take them to the nearest recycling drop off location.
Many old electronics that are not used can be recycled as well, for example old mobile phones and computers that are no longer used but just sit at the back of a cupboard taking up valuable space.
Donate: You will feel good knowing that something you no longer need is going to a good home and to someone who actually needs it. Household items, shoes and clothes in good condition can be donated to any local charity. Your trash can be another person’s treasure. Children’s clothes that no longer fit, and toys that they no longer use may be given to friends with younger children, people often appreciate being given things for free.
Have a Garage Sale: You may be able to make some money from some of the items you are going to get rid of by having a garage sale. Friends and family might also have some items that may be included in the garage sale to encourage more people to come.