Declutter Your Home: How to Get Started
Decluttering your home may feel intimidating and overwhelming. While accumulating the stuff was easy enough, organizing or getting rid of it might seem impossible. Many people put off decluttering because of time, intimidation, or sentimentality, but there are many benefits. Your house is easier to clean and living in a tidy, organized house reduces stress and anxiety. Follow these tips on how to declutter your home to help you reclaim your space and your life.
Start Small
Start with five minutes at a time or commit to getting rid of one item every day. Work up to a trash bag of things to donate. Clean out a small space, like a junk drawer or kitchen cabinet before moving on to a closet or an entire room.
Once you get the hang of it, you will be energized by decluttering and realize how all of the stuff has weighed you down. You will start to see that many of your belongings are broken, not useful, or you simply no longer enjoy them.
We sometimes hold onto things because we feel guilty for spending money or fear being wasteful, but often you can find other people who need these items.
Declutter Your Home with the Three Box Method
If you want to get serious about decluttering your home, try the three-box method. Label each box with what it will contain: trash, give away/sell, and keep/organize.
Trash the broken or unusable items. Give away things that you don’t use to local charities or to friends who need them. You can also sell items at consignment shops or online to make extra money. Everything else should be organized and relegated to a spot that makes sense.
Get rid of duplicate items, clothing you don’t wear, unnecessary papers, old medication and makeup, and anything you haven’t used in six months. Of course, there will be sentimental items or things that you’ll want to keep. Make space for those items in an attic, basement, or storage space.
Getting Organized
Learning how to declutter your home isn’t just about getting rid of things, it’s about organizing what you have with a system that is easy to maintain.
Group things together in a way that makes sense. Install hooks for coats in the entryway and for towels in the bathrooms. Find decorative baskets and boxes for storage at your local home goods store. Make a plan for what type of storage you need before spending the money.
After taking the time to declutter your home, work to change habits that led to the clutter in the first place. Put things back where they belong, cut down on unnecessary purchases, go through mail and paperwork regularly, and plan a purge twice a year.
Appalachian Inspection Services provides home inspections to Western North Carolina. If you’re buying or selling a home, contact us to schedule an appointment.