Best Advice for Decluttering your home!

Most people have a love/hate relationship with decluttering. We dislike the task, but love the results. I ran across a great article with tips to get started decluttering, here is a list of my favorite ones.

1.  Figure out your clutter personality, why do things pile up in the first place. Knowing this can help you going forward to reduce the clutter.  

2.  Ask yourself three questions as you go through your stuff, 1) Do I truly need it?; 2) Do I truly adore it?; 3) Would I trade inner peace for this?

3.  Get into the habit of doing the 10-minute declutter exercise. Get 2 bags, one for trash, one for charity/sale. Spend 10 minutes sorting stuff. When this becomes a daily habit, you will find yourself staying ahead of the clutter.  

4.  Paper trail! Set aside time to devote to mail and paperwork.  Sort by bills, catalogs, invitations, magazines.  Have a bin ready for anything that can be recycled.  Do not keep duplicates, or flyers that come with the bills. If possible opt out of unnecessary catalogs and magazines. Set up bills in online banking so you can put it in to be paid on the due date as you receive them and file them away immediately, otherwise put in a bin to be paid when due.  

5.  Commit to a decluttering routine, Get in the habit of taking care of things as they occur. Hang clothes up after wearing, put dishes in dishwasher after using, and put dirty laundry in laundry basket. Complete at least one load of laundry every day, wash, fold and put away.  

6.  Make it a family affair, and use this Acronym for a clean house. F.A.S.T

      F:  Fix a time that works for everyone!

      A: Anything not used in 12 months, get rid of it. 

          Be honest, have you used it, will you use it?

      S: Someone else’s stuff!  Return the borrowed stuff, kids take their stuff!

      T: Trash!  Let the trash can be your best friend. 

7.  Let go of the memory clutter.  If you have something you are keeping just because of a memory, it’s time to get rid of it.  Can’t get rid of something because it is worth something, sell it, or give it to someone who will use it.  

8.  Closet…..go thru your closet and get rid of the obvious things that are in bad shape, don’t fit, or you just don’t like. Hang what ever is left so the hangers face back-to-front.  As you wear things in the next 6 month turn the hanger facing the correct way. At the end of the 6 months, donate what you haven’t worn.  

9.  Kitchen:  Empty drawers into cardboard boxes, as you use things in the box over the next month, put them back in the drawer. At the end of the month, take a look at the items left in the box. 

10.  Everything should have a place, a home. If an item doesn’t have a home, it will become clutter.  

​​​​​​​Click here to read The Best Decluttering Advice We’ve Heard!