8 EASY DECLUTTERING TIPS YOU CAN IMPLEMENT TODAY
Want easy decluttering tips you can implement right now?
Just thinking about decluttering your home can be overwhelming. What do you tackle first? How do you even get through one room without spending an entire day there?
I don’t know about you but there have been times I got super motivated, took everything out of my closet (like the experts say to do) and at the end of the day, I felt like I hardly made a dent. A lot of times I ended up just throwing the rest of the stuff back into the closet into storage bins and called it done.
This is why most people give up. We need small wins!
Small decluttering wins give us the motivation and satisfaction to keep going. So how do we get these small wins? Check out these 8 simple decluttering tips and start today!
8 EASY DECLUTTERING TIPS TO AVOID OVERWHELM
1. DECLUTTER VISIBLE AREAS FIRST
Most of us want to get into the pantry or bedroom closets and start tackling them but that is one of the reasons most people quit before they finish.
Start decluttering visible areas first
Areas you see daily and that guests would see if they showed up for a visit. Believe me, even if you don’t think they are the most important, they are what is going to motivate you to continue.
Just doing the small visible areas like the corner of messy wires and cables or the chair loaded with coats will do wonders for your brain.
Imagine being able to actually sit in the chair that’s been buried under clutter for months? Ahhhh relaxing!
2. PRETEND COMPANY IS COMING
It’s amazing how fast the house gets clean when you know someone is coming over! Use this method for decluttering as well. Pretend company is coming and they are going to walk through your house.
Heck, invite a friend over or schedule a home repair or something you’ve been putting off.
This is a great way to get motivated. If someone were to stop by your house today what would they see first?
Declutter that area first so that you get the satisfaction of seeing it every day when you walk in as well.
Sometimes we get clutter blindness so thinking about someone else coming over opens up our eyes to see the clutter we have been avoiding.
3. CLEAN JUST ONE AREA AT A TIME
The easiest and most satisfying surface to declutter and get clean is the kitchen counters. Another surface may be the kitchen or dining room table that really hasn’t been used because it’s always cluttered with stuff.
Make sure it is something you will see daily so that it motivates you to keep going!
When I cleaned off my counters and got rid of things I didn’t use daily I started to love being in the kitchen and making my coffee each day. Just seeing the cleared space helped my mind and made me less stressed each day. It helped me keep my motivation to continue with other areas of the home.
4. DECLUTTER A SHELF
You have cleared a surface or small area and that felt great right? Now let’s clear a shelf! Whether it’s a shelf in a cabinet or closet or an open shelf just start.
We are talking about small easy fast steps here so don’t dig everything out of your closets only to have to put them back in because you ran out of time!
Just do one shelf. Go through and remove or trash what doesn’t belong. Bring things to their designated spots. If you find a spatula in your pantry go put it in the utensil drawer now. Getting just one shelf clear will keep the momentum going.
5. FIND A PERMANENT HOME FOR THINGS
Most of us are just shifting things around our house daily. Do you actually have a spot for those nail clippers? How about the scotch tape and scissors? Are they in a junk drawer?
Think to yourself where you would go to find such items and designate that place as their home. If it’s in a junk drawer then section off the drawer into areas.
I was able to use small dollar store containers in my junk drawer to separate things like pens, scissors, tape, and miscellaneous things. Remember at this point the purpose isn’t to make it pretty but to make it functional.
How great would it feel to not have to search for scissors or the nail clipper EVERY SINGLE TIME!
6. DESIGNATE AN INCOMING PAPER AND MAIL AREA
I am the queen of paper. I honestly don’t know where it comes from but it multiplies like wildfire. Nothing gets out of control like paper!
Have a medium-sized box or basket designated for mail and to do’s. Go through your mail as you get it each day if you can or drop it in the box and get to it the next day or two.
Get the family to put all papers in the box as well and know that that is where all the new paper that comes into the house goes to be dealt with.
7. PUT A DONATE BOX OR BAG IN YOUR BEDROOM
Clothes for most of us are the hardest to declutter. By leaving a donate bag or box in the bedroom you can easily throw an item or a few items into it each day.
How many times do we go through our closets and have nothing to wear? If there is nothing then whatever is in there can be donated right?
Well, at least some of it but you get the point. Keep doing this until you fill it up and then take it out to your car to be donated right away.
8. DO NOT ORGANIZE!
Wait, what? Decluttering and organization are two different things! You cannot organize a cluttered room or home. It just doesn’t work.
I know you want to run out and get Pinterest pretty organization bins but with this method, you just end up shifting and moving around stuff that you don’t need or use.
Most often you put things in bins and they stay there for years.
So skip the organization for now and just declutter! A great technique to use now just to get things in order is to gather unused boxes, baskets etc. Shoe boxes are great for this. As you are decluttering you can gather like things and just put them in these boxes until you get to the organization process.
Make sure the boxes fit in their designated spots but don’t worry about them being pretty just yet.
This will keep things neat and will allow you to buy the correct size organization containers later after you had a chance to see what you need to organize. You may find you hardly need any new bins because you got rid of enough stuff!
Now that you’ve been through the easy decluttering tips GET STARTED! Start small and do one thing at a time. Remember small visible areas first! Let me know how you did by leaving a comment!
Hi, I’m Kari and I am a personal finance blogger over at Esavingsblog.com. Personal finance is often stressful and I like to make it as easy as possible for everyone. I created the 52 Easy Items to Declutter printable which you can grab in my Freebie Library which is filled with resources to help make managing your home and money simple, fun and stress-free for your family! Get your freebies here.
