Declutter Your Home

How do you feel in your home? Relaxed, in control and surrounded by things you love and that reflects who you are? If not, your home is probably being over taken with clutter.

Clutter is things no longer used, things that remind you of a difficult time in your life, or things you liked at one time but your taste or styles have changed. It may be something you paid too much for and feel parting with it would be sinful. Remember the sin was probably in purchasing costly array and not in getting rid of it. Clutter is broken small appliances, piles of unopened junk mail or old newspapers. It’s hundreds of plastic containers saved from sour cream or cool whip that might be useful one day, cans of dried up paint, or little bits of lotions.

If you aren’t someone who enjoys clutter you will immediately feel better when you start cleaning things out. The cluttery type may feel guilty for wasting money by throwing things away or like she shouldn’t get rid of presents or baby clothes. Some people are often scared that the minute they part with something they will need it. Consequently they hold onto junk. Often these feelings stem from your upbringing. Hoarding or being a packrat is a common problem in many families. My grandmother use to save bread bags and meat trays!

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and simply do nothing about clutter. Following are some helpful tips to get you started.

1. Start today
Procrastination is the major obstacle to decluttering.

2. Work a small area at a time
If you decide to sort out your messy kitchen drawer set a timer for 10 minutes. First completely empty the drawer and wipe it out. As you pick up each item ask yourself why I am keeping this. Why do you need four sets of measuring spoons? If you feel energized after cleaning out the drawer keep going. Remember; always work on one room at a time. If you have more clutter than can be accomplished at one time set aside a little bit of time every day until the mission is accomplished.

3. Parting with old stuff
Once you have decided to get rid of things, it’s important to get them out of the house as soon as possible to avoid dragging it back out. Unwanted items can be given to charity, other people or recycled.

4. Parting with sentimental items
It’s okay to be sentimental but be selective and not keep everything. Choose a box in which to keep sentimental items. Keep a few cherished baby clothes and give the rest to someone who will actually use them. Sort pictures placing each child’s in a separate box.

5. Broken things
Give yourself a deadline for broken items to be fixed or discarded

6. Presents
Remember it is your home. If you do not like something dump the guilt and get rid of it.

7. Paper
Deal with junk mail and newspapers immediately.

8. Worry
Have you ever bought something new but refused to get rid of what you were replacing? Ever thought what if the new one breaks perhaps I will keep the old one. A useful tip is “new one in, old one out”.

9. Storage
Once you have decluttered and decided what to keep, decide how you will properly store things. To maintain a clutter free home it is essential for everything to have its place where it can be easily retrieved. Store like things together. We use 20% of our possessions 80% of the time. Put this 20% in the most accessible places. Treat yourself to adequate storage items such as filing cabinets, ‘real’ storage containers, hampers, and baskets.

10. Benefits
A more relaxing orderly home will actually save time each day. You will know exactly where to find things. An orderly home will save you money. You will know what you need and what you have. Remember when shopping a bargain isn’t a bargain if it becomes clutter.