Controlling clutter in your home requires time and dedication. But there are some quick tips that can help you get things under control fast.
You should be able to take advantage of all your living space. Clutter can keep you from entire rooms of your home. It is made up of items that you don’t actually want or need.
These items are just taking up space because you think that one day you might use them. If you want to be able to find things when you need them, you are going to have to remove some of your clutter. So keep reading for some helpful quick tips.
1. Divide Your Work Into Small Sessions
It is important that you recognize now that decluttering your home is going to be a time-consuming process. It will take a lot of effort, energy, and concentration.
You will have to sort through lots of different items and identify them. It will be up to you to make decisions about what to do with each of the items. You won’t want to have to do this in large increments of time.
Instead, set aside a small amount of time each day and slowly disassemble the items that have built up in your home. All you need is ten to twenty minutes per session to make good progress decluttering your house. If you need to, set a timer so you know when to stop working.
2. Move Your Clutter Before You Sort It
When you have clutter in the same space for a long time you become blind to it. It starts to seem like it belongs there. However, once you move it to a different room, it instantly seems out of place.
By seeing the items as something that doesn’t belong there for the first time, you suddenly understand that the items don’t need to be there. Move your items from the room they are into another one in a basket or box to process.
3. Have A Waste Basket and Recycling Bin Handy
When you are cleaning out your home you will want to make sure that you have bins ready to dispose of the items that you decide to part with. If you get rid of any sensitive papers, be sure that you shred them before you throw them in the recycle bin.
Once you are finished decluttering for the day, put the unwanted stuff you sorted into the bins outside of your house and close the door firmly behind you. No looking back.
4. Work From Top to Bottom
When you declutter your home, you will likely encounter a lot of dust built up from the items being stored so long. You don’t want to give this dust a chance to get air born.
One of the best quick tips is to start at the top level of the stacks in your home and disassemble them carefully. You don’t know if anything might be balanced poorly and fall. Steadily work yourself down a pile until it has been sorted into your bins and you can finally see the floor again.
5. Declutter Working From the Inside Out
If you have a lot of clutter built up in one particular room, you will want to work from the center of that room out to the walls around it. This is because it will make it easier to get stuff in and out of the room while you are working.
You will also be able to see your progress much more quickly and that will inspire you to keep going. Start with the clutter that you find nearest to the door of the room and work from there. Some people prefer to work in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction to observe their progress.
6. Use a Grab and Go Approach
If you have a lot of clutter in one space and don’t know where to start, just grab the first small stack of clutter you see and get to business. One idea is to put the pile into a box or container and sort it from there. That way you can bring it to another space before you sort it as I mentioned before.
If you have put your pile into a box then you will know exactly how much clutter you have to sort through.
7. Use Signs to Help You Declutter
Sometimes the stuff that you are parting with will still have value or you will want to keep it. Then you will need to decide where in your home it will go. It can be helpful to make signs for your “go backs” so to speak.
8. Objectively Examine Your Items
When you declutter you will find that you have a lot of items that you aren’t using anymore. You need to be practical when you look at your stuff and identify which items you don’t need anymore.
Some of the questions to ask your self as you sort through your items are:
- Have you used this item within the past year?
- Are you using the item at the current time?
- Are you saving this item because you think it will be needed in the future?
- Do you like this item?
- Do you no longer have interest in this item?
- Does this item add value to your life or home?
- Is this item weighing you down?
- Does this item prevent you from doing things that you want to do?
9. Ask a Friend or Family Member for Help
The best person to help you declutter your home is someone who isn’t afraid to tell you the truth. You should invite one of your friends or family members over for an objective opinion to help you get through your sorting process.
10. Don’t Wait, Use These Quick Tips Today
There is never going to be a perfect time to declutter your home. But getting started today and working on it every day will get you to your goal eventually.
It doesn’t have to be springtime and you don’t have to have a serious reason to do it. Just get started.
Read on for more quick tips and lifehacks.