How to Declutter Your Home

Is your house full of clutter? Do you have things scattered around that’s stressing you out? You need to purge! In my recent post ’15 Tips to Keep your Day and Home Organized ‘, I mentioned the below point…

Purge often! This will help keep the home tidy and clutter free. I often go through clothing and other household items and donate anything we do not need anymore.

Clutter in the home causes most people to feel overwhelmed, by simply purging unnecessary items to make the home more organized and clean, you’ll feel more at peace. Think back to a time when your home was organized, or when you went into someone else’s home that was, remember how calm, comforting, and beautiful it felt? Let’s make your home feel that way by these simple purging tips.

1. Source Out the Clutter
   • Find the areas in your home that need the most help, however, start somewhere simple like the bathroom to ease into donating/throwing things out.
2. Get Rid of Unused Items
   • As simple as this may seem, it is often the hardest…thinking “what if I need it one day?!”, rule of thumb if it hasn’t been used in the last 6 months to a year, it’s gone.
3. Let Go of Guilt
   • Just because an item was given to you does not mean you need to keep it. Let yourself be okay with removing these unused gifts from the home.
4. Tackle Emotional Items Last
   •  This way you have experience already removing the easy things first and are ready for this area. It is OKAY to keep things that are special to you but consider carefully if you need it all.
5. Remove Duplicates
   • Get rid of any duplicated items you don’t need. Do you really need to have 6 spatulas or 2 copies of the same book?
6. Try it on. To small? It’s gone.
   • I know you love your jeans from high school, but do they still fit? Clothing is often a very hard area for people, as you think you may wear it again (what if it comes back into style?!), or it is meaningful to you. Try and sort your clothing out – any favourites in one pile, everything else in another. Go through items trying them on (too small it’s gone), and removing any you haven’t worn in ages, or simply no longer like.
7. Get Outside Help
   • Big areas can be hard to tackle (garage), or you may just simply struggle with the idea of letting something go. Ask a friend or family member to help you, by encouraging you to say good-bye, and helping you pick through items that may be overwhelming.
8. Have a Donation Box on the Go
   • Have a box going to donate for any time you come across something in your home that you do not need.
9. Don’t Let it in the House
   • Another simple way to reduce clutter is to exam items that come into the home. Do you need it? Throw out or donate it if you don’t, or remove another item from the home to allow space for the new one to come in.
10. Give Yourself Time
    • This process can take a long time, depending on how hard it is for you. The more often you do this, the easier it is.

I hope you found these tips helpful, and feel ready and motivated to tackle your home. By the end, you will feel so much better, and I guarantee you will enjoy your home much more now that it is clutter free. Now, what are you waiting for? Get started!