If your home has gotten particularly cluttered of late, you may want to try and reduce what you surround yourself with, but don’t know where to start, or who to turn to for help.
First off, it’s important to remember that while nobody is expecting a home with kids, or just a busy household, to be entirely free of clutter (in fact, some clutter is what gives a home character), if it’s making it hard for you to keep your home clean, then it’s likely that reducing it can only help make your life easier, and your home easier to clean.
Additionally, if you hire a cleaning service or are interested in hiring one, reducing the amount of clutter you have in your home can make it quicker for them to do their job, and the quicker they can do their job, the less time you have to pay them for.
To declutter your home, here are some simple tips:
Begin with one category of clutter at a time
Whether you start with kitchen utensils, personal items, or books, for example, it can be helpful to choose one category of clutter and get it cleared away, before starting on the next. Making the process of decluttering more manageable is important if you’re to be successful both a decluttering, and at keeping clutter at bay for good.
Put all items together
Once you’ve collected items in each category that you want to declutter, you should put them all together in one place so that you can look at them properly and assess what you will do with each one.
Decide what to do with each item
From storing items away for future use, to selling them online, or donating them to charity, it’s important to establish what you want to do with each item so that your decluttering efforts are successful, and not wasted.
Clear cluttered surfaces
It’s easy to simply throw an item down on a table, countertop or other such surface, and then leave it there without returning it to its proper place, but this is usually what creates the most clutter in a home. if you don’t have somewhere for an item to be stored away, either find it a place and put it there, or ask yourself whether you need the item at all.
Plan decluttering accordingly
If, as you go along with your decluttering, you’re finding that you don’t have enough storage for everything, you should start thinking about finding solutions for the problem. Whether it be buying stackable crates or bins for things to go in, or putting up a shelf, as soon as you give yourself more storage options, you (and other members of your household) will be less likely to fall victim to cluttering.
Carry out the above process for each clutter category
Strategically going through each room or zone in your home and following the steps outlined above will make the decluttering task far easier to manage, and you’ll be able to plan it out over the course of a week or weekend so that it doesn’t end up taking all of your free time.
Every time a new item of potential clutter enters your home, try to follow these steps and take the time to ask yourself not just whether you want to keep the item, but whether you should have bought it in the first place.
With a little effort and dedication to the cause, you can declutter your home for a happier, healthier life, and keep it that way. It won’t just be you that benefits from this, but your cleaning service will thank you for it, too!
