When people think of decluttering their homes, they often think of going through their whole home, throwing out a truck loaded with discarded items, and taking days to perfect their new haven. Obviously, this can be extremely overwhelming for many people paralyzing them from even attempting to begin the process. While you definitely can have that home makeover show experience (we also have a Total Alignment package!), if you’re organizing and decluttering on your own it’s often the smaller projects that are most impactful. On your way to accomplishing any ultimate goal, are many smaller goals that are vital and just as important. Here are small ways to declutter your home this week!
Clear Off Your Nightstand
Only keep the essentials here! Things like your phone charger, glasses, and a good book! Anything else can probably be moved to better, permanent location
Sort Your Stacks of Mail
I’m sure you have a few (or many) stacks of random mail and papers throughout your home that can be sorted. Scan items you need to keep, file hard copies into designated folders, and recycle the rest! Better yet, come up with a system to do this weekly so that they don’t pile up over time!
Put Away Clothes on “The Chair”
We all have The Chair. You know the one where you put your clothes when you’re too lazy to put them away or put them in the hamper. Or, you wore that sweatshirt once so it’s not dirty, but it’s not clean. PUT THEM AWAY. The Chair is not a system.
Organize Your "Junk Drawer"
First of all, we’re retiring the term “junk drawer” because when we cal it that then it will just hold junk. Words matter, fam. It will now be a utility or tool drawer. Remove items that are broken, missing pieces, you don’t know what they do, or haven’t used recently. Use dividers to separate and sort items you keep.
Nothing Left On The Floor Pick up everything on the floor! Not only is having items on your floor possibly a hazard, it adds to the clutter of your space! If you absolutely HAVE to keep an item on the floor, place it neatly in a corner and/or against a wall and away from the center of the room. If you have items on your closet floor, think of ways you can hang them or use any shelving units or vertical space in the area.
One Drawer at a Time
After you tackle your utility drawer, tackle the other small drawers in your home such as bathroom drawers, sock/undie drawers, or desk drawers. These are small manageable tasks that can be done in a short amount of time.
Clear All Surfaces
Countertops, dressers, desks, tables. Clear them of all extraneous items. It’s human nature to just kind of drop things on open surfaces in your home, but overtime those items pile up and become clutter. If you can’t break the habit of dropping items throughout your home, contain using trays, baskets, and organizers so they do not spill out onto your surfaces. Better yet, create systems to sort and contain these items by giving them designated spaces that are accessible to you. Once you clear the clutter, you’ll have spaces to use for recreation, flex your design and décor skills, display pictures, etc.
Toss Expired Items
Medicine, Food, Makeup, Condoms, Spices, even Alcohol all expire! Dig through your cabinets, drawers, and fridge and toss all those items that are no longer safe to use or consume. Research how long you can use them and make sure to dispose of them properly and safely!
Label Everything
If you already have systems in place that work to keep you organized, label them! Even as a professional organizer, I 100% forget where I put things if they aren’t labeled. Labelling will help you designate areas after you’ve sorted your items so they can always be found, and more importantly, be placed back the same way every time. This can help you stay consistent and create lasting changes. This can be very affordable and can be as simple as using some painter’s tape and Sharpie (though I am partial to my label maker…)
Prepare a Donation Box
Gather those clothes that don’t fit, that bread maker you got with good intentions but have never used, and that free water bottle from that convention you went to 6 years ago. Donate any good condition items that no longer serve but could help someone else. Be sure to research what organizations near you need donations and follow their instructions!
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