It seems as though we all go through spurts here and there where we ask ourselves, how can I declutter my house? This usually happens around spring time when we get in the spring cleaning spirit. When it is time to put away the winter coats and bring out all the fun spring and summer time clothes and toys! Here are a few helpful tips to help you declutter your house.
The first thing you want to do is come up with a game plan. Pick the first area of your home or office that you want to declutter and start from there. You can make a list of all the rooms in your home and prioritize them and work your way down the list, but the key is to work on one room at a time.
Once you chosen a room it is now time to get rid of clutter! You will want to label 3 or 4 piles where you can sort things. You will want a throw away pile, a donate to charity pile and a storage pile. Your 4th pile can be a things to keep pile, but you will either keep those in the room or put them in storage so it may not be necessary to have this pile. Unless you plan to gut the entire room and go through every single item. You can either write the name of each pile on a piece of paper or spread them far enough apart so that you remember which one is which. You clearly do not want to get these items mixed up.
Now you will go through each section of the room and decide do you want to throw it away, donate, keep, or put in storage. This is where you have to detach yourself from the clutter in your home. You may think “But I might need this later!”. The truth is, if you haven’t used it within the last 6-9 months you do not need it. Now, there are obviously exceptions to the rule. Perhaps they are sentimental items or seasonal things, but the idea is when you say you want to declutter my house, you want to get rid of all the unnecessary items that are taking up space. So go through the room and think hard about whether you really need each item. For the items that are seasonal or you are just not sure if it is something you are ready to part with yet, you can buy some plastic storage boxes and put those items away.
Once you’ve gone through the first room you will feel GREAT! Set yourself a deadline for each room you start so that you do not drag it out. Once you’ve completed one room, move on to the next and your house will soon be clutter free. If you want some help, maybe recruit some friends and have a declutter my home party. They help you go through your rooms and then you help them go through theirs. One day you work on your room, the next day you work on theirs. This way you all have support to help you truly decide if something is worth keeping or getting rid of.
