With most of us choosing to stay home more often nowadays, it’s rather easy for us mums to spot one clutter after another. Good thing, the steps on how to declutter your house are just as easy. More importantly, it makes time fly and the rest of you at home productive. Read on and be inspired with these home organising tips that you can apply to every room!
Benefits of Decluttering
You may not realise it right away, but a clutter-free home has several benefits. For one thing, it makes staying at home stress-free. I, too, feel an incoming headache when I see bundled up clothes in the cabinet or a drawer with utensils all over the place. With an organised home, things are easier to find (because you know exactly where they are) and cleaning takes less time.
If you live in a small house, you’ll be surprised how disposing clutter reveals more storage space. In the long run, a decluttered home helps make you a smart spender by not wasting money on things that you already have or do not exactly need. You can even earn extra cash from it. One man’s clutter may be another’s treasure!
Easy Steps on How to Declutter Your House
I understand that some people may not be too keen on decluttering their homes. It’s a task that takes some time (a lot for bigger houses), planning and effort. Also, I often get distracted when I start digging through the clutter and finding old photos, favourite books, clothes I’ve never worn and so on. So, you must establish a process to see your decluttering goals through! Applying a few tips on decluttering would help, too. Here’s a list I’ve created to inspire and help you get started.
1. Make a plan
Listing down what you need to do when decluttering your kitchen or bedroom gives you an idea of the tasks ahead and how long they will take. Whatever you do, make sure the plan is doable and realistic. You don’t want to start cleaning up then feel fed up midway and shove all that clutter back. Decluttering isn’t a race. Give yourself ample time to work on every task and take breaks when needed.
If you want, you can make your plan as detailed as giving a schedule for each task to keep yourself on track. This way, you can declutter in an orderly manner without missing anything out. Also, crossing out completed tasks from the list gives a satisfying feeling. I like how it encourages you to keep going!
2. Tackle one room at a time
To make decluttering even less overwhelming, make sure to concentrate on one room first before moving on to the next. That way, you can still move around your house with ease and continue with your decluttering task the following day or the next weekend. Doing so makes organising less tiring. Also, you’re likely to do an excellent job cleaning up every room if you’re focused and relaxed.
3. Follow a decluttering routine
When you start cleaning and organising a room, it helps if you follow a standard workflow. Here’s a list of how to declutter your house from start to finish:
- Pull out. This step will include emptying drawers or cabinets and clearing shelves or benchtops. When I do this, I try to group similar items (like little islands of clutter), so I can make a mental note where to put them back afterwards.
- Purge. Here, try to eliminate the things that you’re not using or are no longer working. Check out the next step for helpful tricks on how to go about purging.
- Arrange. Clean up your existing baskets or containers then start putting your things in order. Arrange them for easy access. For example, the topmost shelf is best for holding stuff that you don’t frequently use, while the floor is excellent for placing heavy baskets with handles that you can easily slide in and out.
- Inform. Adding labels to storage boxes or using colour-coded containers will let the members of the family know where to put things back after use. That way, everyone’s involved in keeping the house clutter-free and organised for longer.
4. Apply sorting techniques
Purging is perhaps the hardest part of decluttering. And so, I’ve listed down my secrets to making letting go a little easier:
- Spot the clutter. The common house clutter can be any of the following:
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- sentimental clutter or personal items like letters, drawings or old toys
- bargain clutter or free and inexpensive items that you don’t need
- just-in-case clutter like bills or bank statements that you might need one day
- impulse buy clutter or things you bought and ended up not using
- Ask the magic questions. After detecting your sources of clutter, sort them out further by asking questions. Do I need this? Is it useful? Do I love it?
- Apply the 6-month rule. If you haven’t used the item for the last six months (except for seasonal things), it’s best to let it go.
- Use the three-box method. Assign a box for trash, donate and sell when you’re decluttering. These boxes will help make sorting (and decision-making) quicker.
5. Use the proper storage and organising tools
Finally, while you can always repurpose old shoeboxes and food jars for organising, it’s also great to invest in sturdy storage containers. Make sure to store essential documents, clothing and similar items in boxes with lids to protect them from dust and make the container stackable. Multicompartment trays are excellent space savers for your small items like cutlery, cooking utensils, accessories or jewellery. And for something multipurpose, use lovely woven baskets that can double as your room décor.
After applying these steps and tips on how to declutter your house, integrating more waste-free habits into your household should be easy. Why not start with these simple swaps for a zero-waste kitchen?
