A busy life and a bustling household can make it tough to keep clutter under control. While some disorganization in your home is simply a sign of living a normal life, being surrounded by clutter can cause feelings of anxiety and inhibit productivity and creativity. If you want to transform your home โ and your life โ now is a great time to get organized. These tips and tricks will help you create a tidy home so you can enjoy your space stress-free.
Decluttering and organizing make your home look and feel cleaner, and it helps you maximize your space and more fully enjoy your surroundings. But the benefits donโt end there. These are some of the far-reaching advantages of getting organized at home.
When your home is organized and free of clutter, youโll feel a reduced sense of stress and anxiety. Being surrounded by too much โstuffโ can feel overwhelming and get in the way of your ability to relax or stay productive.
Uncluttered surroundings make it easier to stay focused on the tasks at handโyouโre not getting distracted with having to look for things, and you donโt have that nagging feeling that you should be tidying up. Once you organize your home, youโll probably start to feel more creative, and your productivity will improve.
The more cluttered your bedroom, the more likely you are to suffer from a sleep disorder, according to a recent study. When everything is in its place, itโs much easier to relax and unwind at the end of the day, and when you step into a clean, tidy bedroom, youโll feel calm and content as you slip into bed.
Decluttering is an effective way to improve the flow of energy and foot traffic in your home. Unimpeded by clutter, your spaces will feel calmer, brighter, easier to navigate, and more pleasant to be in.
In the process of decluttering, youโll probably find some treasures you havenโt seen for a while, like boxes of family photos or videos, packed-away baby keepsakes, or a pile of newspaper clippings or special art the kids made. Set these aside, and make a project out of turning them into albums, scrapbooks, edited videos, or other memorabilia.
Youโll also probably find some things while youโre organizing that make you wonder why on earth youโve been holding onto them all these years, like abandoned sports equipment, rarely-used kitchen gadgets that just take up space, and that huge collection of suitcases you donโt need. Youโll get a warm feeling when you give these items to someone whoโs happy to take them off your hands.
Anytime is a good time to get organized! Many people use the changing of the seasons to carve out some time to declutter and deep-clean. Spring and fall are ideal times for washing the windows, steaming the carpets, and cleaning and turning the mattresses. But other circumstances may also present the opportunity to do a quick declutter โ or a major overhaul of your belongings:
To truly declutter your home, youโll need to do a thorough โdetox.โ Most of us focus on the bathroom, bedroom, and closets when we think of organizing, but there are many other areas of your home that could probably use some extra organization. If you feel overwhelmed, start with small spaces first and work your way toward larger rooms as you go.
Hallway and Living Room: Store coats and shoes in a closet or storage bench, and tidy up the living room by putting away toys, stacks of clothes, books, and miscellaneous items that are in the way.
Yard Shed/Garage: Sort through your shed and garage, and decide what you no longer need. Use a pegboard to hang small tools, and install sturdy hooks on the walls and ceiling to hang bicycles, lawn and garden tools, and sporting equipment.
Laundry/Kitchen: Make it a habit to tidy up these two areas every day if possible. Put your clean laundry away, wipe down kitchen countertops, and keep your sink free of dirty dishes (as often as you can!).
Home Office/Important Documents: Go through all of your bills, receipts, tax and legal documents, and important items. Some records should be shredded, but youโll want to keep some documents, like IRS filings and other tax-related paperwork, for approximately five years.
Playroom/Craft Room: Organize toys into bins, and keep craft items organized in storage boxes with a label. Determine what to donate and what to throw away every time you declutter these rooms to keep excess stuff to a minimum, which makes playing and crafting more enjoyable.
Storage Areas: Declutter closets and pantries often to make it easy to find the things you need. Tackle areas like the basement and attic, sort items into categories items by category, making sure that only the things you truly need are still there.
A home detox starts by determining which items you plan to keep, and which items you donโt. You can make the process easier by creating specific sorting categories for every single item that moves through your hands. Label boxes, bags, or baskets with the category, and if an item in question doesnโt go back into the space youโre cleaning, put it in the appropriate receptacle. Here are some helpful categories, but use what works for you and the space youโre organizing โ you may need a pile for mending when youโre organizing clothes, or a pile for hazardous disposal when youโre organizing under the sink.
Donate: These items can be anything that you feela charity or nonprofit organization would benefit from. Think about where you plan to donate items first, and find out where to drop them off. Make sure the items are in good condition before you add them to your โdonateโ category.
Give Away: Whether itโs your childโs old bike thatโs now the perfect size for his cousin, or youโre sorting through your clothes and have friends in mind who might like something, consider giving some of your items away to friends or family members whoโd love to have them.
Toss/Junk Removal: Throw away smaller, worn-out items that canโt be upcycled or recycled. If you donโt have a way to haul larger items like furniture or appliances to the dump, contact a local junk removal company to haul them away.
Recycled/Upcycled: Some items, like old clothing or furniture, can be upcycled into something new. Give an old table some creative TLC, and use it on the porch. Turn a bag of old t-shirts or a bunch of old jeans into a quilt. If an item is irreparable and canโt be upcycled, see if itโs recyclable. If not, itโll have to go in the trash.
Put in Storage: Some of your belongings โ seasonal wardrobes, holiday decorations, or a crib youโre planning on using again โ may simply need to be put into storage. Decide where theyโll go, and make an appropriate pile.
As you begin your decluttering adventure, itโs important to set some criteria for determining whatโs worth keeping and what isnโt. Here are two major questions to consider:
Do you (or someone in the household) use this item? If youโre deep inside a closet and find the ironing board you havenโt seen in seven years, get rid of it. If you have a complex, hulking food processor that you used once in college to make hummus ditch it. Only keep these types of items if you use them on a regular basis and nothing else will do.
Do you (or someone in the household) love this item? Sentimental items are tricky things. If youโre keeping the ugliest placemats youโve ever seen in your life just because your late aunt gave them to you, donโt feel bad getting rid of them. Someone out there will absolutely love them and give them the place of honor they deserve at the table. On the other hand, if your baby blanket is in complete tatters, but you love it with all your heart, thatโs a no-brainer: You keep it.
Transform your space this month with some serious decluttering. Youโll enjoy a great feeling of accomplishment as you make a fresh, new start in an optimized, organized home, where youโll feel better, sleep better, and find things more easily. Make your checklist today, and get started on a thorough home detox for a clutter-free life.
Originally Posted in Porch.com
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