Decluttering how to: 5 areas to begin today
I’m going to give you five ideas of areas in your home you can begin decluttering today to simplify your life.
Something I’ve come to realize is that this tension of accumulating clutter will always be there. Whether you are drowning in clutter or have a well organized home, more clutter is just around the corner. Things find their ways into our homes so it’s important to have a framework for how to deal with them. Because what we can control is if clutter stays in our home.
As a mother of four, I very much understand how quickly even a well ordered home can become chaotic. If you’re feeling the overwhelm that accompanies a messy space, I’m going to give you 5 areas of your home you can begin decluttering that will make a big impact.
1. Cleaning out your refrigerator
This sounds like an odd place to begin but the hub of the home is the kitchen. Because of this, decluttering and cleaning here can make a big impact! The fridge is also a very confined space which can make this a straight forward win for you. Consider the ease of putting groceries away after this task is complete! You’ll find yourself feeling satisfied the next time you open your refrigerator instead of stressed. And maybe more inspired to cook that nourishing meal.
2. Kitchen: declutter glassware, unused utensils and appliances
I don’t know about you, but my kitchen is notorious for being a collecting place. I seem to easily find objects that are not serving their purpose and being used. Do you have a vase that you never use? Declutter it. Do you have three measuring teaspoons when you actually only reach for that one? How about a panini press that you never use? Now is the time to be honest with yourself as you go about decluttering your cabinets.
Start a 30 min timer as you commit to sifting through your cupboards and drawers. Look for obvious items that fit into one of two categories, 1) Trash or 2) Donate.
Try to stay within the timeframe set so you stay on target. Remember you can always do another sweep later if you’re feeling motivated. Even if you only parted with 5 small items from this exercise, it’s such a great start and you will feel satisfied with the progress!
3. Surfaces
Now this is a big one and it’s broad, I admit. You have surfaces everywhere; from your kitchen counters to your bathroom vanity to your living room side table. I want to encourage you to take a room at a time, clearing any cluttered surfaces you find. It can be helpful to have a laundry basket in tow as you go about your home. Look for items that:
- Do not belong in the space
- Are making a surface feel cluttered
- Are trash
- Can be donated
When finished with your sweep through, sort through the categories in your basket, reassigning them to their new home. Repeat this for each room until you’ve dealt with all the surfaces needing your attention. Don’t underestimate the power of a clear surface for your eyes to rest on. You will find yourself wanting to relax in those spaces that were once overwhelming to be in.
4. Paper
If I were to guess, decluttering paper may be the hardest category for the majority of people because it’s simply everywhere. It’s the receipt after your errand, your child’s beautiful but ceaseless artwork, bills and the school papers. And then there’s the daily mail that sits on your counter to be dealt with later. It’s been said that clutter is simply procrastination – putting off for later what we could deal with now. So don’t let this one build up but if it already has, let’s tackle it together.
When it comes to paper clutter, there are varying categories so simply start by collecting all of it and placing them in a grouping:
- Trash
- Bills to be paid
- Papers to be filed
- Kid’s artwork (pin up, discreetly throw away, or put in keepsake box)
- Miscellaneous
From there tackle one category at a time until you have a handle on it. Use a filing system for important papers, write important dates on the calendar, have a shoebox for the kid’s artwork to live in, only keeping the best pieces. Choose a basket to place your mail in as it makes its way into your home too. Clutter begets clutter so keep it minimized and it will greatly help your efforts.
5. Decluttering the closet
The final category deals with our clothes which can become incredibly sentimental and valuable to us. They’re also, of course, very needful items. There is a challenge to decluttering our wardrobes because seasons of life create the need to have variance and therefore, more.
What if I were to travel someplace cold, have an occasion to wear that fancy dress or need those maternity jeans again? There can be valid reasons to keep some pieces that are infrequently worn, but it should be the exception, not the rule. Everything we choose to keep is something that we have to keep inventory of which can be more mentally taxing than you realize.
We can let our overabundance of clothes fly under the radar because we can fit most of it into our closet and drawers and bins. But the real question is, do we wear all 20 t-shirts or do we only rummage through the stack to find our couple favorites? Do you own 15 pair of jeans because they all happen to fit you but you find you don’t reach for many of them? Maybe you’re tired of the mess your clothes make but don’t know how to make a change. Well, read on!
Decluttering – how to let go
We can feel a strong sense of obligation to hold onto clothing pieces we no longer use or reach for. An unhealthy guilt complex that says, “I have to keep it because I spent __ amount of money on it” or “This is a perfectly good sweater I should wear more.” This mentality does little for you tho and actually hinders forward thinking by chaining you to past decisions. Marie Kondo talks in her book, The Art of Tidying Up, and on her website about the need to be grateful for the memories you’ve had with the things you’re letting go of.
It’s helpful to remind yourself that the item served a purpose whether that was having that dress for the special occasion or maybe that purchase taught you a lesson about a clothing style you don’t enjoy. Letting go and donating also gives others the chance to enjoy what you are not or cannot.
A great way to help yourself not have to make these decluttering decisions is to shop realistically.
How to shop differently so you can declutter less
I used to shop very emotionally. If I liked the color, the fit, was a good deal, nice quality, etc then it qualified as something I would buy. It didn’t even matter if I already had a similar one. But my mindset is so different now when it comes to shopping and it saves me a lot of money! If I find something I really like while shopping/thrifting then I ask myself several questions before deciding to buy…
- Do I absolutely love this?
- Do I need this? If yes, then I assess if it’s the exact one I should get (make sure there are no stains, is it the right size, etc)
- Do I have the money to spend on this?
- Is this an easy piece to wear? I try to be realistic and stay away from buying high maintenance clothes -a dress I’d need to alter to feel comfortable in, a sheer shirt requiring layers and difficult fabrics for washing.
- If I’ve checked all the boxes then it gets to stay in my cart but even then, I may reconsider and often have. Novelty can sometimes wear off by the time you get to the register.
Decluttering can change your life
I’m someone who doesn’t thrive when my environment is cluttered or messy and as mentioned before, clutter attracts more clutter. So it is my prerogative in my home to daily attack those areas that I notice are becoming messy. When we put the work in daily to tidy up the spaces in our home, it can make a big impact on how we feel in our home; at peace and not hurried. We can have the freedom to be creative due to clear spaces and a clear mind. Most of all, we can use our time to focus on important relationships instead of using our time to manage a bursting inventory of stuff.
I would love to hear from you in the comments if you complete one or all five of these decluttering steps. What worked well for you?
One Comment