Was your new year’s resolution to start decluttering your home? Should it have been? If the answer is yes, you’ve come to the right place.
It’s the start of a new decade and time to get organized. But how to get started can be the most difficult place. Here’s a guide to helping you in decluttering your home — and giving you peace of mind in the process.
Prepare
Go room by room and make a list of all the areas in your home that need to be decluttered, then organize that list from easiest to most difficult. Estimate how much time you will need to tackle each location, and then set realistic goal dates for completing each one. If you need extra accountability, include a friend or family member on your plans and ask them to keep you accountable.
Have five bags or boxes ready for sorting your clutter: recycle, donate, trash, sell and relocate. Remember that everything should have a designated home. The junk drawer is not a proper home.
Work through the clutter
Working through the clutter is the most difficult step. You may find, as you are decluttering your home, that you have more areas than were originally identified. That’s okay — just add them to the list and keep moving. Here are some tips for reorganizing each area of your home.
Entryway
Incorporate ways to hang or hold purses, backpacks and other bags
Plan for removed shoes to have a designated place
Add a basket or tray to easily hold and organize items such as keys and wallets
Kitchen
Clean out the entire pantry, check expiration dates and reorganize remaining food and appliances
Donate or sell any appliances you have not used in more than a year
Closets
Use baskets and bins to easily sort sporting equipment
Incorporate a clothing organization system that is simple and easy to follow
Office
Revisit your filing system, discarding unnecessary documents and ensuring the system is simple and easy to follow
Ensure all paper is out of sight
Living room
Determine whether your DVDs and CDs are necessary with digital and streaming options
Assess your storage system for entertainment items such as video game controllers and TV remotes
Stay inspired
Once your hard work is done, you need to take steps that will help your home stay clutter free. Start by putting decluttering your home on your to-do list each month. It will not take nearly as long as the first overhaul if you stay on top of it systematically.
Finally, follow home organizers on social media. Seeing clutter free, well organized homes in your feed on a regular basis will inspire you to keep your home looking great and may give you some ideas for what you can do better.