Tips for Decluttering Your Home

Declutter your house and gain perspective
Declutter your house and gain perspective

Are you overwhelmed by clutter and mess? This post will teach you how to declutter your apartment or home and keep it organized. You will also learn why staying organized is important and how clutter can affect you mentally.

“The Secret of Getting ahead is getting started.” – Mark Twain

Is your house clutter getting out of control? Mine is and it is time to stop it dead in its tracks like a construction zone on an interstate!

Aren’t we all tired of looking at the likes of paper products all over our kitchen counter and toys in every room! Toys, toys, toys…Oh, my! When I became a parent, no one warned me about the toys!

Fortunately, these items are easily organized! Set up some decluttering time and buy a few storage bins! Keep reading to find out more!

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Perspective and Psychological Benefits From Decluttering

Having a clean house helps you have a clean mind.  Clutter in your house is like a loud freight train with a headache.  Clutter diminishes your concentration and throws your life off balance.  Not to mention, if you let clutter pile up you always feel like you have something to do.

Yet, using some simple decluttering tricks will help you feel calmer and at peace in your home.  It will help you gain a perspective of what is important.  Ask yourself, do you really need all of this stuff? After your decluttering session, you will have more time to spend on activities that are more important and enjoyable. For me, that would be family time!

I decided to sell some of my old clothing. It made me so happy to be able to walk into my closet. I made a path and I could actually find items when I needed them. It was a breath of fresh air to have more space, once over 60 items were gone. Not to mention, I also made over $400 selling on Poshmark so this helped lighten the mood!  I’m still working on selling more items as we speak.

Check out the Ultimate Home Planner in the Printable Shop!!

Getting Rid of Stuff

There comes a time when you just need to get rid of stuff!

At the moment, areas of my house are a cluttered mess including my linen closet and garage.  However, I have great ideas to organize and I’m implementing some of them with you as I work on this post.

I have two little ones and I try to tell my perfectionist, organizing self that I’ll have time to clean when my babies grow up and I don’t want them to feel they live in a museum. So I’m trying not to be so picky about cleaning lately. However, it is hard because when I lived by myself, my house was spotless and I knew where everything was. (In its place, right?)…And yes, my biggest pet peeve is wasting time looking for things! So I’m going to organize right along with you and carry out one of my New Years Resolutions.

Let’s Get Started Decluttering

First things first…Before you start decluttering, it will be helpful to have some boxes or bins ready. I suggest labeling the boxes Keep/Put Away, Donate/Give Away and Sell. With your boxes labeled in hand, you will now be able to get busy busting that clutter.

How Do I Decide on what to Sell or Donate?

A good rule of thumb is the condition. Take a look at your item and ask yourself, “Would I buy this, in this condition?” People that are buying love the abbreviation NWT or NWOT. This stands for “New with tag” or “New without tag”. Buyers also love EUC, which stands for “Excellent Used Condition”. If you wouldn’t buy it, it should probably be donated. Also, if you list items and they are not selling, your price is too high and after a while, if your item doesn’t sell, it is best to donate.

Decluttering Timer Method

What is the last thing you want to do today? Probably declutter your house. I know it is never on the top of my bucket list. So one great way to trick yourself into doing the work is to set a timer.  If you dedicate half an hour every day for the next week to decluttering your house, you will trick yourself into actually working longer. Whenever I use this timer method to go through papers (which is a task I dread!) I always continue after the timer because I’m in my groove and don’t want to stop. I get so much done with this method.

How to Declutter Your Paper 

Decluttering Your Bills:

1. Anything you can make digital – Just DO it!!
2. Open bills, pay them and file as needed
3. Invest in a paper shredder and recycle old bills

Tip: Every house should contain a filing system. To make this simple, I just bought a hand-held plastic file bin from Target; however, you could get fancy and buy a real one. Use labeled file folders and keep track of your papers. Label a file for each member of the household, including children. Also, label by categories such as medical, house, toy instructions, etc.

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Decluttering Your Junk Mail

1 Take your name off the lists
2. Open mail over your recycling bin
3. Get rid of junk mail right away

Decluttering Your Flyers

1. Recycle all flyers that you don’t use (Get rid of store flyers that you don’t often shop at)
2. Keep a file for flyers of stores you do shop at or plan to look through

3.Recycle all flyers at the end of the week

Decluttering Children’s Art Work

1. Create an art file folder for each year (i.e. two-years, three years, etc.)
2. Recycle other pieces such as scribbling (when they aren’t looking, of course)
3. Punch holes in artwork and put in a three-ring binder

Kid’s artwork is a major contributor to clutter in our house. My son is a little artist and makes beautiful drawings daily. Not to mention his art projects from school. I’ve started file folders by age and I’m only saving the really good stuff. Problem is, he is awesome at drawing so there is a lot of good stuff! (I’m his mom, of course, I think it is all great!) We also hang some of his work up!

House clutter Ideas

At the first of the month put out two boxes. Label them Donate and Sell. Have each family member put five items in each box. On the second of the month hit the local donation spot. We like the Salvation Army.

How to Declutter Your Bedroom

Bedroom – There are many items lurking in your closet that need to be removed.  Use an app like Poshmark, Mercari, or eBay to sell gently used items.

Recycle your Clothes for Coupons

I used to ask myself, what should I do with items that have holes or stains. I didn’t think anyone would want them if I donated; however, I don’t believe in wasting items so I didn’t want to just throw them away. I discovered a program at H & M.  They accept any condition clothing and will recycle and give you a 15% off coupon for your old clothes. I always save my bags of clothing before I am ready to shop at H & M, so I will always have a coupon. Other items to toss or donate:

  • Clothes that are too small or you don’t wear (If it has hung in your closet for more than a year, it is time to go!)
  • Old toys (Hide them in a closet for a month and see if your child notices.)
  • Old home decor
  • Old used candles
  • Vases that no longer match your bedroom

How to Declutter Your Living Room

How many throw pillows and blankets do you need, seriously??? No really, if you don’t use the throws or blankets donate or sell them.  Many of us keep our living rooms pretty static with holiday decor being the exception; however, if you have purchased new decor and the old decor is starting to look cluttered, it is time to donate or sell.

  • Baby items (baby gates, pack n’ play)
  • Furniture that is cluttering your house
  • Old blankets or throw pillows
  • Rugs that are torn or tattered

How to Declutter Your Bathroom

The main issue I have in the bathroom is storing products under my sink.  There are so many opened bottles of lotion, self-tanner (Not sure why I used that stuff), mouth wash, etc. You get the picture.  In order for me to truly clean this, I will need to pull everything out and start purging!  Then I will use plastic drawers and bins from the dollar store to organize the items I still want. Other ideas to go through:

1. Towels you don’t use
2. Old curling irons/hair dryers that don’t work
3. Old makeup, lotion, products that you don’t use

How to Declutter Your Kitchen

The kitchen is such a fun place to gather.  It’s no wonder they say a kitchen sells a house. Unfortunately, it is also where we usually open the mail. Paper overtakes our house at times. Not to mention, baby and kid’s items that we no longer use.  This area is in need of a full decluttering session!

1. Old Tupperware
2. Old dishes
3. Old utensils

Decluttering Your Home to Gain Perspective Conclusion

Decluttering helps gain perspective in your life.  You will see the more clutter you get rid of, the calmer you feel in your home.  You will also begin to realize you do not miss any of the clutter and are actually happier without it. Your inner Zen will start to shine through. Decluttering can change your life.

As you can see, decluttering your house is going to take some time. I like to set up a goal for one area a week. By spring, the spring cleaning will already be done. You will be able to open up the shades and let the sunshine in without any embarrassment! Go for it! Let your light shine!

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Please leave me a comment! I would love to hear about your ideas for decluttering or helpful tips you have tried. Thanks for the visit. Take Care – Sarah

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5 Comments on Useful Tips for Decluttering Your Home and Gaining Perspective

  1. I often use the timer method when I am unmotivated and tired. It helps to do things in short increments, and you wind up feeling accomplished. Thank you for the tips!

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