A Quick Guide on Home Decluttering

Written by Nancy Whitecross Posted On Monday, 01 May 2017 00:45
A Quick Guide on Home Decluttering From Flickr

As you enter the room, don’t you feel repulsive when you see the pile of dirty laundry near your bed? How about the endless clutter and various knick knacks in the living room? With magazines disorganized and splayed across the room, is there any end to the chaotic mess inside your house?

Look no further as we will help you in decluttering your home! Sometimes, decluttering is all you need instead of buying more boxes to store your things. But, before we start decluttering your home, here are some general rules we would like you to STRICTLY follow to make this decluttering project a success.

Rules of Engagement on Decluttering

Have something you haven’t used or worn in a year? Get rid of it.

If something is irreparably broken, get rid of it.

Return things that are not yours.

Have something that’s just lying around and you keep it ‘just in case’ but never actually needed it? Ditch it.

Print publications such as newspapers should go to the recycling bin or center. The Internet can provide everything for you.

Once you’re done with something, and you never used it anymore, get rid of it.

Keep all the best and necessary things that you own.

A Quick Guide on Decluttering

Again, it’s a must to follow the rules above before, during, and even after decluttering your things. It’s surprising that most Americans actually find home organization stressful, but with this guide, you don’t need to stress yourself anymore!

Before we start decluttering your home, start looking for four big boxes. Label each with ‘Garbage’, ‘Recycle’, ‘Sell/Donate’, and ‘Deal With’. The first three are self-explainable, but the last box will be something you shouldn’t be spending too much time with.

Remember, your purpose in decluttering is to remove any unwanted, unneeded trash that you should dispose.

Step #1: Room by room, sort through everything in it and put it in its appropriate box

Start going through each room of your house. You might need more boxes eventually; and you might even have the spirit to clean up through the mess. However, focus at the task at hand and continue purging each room. Cleaning can wait until later; we don’t want to waste your energy and time with cleaning. Remember to use the ‘Deal With’ box for things you still have some doubts.

There are many things to consider while decluttering. You will encounter things you think you needed but you haven’t used ever since, and there are some bulky things you would still want to keep because of its sentimental value. Purging will take a while to finish, but it will be worth it as you discover more things that you have to

Step #2: Organize things you are keeping; check if you really need it or not.

Now that you have successfully purged every room in your home, it’s time to go through everything you’ve put inside the box. By principle, you need to focus on the rules we’ve set above while going through your things.

Decluttering your home might be easy, but how about decluttering your apartment? You might have a lot of things, or you’re transferring to a smaller living space that you might need to do away with your other things. National Mini Storage suggest using a storage warehouse for bulky things or if you need to store other things that you will eventually need.

You might miss some things you might need to keep, like important documents subconsciously kept between books, and the like. Comb through your things and make sure you’re not losing anything valuable.

Step #3: Discard the purged items accordingly

Those things in the garbage box, dispose of them right away. If you have anything in your ‘recycle’ box, it’s best to visit your local recycling center instead of recycling those yourself. You might have unsuccessfully done that before, so it’s better to dispose it rather than keep it yourself.

There is some stuff that you can even sell online, but if you’re not too much keen in earning money, then we suggest that you can always donate them to your chosen charity. For example, toys can be donated to charities, while they can sell old clothes too.

Decluttering your home isn’t just good for your family, but it’s also good for your heart, mind, body, and soul. According to researchers at UCLA's Center of Everyday Lives and Families (CELF), there's a link between high cortisol (a stress hormone) in women who own homes with a "high density of household objects." The newest trend is “less is more”. With a better living situation, you can experience peace of mind, and truly make your house, a home.

References:

  • https://www.thespruce.com/decluttering-your-entire-home-2648002
  • http://organizedhome.com/cut-clutter/declutter-101-cut-clutter-at-home
  • https://zenhabits.net/declutter-guide/
  • https://www.bustle.com/articles/136499-6-benefits-of-decluttering-your-life-according-to-science
  • http://www.thecompassionatehome.com/blog/3-health-benefits-of-decluttering/
  • http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/organizing/a36247/how-clutter-impacts-your-health/
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