New year, new you! Are you looking to start 2024 with a clutter-free home? It’s a great way to refresh your living space and give yourself peace of mind. Organizing your home can certainly be a daunting task but with these tips, you can divide it into much more manageable steps. Little by little, you’ll have your home looking spotless in no time!
1. Create a Decluttering Action Plan
First, walk through each room in your home and decide which areas need decluttering. Start with the main living spaces in your house, including the living room, kitchen, and dining rooms. Go through drawers, cabinets, kitchen counters, and coffee tables. Next, move into the bedrooms and go through drawers and closets. If you have little ones, be sure to evaluate any clothes they’ve grown out of or toys they haven’t used in quite some time. Following the bedrooms, head into the bathrooms. If applicable, you may want to spend time cleaning out your attic or basement! Clear out any old medicines or items you no longer have use for. Afterward, move on to any additional rooms you may have like an office or sunroom.
Set realistic goals for completing each room and be sure to break down tasks into smaller chunks so that they can be manageable. Setting a timer can also make things easier by giving you designated time slots for tackling specific chores. Try this fun challenge: Set a time for an hour and see how fast and much you can clean an area in that time!
2. Sort Your Items
To start organizing your items, the most helpful method of attack is to divide everything into 3 groups: Keep, Donate/Sell, and Throw Out. Having clearly labeled boxes will help streamline the decision-making process.
Items to Keep
Objects that you should keep are the ones you use consistently, even if it’s not every day. If you find an item that you know you’ll need within the year (i.e. holiday decorations for the winter months).
Items to Donate/Sell
When you go through your things, you may be surprised by how much can be donated to those in need. You or members of your household could have clothes they’ve grown out of. Perhaps you received two of the same gifts over the holidays. Maybe there are simply items that are in good condition and just don’t serve you anymore. If you want to make some extra money, try hosting a garage sale. This is also a great opportunity to donate items to your local Salvation Army, or other charities that you support.
Items to Throw Away
Things that can be thrown away include trash, broken items that cannot be fixed, or any miscellaneous objects that clutter up space. A hard truth – keeping every single one of your kids’ drawings will very quickly result in a pile of clutter.
Of course, sometimes it can be hard to let go of items that really should be donated or thrown away. However, you may find that these objects fill up valuable real estate in drawers and cupboards that you could use more efficiently. If you’re still having trouble deciding, there are a couple of methods you can try. First, there is the 20/20 rule. If the item can be replaced in 20 minutes for $20 or less, it’s time to get rid of it. If you end up needing one, it’s easily accessible. Secondly, you can also try the 5-second rule. If you can’t remember the last time you used something in 5 seconds, time to part ways with it. There are plenty of other tips and tricks out there, so take some time to research and find a method that works best for you.
3. Declutter Strategically
When sorting through items like books, clothes, and accessories, focus on one thing at a time and consider how often you use them. Let it go if something hasn’t been used in over six months. When evaluating furniture items, try to envision what potential buyers would see when looking at online photos or visiting an open house – resist the urge to include any décor items in these photos as they detract from the size of the space available.
4. Only Keep What Brings You Joy
Donating or selling items that no longer bring us joy will lighten our loads both physically and mentally – plus, this method helps ensure we are only going to keep what matters most to us.
5. Take Stock of What’s Left After Decluttering
Once everything is sorted out into their respective piles, think about how best to store what is left behind so everything can be easily found again – this way, nothing gets lost in future clean-ups. If you are running out of space, utilize these alternative storage solutions, or consider investing in small containers that can hold jewelry, stationery, or other small items hidden away inside drawers or cupboard shelves.