How To Declutter Your Home Top To Bottom

Every home, no matter the size and style, has at least a few things that it can do without (some homes have up to a few hundred of those unnecessary items). So, regardless of how much stuff you have, you can probably benefit from a little decluttering and getting rid of things you don’t need any more.

There are many benefits to decluttering, both those that concern the aesthetics of your home and the wellbeing of its inhabitants. It will save you time and nerves, allow you to better enjoy your home, reduce stress and help you feel more Zen. So, here’s a thorough guide that can help you declutter your home top to bottom.

Having a good battle tactic will get you closer to winning the war with clutter. The best way to start is to create specific and realistic goals that will reduce frustration and give you a sense of accomplishment. So, make a map of your rooms, mark all the problematic zones and set priorities (most cluttered rooms should be tackled first).

This will help you stay on track and give you the motivation to continue tidying up. Pro tip: make sure to deal with one room at a time, otherwise you’ll find yourself overwhelmed and it will be much harder to see your progress.

As you declutter your rooms, you will need a reliable and easy system that will help you sort through your items. Dividing everything into three categories—keep, throw away and store—is the best way to sort through a huge amount of things. It forces you to take every item and make a conscious decision about its future.

If you decide to wing it and try to declutter without a sorting system, you risk ending up with an even bigger mess.

While decluttering, you’ll find a lot of different things. If some of them don’t work, instantly get rid of them. If you can fix them, do it right away, but don’t let it sit in your home broken and useless.

If you come across an item you didn’t use in the last 6 months or if you forgot you even own it, it’s a good idea to throw it away. If you don’t use something often or don’t miss it enough to look for it, you most likely don’t need it in your home.

Closet cleaning is a process on its own and many people have a difficult time parting with their clothes. But, when it comes to your clothing and footwear, there is a general 80-20 rule—we only wear 20% of things 80% of the time. So, try to sort out the remaining 80% of your clothes and you’ll have a much better overview of your belongings.

Decluttering your home office can also be a very specific and difficult task. Home offices are usually full of papers, documents, folders, office supplies, old bills, memos and post-it notes, electronics and books, and all of these things can very quickly take over your workspace.

However, getting rid of all things that you don’t use, as well as the outdated and broken things, will allow you to function much better. After you purge, you can start organizing. One of the best way to organize your office material is to have ample storage space and a good labeling system.

Purchasing a good label maker and stocking on bulk Dymo labels will make classification fast and easy. After you have everything clearly labeled, try arranging things in a way that will allow you to be more productive and have everything you need at hand.

Of course, you’re going to hold onto things that you love and throw away the things you don’t, but that’s not always the case. Sometimes we find a lot of things we don’t really love in our homes. So, if you don’t love it or need it, chuck it into your “throw away” box.

One man’s trash is often another man’s treasure, which means you can earn a few bucks on the side by selling your clutter. Organize a garage sale and make someone happy with your possessions. You most likely won’t get rich by doing this, but some extra cash is always welcome.

One of the hardest parts of decluttering is actually keeping your home clutter-free. One great way to do so is to declutter a little every day. Take 10 minutes daily to throw away mail, tidy up your living space and pick up toys and clothes. This way, you’ll avoid long and hard decluttering sessions.

You can also follow a one-in-one-out rule (every time you bring something new into your home, throw one thing out).

Once you completely rid your home of clutter, you’ll feel relaxed and your home will look much better. Hopefully, you’ll love your tidy home so much that you’ll never again allow clutter to take over.