One of the toughest parts of keeping a clean house is dealing with clutter. It happens to everyone because a small mess can quickly get out of control. Clutter makes regular cleaning more difficult and it contributes to stress and anxiety. Set goals and make a plan to declutter your home.
Make a List to Declutter Your Home
To stay productive, start by making a list of all the areas that need to be decluttered. Be specific. Instead of listing the kitchen, write down exact areas in the room that need work. You might list the pantry, the cabinet with pots and pans, and the junk drawer.
Make goals for each room in your home. It might seem like overkill to list individual areas, but it will help you pay attention to each trouble spot in every room.
Specify Storage Space
If you have items that frequently contribute to clutter, find a permanent place for them. For example, if you keep magazines and don’t intend to cancel your subscriptions, find a magazine stand to store them. Giving clutter a place will help control the mess.
Another source of clutter that many homeowners struggle with is mail. Break the habit of tossing the mail on the counter and walking away. Use a mail organizer for a temporary storage solution. Set a day and time each week to sit down, sort the mail, pay bills, and toss out junk mail. If you have a lot of mail and can’t go paperless, make a plan for organizing it.
Designate a Donation Box to Declutter Your Home
Especially while decluttering, and even after you complete the project, keep a donation box in your home for those times you come across something you want to give away. The convenience of a donation box will make it easier to get rid of things quickly. Once the box is full, put it in your car and drop it off next time you run errands.
Throw Away the Trash
As you are going through your belongings, look for items that are broken, damaged, or are no longer working. These things should be recycled or tossed out with the trash.
The hardest part of decluttering is getting rid of things you’ve had for a long time. If it doesn’t work or you no longer use it, then it’s time to let it go.
Designate a Specific Place for Everything
The main goal is to declutter your home and reduce the number of belongings, but the secondary goal is to make sure everything in your home has a place. If there isn’t anywhere to store an item, it’s going to clutter your home. Shop for storage containers or baskets to help organize things as you declutter.
Decluttering may feel overwhelming at first, but these steps will help you get through it easily. Stick to your list and clean one area at a time, get rid of what you no longer use, and find creative storage solutions to make your home neat, tidy, and functional.
R. Sorensen Construction & Inspections provides home inspections in Eastern Oregon. Contact us to request our services.