My home is my happy place. It's where I spend most of my time and the one place that I am most relaxed and comfortable.
That being said, my home is also the scene of a tornado of boys, pets, stuff, and well, life! We are constantly coming and going and things tend to get thrown everywhere in the process. This has a bad habit of making my happy place feel not so happy.
I have discovered that the older I get, the more clutter drives me crazy! Having knick knacks and fun things sitting around are great, but they can crowd your space and make your home feel disorganized and messy.
Here are a 5 simple steps to clearing the clutter and finding some easy and manageable techniques to getting more organized.
1. Dedicate time to the process- set aside an hour each week to decluttering an area of your home. Does your kitchen tend to collect "junk" or maybe your garage is a catch-all for everyone's items? Focus an hour a week on these hot spots and you will notice they don't tend to be as overwhelming.
2. Everything must have a place- I am the world's worst about keeping things that "I might be able to use" or "I might need" in the future, but I've learned that if I don't have a proper place to put it, it becomes clutter. If you can find a place to store something that isn't in your way or cause your space to become cluttered, keep it, otherwise, either eliminate something else or let go of the item. Tip: Don't just stick small items in drawers! Keep small, like items stored in zipper bags together for easy storage and this helps eliminate drawer clutter.
My Closet of Clutter | |
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| This closet is a constant battle in my house. It's supposed to hold our bigger winter coats and my larger cleaning stuff. Instead, it catching everything! By adding a bin for my reusable grocery bags and adding hooks (not shown) for my mop and broom, this closet has become easier to manage and I stay on top of the clutter every week! | |
3. Bin's, Boxes, and Shelves- I used to hate to buy totes and boxes to store items in. Now I have discovered that dollar store bins and boxes are perfect for organizing my bathrooms, kitchens, and closets! I have shelves and racks in all of my closets and cabinets for shoes, belts, and loose items that we don't have a proper place for. This keeps them from just being thrown around and cluttering the space!
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I use these storage bins from Walmart and Ikea to store camera equipment and office supplies on my bookshelf. Things are nice and neat and look much better than just being stacked around! | |
4. If you haven't touched it in a year, let it go- I'm sure you've seen the tip for your closet floating around on social media where you are supposed to turn your coat hangers around backward at the beginning of the year and by the middle or end of the year, anything you haven't flipped around, get rid of. The same concept applies to your home. If you are storing things you aren't using, why hang on to them? It's just clutter! Put post it notes on items like linens and decorative pieces. As you use them, remove the post it. At the end of the year, anything still with paper on it needs to be evaluated.
5. Get your family involved- You aren't the only one living in your home. Kids pick up habits, good or bad, at young ages and having them help declutter is a great thing. Kids can be involved in which things to keep and which things to let go of. My kids often help me sort through toy boxes and bookshelves to decide which items they would like to donate. Every Spring and Fall, they help me to go through their closets for clothes they've outgrown to go to the consignment sale. My husband helps with our bi-annual garage cleanout. You have a family living in your home and it's their job to help you keep it nice and neat!
Your home should be your happy place and keeping things decluttered is just one step of the process. If you'd like more tips and tricks on getting more organized or decluttering, be sure to follow us on Pinterest.
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