Learn to Declutter
You've probably heard it before, but I'm here to tell you it's true; A cluttered home is a cluttered life. Think about it- Let's just use the kitchen table for example. If your kitchen table is cluttered with piles of stuff it causes the following added stress in your daily life:
Decluttering
1. Go get three bins (they can be fancy bins or even cardboard boxes) and your trash can. Set them next to your kitchen table. Label the three bins DONATE, SELL AND GOES SOMEWHERE ELSE. In the DONATE bin, you will place items to be taken to charity this week (if you wait longer, it won't happen. That's not decluttering, it's recluttering LOL). The SELL bin will hold items that you can sell. (Make sure you read my entry about how to make money with things you already have ). Finally, the bin marked GOES SOMEWHERE ELSE (great grammar, huh?) will hold the things that have a home elsewhere; usually places like the office, laundry room, etc.
2. Since it's a relatively small area, let's move everything off of the kitchen table. Yes, everything. Even the salt and pepper shakers, if they've reappeared
. Put all of this stuff on a nearby table, countertop, floor, whatever. Now wipe the table with a damp cloth to remove dust, peanut butter, jelly and whatever else might be lurking there!
3. Pick up one item at a time from this pile and handle it only once. It's either TRASH (which goes in the trash can), DONATE, SELL, GOES SOMEWHERE ELSE (which goes in the corresponding bin), or it belongs on the table. Except for trash, wipe the item off with a damp rag before putting it on the table or in the bin. **Note: The only things that should go on the table are: Tablecloth and/or placemats, napkin holder, and dry condiments (salt/pepper/Ms. Dash, etc.)** Keep doing this until your pile is empty and all of the items are in a bin or the trash can (or the designated few are on the table).
4. Immediately walk the "GOES SOMEWHERE ELSE" bin through your house. Put the socks in the laundry. Put the bills on your desk. Yada yada yada. Don't worry about organizing the new spot yet, just get the stuff in the right room.
5. Put the DONATE bin by the front door. Next time you go to the car, take it with you. It's quite likely you'll pass a Goodwill or other charity while running errands or going to work. It'll only take a minute to pull over and drop off those items.
6. Sell the "SELL" items. For ideas on what to sell where, click here. If you intend to have a yard sale, put the SELL box in your shed/garage and keep adding to it as you continue to declutter. However, if it's still there in 6 months, you might as well donate it or it won't ever go away.
Maintenance
Now you have a lovely kitchen table at which you can dine or spread out a book or do homework. Congratulations! How do you keep it from becoming a clutter magnet once again? Just remember and constantly reinforce the following rule: If it doesn't belong there, it can't stay there. How do you get everyone to play along? Try this:
1. Educate: Teach everyone (yourself included) to grab something that doesn't belong each time they leave the table, and put it where it goes.
2. Tough love: If you've asked nicely, and no one wants to play along, the next time something gets left on your lovely table, it goes away, possibly never to be seen again (depending on how tough you can be). If you're feeling nice, it can secretly go into a holding bin and be returned when the offending family member is sufficiently contrite. If you've tried this, and it doesn't work, donate the item. It won't happen again!
How to Apply This Knowledge to Larger Areas
You can use the exact same tactics when tackling a messy closet, a desk, a drawer or any smallish spot that allows you the space to remove everything from the offending area. But what about larger areas? A room? A garage?
Actually, you could remove everything from the room and use the same techniques as you did with your kitchen table, just on a larger scale. That's the premise of one of my favorite shows on TLC called Clean Sweep. However, if you don't have all day, or if it takes longer, your stuff could be stuck outside or cluttering up another room. What I like to do instead is tackle one piece of the room at a time. Let's try the bedroom:
**Note: Your bedroom is a place where you spend 1/3 of your life...mostly resting (or trying to) and recharging for the next day. In order to maximize tranquility, it should have a bed, dresser, nightstand(s) and if you insist, a tv (I personally don't believe in a tv in the bedroom but many people do). Your bedroom is NOT an office or gym...so please remove any desks or exercise equipment and find those a new home!
1. Start with storage. Use the techniques from the "declutter" section above to tackle one dresser. When finished with that one, do the other dresser. Generally, the only things stored in your dresser should be clothing items and maybe jewelry. After you finish the dressers, start on the nightstands. Nightstands usually hold medicines, books, remote control for the tv and tissues. Maybe other stuff too, but I don't want to know what you keep in yours!
2. Tackle the closet next. Again, remove everything, sort it, and hang it neatly. If possible, try to group like things together in a way that makes sense to you (i.e., seasonally, by colors or by clothing type). Ideally, use one type of hanger, if possible, so everything looks nice and neat in your closet. Purses go on the shelf, shoes on the floor (or even better in a shoe organizer on the door!). Nothing else should be in there.
3. Clear off the floor. Nothing belongs stored on the floor. Put it all in it's home. Clean up under the bed while you're at it...nothing belongs under there either unless it's neatly packed into under bed storage bins. While you're picking up, clear off any chairs, too, that you're using to hold up your clothes.
4. Remake the bed and lightly clean. Make your bed up using your nicest sheets and comforter, and fold an extra blanket or afghan at the foot of the bed. Put some decorative pillows over or in front of your sleeping pillows for an extra touch. These little details make your room feel cozier. Lastly, dust and vacuum, and if it's daytime, open your curtains and let the sun shine through.
5. Move your bins out of the room and manage them just like we did in the kitchen table example.
You can use this method in most rooms:
In the office: Start with the closet, the shelves, the file cabinet, the desk and then the floor. **Note: The office sometimes doubles as a guest bed room or craft room...just apply the same principles to those areas as well.
In the bathroom: Start with the linen closet, under the sink/vanity, then the surfaces (i.e., sides of the tub, top of the commode, counter top). **Note: Life is much easier when your surfaces are clutter-free. You won't knock things down, and it's easier to clean with nothing in your way. Try to find homes for everything that used to sit out on the counter. Items left out should be the exception, not the rule.
In the kitchen: Start with cabinets, then drawers, pantries and even the refrigerator. Then clean off your surfaces. **Note: Just like in the bathroom, these surfaces will be so much easier to use and clean if they are clutter-free. Try and find homes for most of your small appliances and counter-top clutter.
In the garage: Start with storage areas first, then any benches or surfaces, then the floor.
Use the tips I've given you to tackle as much or as little as you like. Have 15 minutes? Tackle that messy coffee table. Have an hour? Clean out the closet. Have all day? Try clearing out a whole bedroom. Any which way you choose to get it done, just DO IT! I absolutely promise that you will gain a sense of well-being that is in direct proportion to the size of the area you've transformed. Life will get exponentially easier because there are fewer worries, fewer little "must do's" that will nag you, and you'll spend less time finding (or forgetting!) things. Now...get off of the computer and go clean!
Do you have any decluttering tips to share? Don't be selfish, pass them along! Feel free to post them in the comments section below. Thanks!
- You can't sit there to eat, so you have to eat standing up, or in front of the TV causing a mess (and making you late if it's breakfast-or you don't eat at all so you get cranky) or you buy take out because you have no place to put things (which costs more money);
- You can't sit down and write a letter or do schoolwork there, so you have to do it when/where you can (if at all);
- Every time you walk by and look at the kitchen table, you sigh, knowing that you really need to "do something" with that, and guilt and/or dread adds pounds of weight onto your shoulders;
- You can't find the project you were working on or the bill you need to pay because it's under the other stuff on the table, so it just doesn't get done.
There are tons of sites and resources out there telling you how to declutter-some offer huge all-day strategies, some offer "little bite" strategies (working in small increments)...I think they are all valid and useful. I'll be borrowing a little from each of them, and hopefully I'll be able to provide a strategy for you that is doable and provides results big enough to satiate that need for instant gratification. I think the easiest way to start is with one small area...first I'll teach you how to clean it up, then how to maintain it. Finally, we'll apply those principles to a larger area. Let's start with the kitchen table I described above. Here we go!
Decluttering
1. Go get three bins (they can be fancy bins or even cardboard boxes) and your trash can. Set them next to your kitchen table. Label the three bins DONATE, SELL AND GOES SOMEWHERE ELSE. In the DONATE bin, you will place items to be taken to charity this week (if you wait longer, it won't happen. That's not decluttering, it's recluttering LOL). The SELL bin will hold items that you can sell. (Make sure you read my entry about how to make money with things you already have ). Finally, the bin marked GOES SOMEWHERE ELSE (great grammar, huh?) will hold the things that have a home elsewhere; usually places like the office, laundry room, etc.
2. Since it's a relatively small area, let's move everything off of the kitchen table. Yes, everything. Even the salt and pepper shakers, if they've reappeared
. Put all of this stuff on a nearby table, countertop, floor, whatever. Now wipe the table with a damp cloth to remove dust, peanut butter, jelly and whatever else might be lurking there!3. Pick up one item at a time from this pile and handle it only once. It's either TRASH (which goes in the trash can), DONATE, SELL, GOES SOMEWHERE ELSE (which goes in the corresponding bin), or it belongs on the table. Except for trash, wipe the item off with a damp rag before putting it on the table or in the bin. **Note: The only things that should go on the table are: Tablecloth and/or placemats, napkin holder, and dry condiments (salt/pepper/Ms. Dash, etc.)** Keep doing this until your pile is empty and all of the items are in a bin or the trash can (or the designated few are on the table).
4. Immediately walk the "GOES SOMEWHERE ELSE" bin through your house. Put the socks in the laundry. Put the bills on your desk. Yada yada yada. Don't worry about organizing the new spot yet, just get the stuff in the right room.
5. Put the DONATE bin by the front door. Next time you go to the car, take it with you. It's quite likely you'll pass a Goodwill or other charity while running errands or going to work. It'll only take a minute to pull over and drop off those items.
6. Sell the "SELL" items. For ideas on what to sell where, click here. If you intend to have a yard sale, put the SELL box in your shed/garage and keep adding to it as you continue to declutter. However, if it's still there in 6 months, you might as well donate it or it won't ever go away.
Maintenance
Now you have a lovely kitchen table at which you can dine or spread out a book or do homework. Congratulations! How do you keep it from becoming a clutter magnet once again? Just remember and constantly reinforce the following rule: If it doesn't belong there, it can't stay there. How do you get everyone to play along? Try this:
1. Educate: Teach everyone (yourself included) to grab something that doesn't belong each time they leave the table, and put it where it goes.
2. Tough love: If you've asked nicely, and no one wants to play along, the next time something gets left on your lovely table, it goes away, possibly never to be seen again (depending on how tough you can be). If you're feeling nice, it can secretly go into a holding bin and be returned when the offending family member is sufficiently contrite. If you've tried this, and it doesn't work, donate the item. It won't happen again!
How to Apply This Knowledge to Larger Areas
You can use the exact same tactics when tackling a messy closet, a desk, a drawer or any smallish spot that allows you the space to remove everything from the offending area. But what about larger areas? A room? A garage?
Actually, you could remove everything from the room and use the same techniques as you did with your kitchen table, just on a larger scale. That's the premise of one of my favorite shows on TLC called Clean Sweep. However, if you don't have all day, or if it takes longer, your stuff could be stuck outside or cluttering up another room. What I like to do instead is tackle one piece of the room at a time. Let's try the bedroom:
**Note: Your bedroom is a place where you spend 1/3 of your life...mostly resting (or trying to) and recharging for the next day. In order to maximize tranquility, it should have a bed, dresser, nightstand(s) and if you insist, a tv (I personally don't believe in a tv in the bedroom but many people do). Your bedroom is NOT an office or gym...so please remove any desks or exercise equipment and find those a new home!
1. Start with storage. Use the techniques from the "declutter" section above to tackle one dresser. When finished with that one, do the other dresser. Generally, the only things stored in your dresser should be clothing items and maybe jewelry. After you finish the dressers, start on the nightstands. Nightstands usually hold medicines, books, remote control for the tv and tissues. Maybe other stuff too, but I don't want to know what you keep in yours!
2. Tackle the closet next. Again, remove everything, sort it, and hang it neatly. If possible, try to group like things together in a way that makes sense to you (i.e., seasonally, by colors or by clothing type). Ideally, use one type of hanger, if possible, so everything looks nice and neat in your closet. Purses go on the shelf, shoes on the floor (or even better in a shoe organizer on the door!). Nothing else should be in there.
3. Clear off the floor. Nothing belongs stored on the floor. Put it all in it's home. Clean up under the bed while you're at it...nothing belongs under there either unless it's neatly packed into under bed storage bins. While you're picking up, clear off any chairs, too, that you're using to hold up your clothes.
4. Remake the bed and lightly clean. Make your bed up using your nicest sheets and comforter, and fold an extra blanket or afghan at the foot of the bed. Put some decorative pillows over or in front of your sleeping pillows for an extra touch. These little details make your room feel cozier. Lastly, dust and vacuum, and if it's daytime, open your curtains and let the sun shine through.
5. Move your bins out of the room and manage them just like we did in the kitchen table example.
You can use this method in most rooms:
In the office: Start with the closet, the shelves, the file cabinet, the desk and then the floor. **Note: The office sometimes doubles as a guest bed room or craft room...just apply the same principles to those areas as well.
In the bathroom: Start with the linen closet, under the sink/vanity, then the surfaces (i.e., sides of the tub, top of the commode, counter top). **Note: Life is much easier when your surfaces are clutter-free. You won't knock things down, and it's easier to clean with nothing in your way. Try to find homes for everything that used to sit out on the counter. Items left out should be the exception, not the rule.
In the kitchen: Start with cabinets, then drawers, pantries and even the refrigerator. Then clean off your surfaces. **Note: Just like in the bathroom, these surfaces will be so much easier to use and clean if they are clutter-free. Try and find homes for most of your small appliances and counter-top clutter.
In the garage: Start with storage areas first, then any benches or surfaces, then the floor.
Use the tips I've given you to tackle as much or as little as you like. Have 15 minutes? Tackle that messy coffee table. Have an hour? Clean out the closet. Have all day? Try clearing out a whole bedroom. Any which way you choose to get it done, just DO IT! I absolutely promise that you will gain a sense of well-being that is in direct proportion to the size of the area you've transformed. Life will get exponentially easier because there are fewer worries, fewer little "must do's" that will nag you, and you'll spend less time finding (or forgetting!) things. Now...get off of the computer and go clean!
Do you have any decluttering tips to share? Don't be selfish, pass them along! Feel free to post them in the comments section below. Thanks!
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3/12/2008 2:16 PM
JewelFaerie Creations wrote:
*This post is inspired by the fact that I'll be moving soon! I'm so excited as the place to which I'm moving is one big blank canvas. By that I mean white walls to decorate and about 1/2 acre of land to garden. Seriously, for me, that's like setting a child loose in a candy store with free reign. Woo hoo! Don't worry, I'll share all of my decorating and gardening adventures with you as they happen! Moving can be an exciting time of change (hopefully for the better) or it can be a huge pain in the *BLEEP*. I prefer to try and see it as an opportunity to clean house and redecorate all in one fell swoop (which, of course, excites my nerd self to no end). Think about it. How often do you get to move everything out of a room and start over? This unique opportunity presents itself when you pack up your things and haul them elsewhere. So take the time to maximize this opportunity, and see moving as less of a chore and more like an exciting adventure. -
3/12/2008 11:11 AM
JewelFaerie Creations wrote:
*This post is inspired by the fact that I'll be moving soon! I'm so excited as the place to which I'm moving is one big blank canvas. By that I mean white walls to decorate and about 1/2 acre of land to garden. Seriously, for me, that's like setting a child loose in a candy store with free reign. Woo hoo! Don't worry, I'll share all of my decorating and gardening adventures with you as they happen! Moving can be an exciting time of change (hopefully for the better) or it can be a huge pain in the *BLEEP*. I prefer to try and see it as an opportunity to clean house and redecorate all in one fell swoop (which, of course, excites my nerd self to no end). Think about it. How often do you get to move everything out of a room and start over? This unique opportunity presents itself when you pack up your things and haul them elsewhere. So take the time to maximize this opportunity, and see moving as less of a chore and more like an exciting adventure. -
3/12/2008 2:11 PM
JewelFaerie Creations wrote:
*This post is inspired by the fact that I'll be moving soon! I'm so excited as the place to which I'm moving is one big blank canvas. By that I mean white walls to decorate and about 1/2 acre of land to garden. Seriously, for me, that's like setting a child loose in a candy store with free reign. Woo hoo! Don't worry, I'll share all of my decorating and gardening adventures with you as they happen! Moving can be an exciting time of change (hopefully for the better) or it can be a huge pain in the *BLEEP*. I prefer to try and see it as an opportunity to clean house and redecorate all in one fell swoop (which, of course, excites my nerd self to no end). Think about it. How often do you get to move everything out of a room and start over? This unique opportunity presents itself when you pack up your things and haul them elsewhere. So take the time to maximize this opportunity, and see moving as less of a chore and more like an exciting adventure.
You are most right about this, my house is a mess and I never find the right time to handle it. I think I should start making some major changes in my kitchen because I can't stand those huge space consuming old appliances. I have a lot of work ahead.
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