These top decluttering tips are designed to help you run a more organised home, not to strip the personality from your rooms.
Some people confuse decluttering with having a home devoid of ‘stuff’ and being pared back to minimalist. Sure, be minimalist if you like, it’s a charming choice. So is eclecticism. However, these top decluttering tips are about being more organised and not feeling overwhelmed and stressed. Yes, clutter has been proven to increase stress levels, particularly with women.
And it’s not all about storage and cleaning up; it is ALSO about living with less ‘stuff’.
Top Decluttering Tips. 1. It just takes 5-minutes a day
Don’t be overwhelmed by thinking you have to tidy and clean the house from top to bottom. Pick one thing to do each day in order to tidy up and spend ONLY 5-minutes doing it. You’ll be amazed at what you can achieve and how much easier it is to keep your home decluttered.
Top Decluttering Tips. 2. Fill up a rubbish / trash bag
Take a rubbish / trash bag and fill it up with items you don’t use, don’t wear, don’t like, are broken, or could do with a better home. Be honest. Now, much of that bag may be able to be donated to Goodwill. Obviously, you don’t donate stuff that’s broken entirely useless. Goodwill is not a dumping ground for your garbage.
Top Decluttering Tips. 3. Give away one item per day
Think about it. If you remove just one unwanted item per day from your home, you’ll have given away 365 items in one year. It’s a painless and useful way to reduce clutter.
Top Decluttering Tips. 4. Start with a list
Seems simple enough… because it is. Create a list of the cluttered areas you’d like to tackle – room, closet, shelves, drawer, etc. Take on one area at a time and STOP when you’re through. You can actually make this list as easy or as complex as you like.
Top Decluttering Tips. 5. Peter Walsh hanger challenge
This is my favourite, from Oprah’s decluttering guru, Peter Walsh. Turn every coat hanger in your wardrobe to face one way. When you wear a piece of clothing, hang it back but turn the hanger to face the OTHER way. After 3-months you’ll soon see which pieces of clothing you’ve never get worn. Donate them to charity.
Top Decluttering Tips. 6. Take the 12-12-12 challenge
This is such a great idea, I just love it. The magic number here is 12 but you could nominate any number to successfully fulfill this challenge. Pick 12 items to put back in their rightful place (or find them a permanent home, such as a bowl where you always put your car keys); donate 12 items; and throw away 12 items. Simple.
These six top decluttering tips will have you loving the home that once overwhelmed you. Enjoy the space, enjoy the sanity it brings.
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