Having a cluttered and messy home can become stressful and burdening for the whole household. We would like to reveal some ideas on how you can de-clutter your home in a more effective way, that will also last. The saying LESS IS MORE has certainly some meaning when it comes to a clutter-free home. The less you have, the less you need to clean and organize. But you will also have less stress, more money in your pocket and energy to do other things than constantly tidying up. How does that sound? There are various strategies that can help you to de-clutter your home and help you to keep a clean, clutter-free and comfortable home. You can decide which strategy is the best suitable for you.
1. Create a list
Make a list of all the things, rooms and areas that need your attention. To get motivated start with the easiest task. If you can’t bear the thought of doing everything all at once, try to focus each day on one particular area that needs to be de-cluttered.
2. The 4 Box Method
Look for 4 boxes and label them with the following categories: 1) Trash, 2) Give away, 3) Keep and 4) Relocate. Look what you can find in every room and place it in the appropriate box. You might be able to place some items quickly in the right box, while others might take you longer to decide where to put. If you always apply this technique you will save considerable time and make your own life easier.
3. The 12/12/12 Method
This method would be another good approach to de-clutter your home. Here the challenge consists in finding 12 things to throw away, 12 things to donate to your local charity or a needy family, and 12 things that need to be put in the right place.
4. Ask for support
It doesn’t mean that de-cluttering your home has to be done all by yourself. Why not asking your spouse or kids to help you as well in this task? Delegate the right task to the right family member and turn it into a competition. Who is the quickest to finish their task first? And by the way, just imagine how much quicker you would be in getting your home sparkly and tidied up again!
5. Check out your closet
Look at your wardrobe pieces in your closet. Ask yourself: Which ones are the pieces that are just hanging there but have hardly been used in recent times? If you have difficulty in parting from your clothes, try this trick: Put all your clothes on a hanger in the reverse direction. Once you wear an item, put it back to your wardrobe, but this time with the hanger in the correct direction. The benefit? You will have a better understanding of the clothes you are not wearing and can therefore discard them.
6. Look at other peoples’ homes
If you are one of those people who can find inspiration by looking at other peoples’ homes, you might consider of placing pictures of some good-looking homes on your wall. Check out some magazines or look on the internet. This will help you to stay motivated in keeping your home clutter-free.
7. Get a papers box
Does this situation sound familiar? You have bills, notes, letters, flyers, notices, school papers, manuals and warranties all spread around in different rooms. If you need to find a specific document - guess what? You have no clue where to start to look for it. Wow! Why not putting an end to this situation? Get a box in which you start keeping all the papers. Whenever you look for something, you know exactly where to look for it.
8. The instant throw
Whenever you get your hands on something new that you don’t need, place it straight in the bin (e.g. leaflets of local businesses that you think you will never need, etc.). Get rid of all those things that are not relevant. Don’t wait until things are piling up, throw it instantly and you will not have to deal with it ever again.
9. Teach your kids
This applies only to those who are parents. If you teach your kids how to keep a neat home, they will get into this habit and live a clutter-free life later on, too.
10. Think before you buy
Often clutter is piling up due to acquiring new things. Thus, always ask yourself before buying something new, do I really need this, and why? Put it on a shopping list and then wait for twenty days. If you still have this urge to buy it, do it, otherwise think about the fact that you did not waste money on something you actually didn’t even need. And if you have to use a credit card for it, reason more not to buy!
Conclusion
So challenge yourself, try to live with less and see how you feel about it. Enjoy the look of your new decluttered area, make it your standard! Start to hate mess and clutter. Remove clutter instantly and kill it every time you spot it. Enjoy this new feeling!