A Guide to Controlling the Clutter in Your Home

Fully decluttering your home is a huge and time-consuming project, so don’t take it lightly. However, it is well worth the time and effort it takes to make your home a more comfortable space for you and your family. If you’ve been avoiding the looming task of decluttering your home but have finally found a sizeable amount of time to get started, this guide is for you. Here is our breakdown of how to tackle decluttering your home like a pro.

Know Why You’re Decluttering

The most important part of decluttering is having a reason to do so. When you start with a goal, it will be easier to keep yourself motivated when things start to feel overwhelming. Having a cluttered home can negatively impact your life by adding stress and taking away your energy. Whether you’re looking for less stress, more time for yourself, or you’re prepping for a move and want to downsize it’s important to remind yourself of why you’re starting the process so that the overall benefits and results are worth the effort.

Getting Started

When you’re ready to declutter your home, getting started is almost always the hardest part. Staring the task in the face can make it seem more daunting and impossible than it really is (speaking from experience). To help reduce the feeling of dread, here are a few ways you can get started:

• Build a custom decluttering checklist
• Start with the hardest room
• Take some before and after photos to remind you why you’re decluttering
• Ask a friend or family member for help
• Start small and find 5 items in each room to get rid of every day

You can work in whatever order and at whatever pace works best for you and your home. As soon as you make the first move to get started, the momentum will build and you’ll have the motivation you need to keep going.

Keep, Toss, or Donate?

One of the best methods for decluttering room by room is the “Keep, Toss, or Donate” bin method. For this, you’ll need 3 bins or at least 3 designated areas for each category. As you process each item around the room, sorting them into these categories will help you stay organized and keep you focused on the task at hand. Now, we can’t help you determine what sentimental items are worth keeping or donating, but we can give you a few ideas on what you can toss from around the house:

Try the KonMari Method

This particular method, created by Marie Kondo, has gathered a following of people who swear by its effectiveness and benefits in more recent years. The principles behind the KonMari method emphasize mindfulness and the importance of each item in the home. While some methods encourage taking on decluttering bit by bit, this method encourages a one-and-done approach that can last several weeks so it is important to have plenty of time set aside for the process. This method also places focus on tidying by category instead of by room. The categories for this method are:

• Clothing
• Books
• Papers
• Miscellaneous items
• Sentimental items

When decluttering each category, the KonMari method asks that you pick up each item and ask yourself if the item sparks joy within you. This narrows the process down to a simple “yes, keep it” or “no, thank you and goodbye”. You are meant to trust your intuition and then discard items with gratitude so that you have an opportunity to grow within yourself while your possessions shrink. There is a reason that so many people swear by this method for decluttering their homes, and it is usually because they feel completely new and energized by the end of the process. Take some time to research more on this method before getting started to see if it can work for you, too.

At the end of your decluttering journey, you should be left with a cleaner, brighter, and more welcoming space. Remember to repeat the decluttering process every once in a while in order to stay on top of the accumulation of stuff in your home. Do you have a tip or trick that has helped you declutter your home? Let us know what methods work for you in the comments, we love hearing from our amazing customers. If you’ve tried almost every method under the sun and still can’t get things quite right, we’ve got your back. We have awesome decluttering and organization services available for our clients who need a little extra help around the house. Check out our home cleaning Miami for more details and other services today!