Easy Steps to Decluttering Your Home
Find a more efficient way to clean out the clutter and mess. This list of Easy Steps to Decluttering Your Home will get you back on track. Remove the mess and organize what’s left.
How to Declutter without the overwhelm so you can set up rooms in your home that are neat, organized, and easier to keep that way.
Clutter is something that can show up when we are not looking. We go to bed, swearing our home is in good shape, only to wake up to stuff on the counters, socks on the floor, and toys littering the hallways.
This is called surface clutter, and it can not only affect our homes, but it can also affect our moods.
What causes clutter?
More often than not, clutter is simply things that do not get put away. We may get close to returning something where it belongs, but not quite.
So, instead of papers in the office. They are lying in piles on our kitchen counter. Instead of clothes in the hamper, they are sitting on the floor next to our bed.
If you can adopt just one clutter-free habit today, let it be this.
Put your things all the way away.
This one tip will help you to create a home that is neat and less messy.
Easy Steps to Decluttering Your Home
Here’s the thing about decluttering. It’s not that hard to do. Sure, it’s hard to get started, but once you know a few key steps, you can start to clean things up.
DM Pro Tip: Create a daily clutter routine that you can do helping you to remove some of the surface stuff. These are just a few key steps that you can quickly accomplish while your coffee is brewing.
Write the steps on an index card and tape it to your creamer. This visual reminder will help you make progress, if only a little, every day going forward.
Step #1. Remove the Easy Stuff
Many times, trash and recyclables get intermixed with the things lying out. Start first by gathering up any trash you find and toss it. This one step alone will help pare down the pile you have to work with.
Clutter-Free Tip: Going forward, always toss any trash as soon as you see it.
Make it Easy: Put a trash can in every room. All you need is something small in a corner, and you are set!
Step #2. Put Aways-Other Areas
If you look at the stuff on your counters, you might see quite a few things that belong in another room. Take care of these things quickly by using a laundry basket, my go to decluttering tool.
Walk your room and look for things that belong in another space.
- Toys
- Paperwork
- Clothes and shoes
- Dishes
- Food
Put whatever you find in the basket and set it aside.
Once you are done, walk your home with your basket in hand, putting items where they belong.
Clutter-Free Tip: Put a basket in each room that tends to get cluttered. As you find things that belong in another area, toss it into the basket. This will keep some of the cluttered more contained.
Make it Easy: Tell your family to take anything out of the basket that belongs to them and put it away.
At this point, your clutter should be getting smaller in size; let’s keep going!
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Step #3. Put Aways-In This Room
Start in one area of the room and look for things that need to be put away. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
- Remotes go in the coffee table drawer
- Blankets go into the basket in the corner.
- Dirty dishes go into the dishwasher.
- Shoes go into the entryway or mudroom.
- Toys go into the playroom.
- Papers go into the office area.
Clutter-Free Tip: Make a habit of putting things away when you are done using them. Yes, it takes more effort, but just a few seconds can greatly impact the clutter in your home. Worth it? I think so!
Make it Easy: Make homes for things you use often that are easy to utilize. Instead of a box with a lid in the drawer to hold your incoming mail, you can put an open basket on your kitchen counter. Now, instead of 3 steps to remove mail clutter, you only have one.
Step #4. Sort Surface Clutter
At this point, your clutter should be a fraction of what you started with. Sorting random items is easier with a plan. Let’s map one out.
Set up bins to hold things so you can move quickly through this step.
- Put away – Anything that belongs in another room or to someone else.
- Trash – Anything that is broken, chipped, stained, snagged, or cracked.
- Donate – Anything you no longer need, use, or want.
Pick up an item and put it into the container where it belongs, or put it away if it is not clutter.
Work your way around the room, sorting anything you see that is lying out.
The beauty of this step is it is easy and actionable. Every item will be touched and dealt with, making the decision-making process easier.
Step #5. Sort Each Area
Once the surface clutter has been taken care of, don’t be tempted to stop there. Keep going by tackling each area in the room.
Pick a spot to start with and work your way clockwise. Set a goal of sorting out a cabinet or drawer each day until the room is complete.
Put it into action:
- Set out your sorting bins.
- Remove one item at a time, sorting as you go.
- If the item will stay in the area you are working on, set it aside.
- Once the area is empty, wipe things down, giving you a clean space.
- Return what will stay in this area.
- Celebrate another space decluttered!
Get tips on how to Create a Personalize Decluttering System that you can use every day.
Having a plan to deal with the stuff in your home will help you to remove the excess. Keep what you need, use, and love, and let go of the rest. The open spaces you create will be worth the effort.
Keep these easy steps for decluttering your home nearby so you can work your way to creating a space that is neater and easy to keep that way.
