Tips to Declutter Your Home
A few weeks ago we gave you tips on how to elevate your home. Now we want to focus on tips for decluttering your house. You might have a big move coming up or just feel the need to purge your space of some clutter. Either way, we’re here to help make that process easier for you. It’s completely understandable to get overwhelmed by the moving process. Not only do you need to pack years of belongings that you lovingly collected, but you also have to make sure you leave the place sparkling clean so you can get that deposit back. You go through all of this just to reverse the process when you get to your new place. Is it even worth it? We think so! Here are some tips for decluttering your home before moving to a new place.
- Divide up the space
Don’t overwhelm yourself with the task of decluttering your whole house in one afternoon. Take some time during the weekend to walk around your home and access the task at hand. After that, make a step-by-step list of the rooms, spaces and pieces that need to be addressed. Include a rough order in which you want to do them. Try to bookend particularly tedious tasks with easier ones. It’s been proven that checking things off of a list makes you feel accomplished and productive, even if some of those things seem small or arbitrary!
- Don’t be afraid to let go
There are probably many things in your house that you are no longer attached to. Check for decor sitting at the back of your closet or dusty dinnerware that you haven’t used in half a decade. There are a handful of approaches you can take. Of course, you can ask yourself, “does this spark joy?” You should also consider the functionality and frequency of usage. Most of the time, we hold onto things because we think we need them, but reality has proven otherwise. Sometimes you might just need to follow the “when in doubt, throw it out” philosophy to help expedite the process. Try to donate what you can to local thrift stores.
- Categorize what you find
Hot tip: Have several containers or designated areas ready when you are decluttering. Give each container a category (i.e. “ceramics” or “kitchen appliances”). Now, when you start to scour your belongings for things to get rid of, you will have a handy way to organize the things that you want to keep. By categorizing your items, you might even find duplicates of the same thing or realize the plethora of same-function items you’ve held onto over the years. This will allow you to efficiently cut down on your belongings yet again.
- Keep, Give, Throw Away
Decluttering really boils down to these three larger categorizations of your items. While you are categorizing the things you want to keep, make sure you have clearly established an area in your space for all the things you will be taking with you. Of course, you can sort through this section yet again for things that, on second thought, you no longer need. Once you’ve established an item as something you want to get rid of, you then need to distinguish between whether or not it will hold value to someone else or if it belongs in the garbage can. Giving away an item could mean donating to a local thrift store or gifting to a friend who needs it. Finally, be sure to establish a trash zone.