Five Ways to Transform Your Decluttering Experience
How people live in their homes is so personal. I see spaces that are meticulously decorated and some that are packed with belongings. The spectrum is wide, but every home is individually homey and cozy. If you are hoping to pare down and create more space, here are a few tips to get you started.
A cluttered home is a stressful one, and it can actually lead to a variety of health issues. Thankfully, you don’t need a professional organizer to tackle and rearrange your house. With the right tips and proper planning, you can transform your mess into the haven you deserve.
Plan Out Your Attack
When you begin, it’s best to set aside time to figure out your plan for decluttering. Start by making a list or chart of every part of your home that needs addressing, and pay special attention to places you don’t go often, like the basement, attic, and garage. If you’re worried about the workload, break things down into pieces, and then build on the small steps. Not only does seeing the changes you accomplish encourage further success, but it also keeps tasks more manageable and easy to map out.
Sorting Through Your House
Don’t do the whole house at once, as that’s a recipe for disaster. Instead, go one room at a time to keep the workload practical. Each room should get six total steps: purging, cleaning, organizing, removing, sorting once more, and then reloading. That means you need to empty each room one at a time and then clean it. Sort through what you’ve pulled out and decide what you want to remove completely. Once that’s done, organize everything again to confirm your choices, and then you can finally put things back. As you reload your room, think of what makes sense and create zones. By grouping similar possessions, you can make returning stuff easy.
Donate or Sell
No one wants to be wasteful, and once you’ve lightened your proverbial load, you need to figure out where those items will go. To prevent them from ending up in a landfill, you can either donate or sell your belongings. For large goods, you could reach out to charities, as some will do pickups from your home. Otherwise, host a yard sale or list online since many sites now do most of the work for you. Of course, hosting a sale doesn't involve the hassle of shipping, but you do have to advertise and plan things out yourself. Yet, if you work with neighbors, you not only increase your draw of a crowd, but you can also cut costs for fliers as well. Whatever you choose, you have options available to fit your specific needs.
Stay Organized
Once you have decluttered, it’s time to get organized, which you can start doing by creating storage throughout your home. For instance, add stackable carts or cubes where clutter accumulates, such as the bathroom or living area. You also need to develop new habits, like not allowing clutter to occur in the first place. Making a routine stick doesn't happen overnight, but you can trick yourself into developing positive habits by giving yourself small rewards. This way, you begin to associate good things with doing modest work while in the moment.
Cleaning Tips
When the rooms are empty, it’s an opportunity to do a deep clean to ensure your home is a safe and healthy environment. As with decluttering, break tasks into chunks, and do one zone at a time to make it manageable. Or, if you’re just too busy, you could hire a professional cleaning service to do a thorough job. On average, you can expect to pay around $12.80 per hour, though this will likely vary depending on your location. It’s a good investment, and, once done, you can more easily maintain the level of cleanliness in your house.
Don’t delay getting rid of clutter one day more. You’ll relax and feel better in your property once it’s been organized. It takes effort and patience, but it’s worth it in the end.
Thank you Jackie Waters for the guest article. For more information, head to the websites below.
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