Keeping your living spaces clean and tidy feels like an endless struggle at times. A cluttered home often results in a cluttered mind, so avoiding the dreaded clear-out can actually be far more risky than you may think.
Decluttering is just one of those things you just need to get started with. Actions speak louder than words, so why not jump right in? Here are some practical tips to help you declutter your home like never before.
Set goals before you start
First, it’s a good idea to get an end goal in mind so you know what you’re working towards. Do you want to make space for a new appliance or piece of furniture? Do you just want to come home to a clean and tidy space after work to help you relax? There must be something you’ve been wishing for, so work towards achieving that.
Tackle the most cluttered areas first
In most situations, diving straight into the deep end isn’t advised. But with decluttering, that’s exactly what you should do. Tackling the most cluttered areas of your home first will help you to make swift progress from the start and you’ll be glad it’s out of the way.
Perhaps your wardrobe is long overdue for a clear-out, or your kitchen has been accumulating unused pots, pans and ceramics for months. Tackling the biggest problem areas first will help you manage the rest of the project and get your decluttering juices flowing.
Declutter room by room
Gradually clearing out different areas of your house is a good idea to make steady progress and avoid burnout. Doing one room a week, or maybe every few days, should allow you to get a sense of accomplishment from each room before you move on to the next.
People tend to move “stuff” from one room to the next, so by taking it room by room, you can purge each room and avoid chucking things into rooms that you have already decluttered. Different rooms also tend to have unique challenges, so you can focus on each more intensely by not jumping between them.
Make use of loft, garage or external space
Lots of room is forgotten about or wasted when it comes to storing things at home. Many properties have sizeable lofts, garages or outdoor spaces which are criminally underutilised. Use these to store large items that are taking up precious room inside, so you can maximise space for the rest of your possessions.
Don’t forget about organisation in these spaces too. An untidy garage can be radically transformed with some tool boxes and freestanding shelving. Boxes and items hastily thrown in the loft can waste capacity up there, so neatly organise them to maximise the usable storage space.
Avoid superficial decluttering
This is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. Superficial decluttering is just clearing and tidying what you can see and not going into any great depth. This is a lazy approach and will probably come back to bite you down the line.
Instead of closing doors on cramped storage spaces, take it all out and declutter everything. This goes for the bottom of your wardrobe, that small cupboard under the stairs and those storage baskets in the living room and kitchen. Decluttering is worth doing right, so leave no stone unturned!
