How To Get Rid Of Clutter
Where do you start?
If you are being buried in your own clutter, than it may be time to do the impossible – get rid of it!
Most experts (and housewives too) agree that getting rid of clutter is essential if you have any prayer of getting the job done quickly and effectively.
Getting Started:
It may sound easy to get rid of all that clutter in your home, after all you're not using it, but actually making the big move to purge can be devastating for some people.
That’s why it's important to start with one small space; even if it is just a desk, drawer or corner of a room.
Make it a space you can handle. That way you will be able to feel the satisfaction of accomplishment when you are finished and that should give you the confidence to tackle the next area.
Begin the entire process by sorting every item in the chosen area into one of three piles.
The Garbage Pile:
It is amazing how often we find real garbage shoved in our closets, drawers and cabinets. Start every purge by getting rid of the garbage first. This includes outdated food, empty boxes, leftover packaging, broken items, half empty cartons, etc.
The Give Away Pile:
Most people avoid getting rid of items because they may come in handy some day. Stop living for someday; it’s just cluttering your home. Instead, send those items off where they may be needed now.
Just because an item has no further use in your home doesn’t mean they are useless. Maybe someone else could use them. Ship them off to a local charity, shelter or even the thrift store where those who need them can find them.
When deciding when to keep or give an item away, ask yourself these important questions:
- Have I used it in the last 6-12 months?
- Do I have any plans to use it in the next 30 days?
- Would I buy it again?
- Do I even like it?
The Keep Pile:
The keep pile is everything that does not go into the first two piles. More often than not, this pile is much larger than the garbage and giveaway piles combined – at least at first.
Remember though, a good purge means getting rid of at least 50 percent of that clutter – maybe even more!
Once you have sorted everything into your initial piles, it's time to go through the keep pile again – this time with the goal of cutting it in half. Sound impossible? It doesn’t have to be.
Tips for Deciding What To Keep:
Trying to decide what items you should (and need) to keep isn’t easy at all for some people. That’s why you should think about these things when making your decisions:
- If an item just sits around your house going unused, the odds are good it is not needed.
- Sure, there are some things you need only seasonally, and they are okay to keep, as long as you use them at least once or twice a year.
- Would you bring it into your home if given another chance? This can be a hard one to admit, but if there are items in your home that you wouldn’t buy again (for whatever reasons), then get rid of it – it has outgrown its usefulness.
- Do you even like it? Just because you loved that picture or those knick-knacks 10 years ago doesn’t mean you have to like them today.
- Tastes change and so do our personal styles. Get rid of everything you don’t simply adore.
- Is it in your way? Some items seem great when we bring them home, only for us to realize a short time later that they are in our way.
- If you are constantly moving something to get what you really want and need; or bumping into it, it has to go.
- Is it worth the extra money to haul if you were moving? This is a great tip for deciding whether to keep an item.
- Pretend you are moving to another state and every box is going to cost $25 to move. Would you still keep it, or send it on its way?
- Will you miss it if it suddenly disappears? Maybe an item isn’t practical, but you love it nonetheless. Keep it! But, if you find that you wouldn’t even miss an item should it suddenly disappear than why let it continue to clutter your home?
Putting Things Back:
Now that you have used these helpful tips to remove clutter, put the items you are keeping back in the room.
You can use baskets and other decorative containers where necessary and appropriate. Now that you have seen how easy this one room was to organize and clear the clutter, you can move on to the next room.
