Discover the Secrets to Decluttering, Reorganizing and Reclaiming Your Home

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Image: aleutie - Getty Images

Decluttering your house

By now you’ve either given up on your New Year’s resolutions or you’re happily moving them forward, full steam ahead. For many, those goals include organizing, cleaning and decluttering. Whether you’re looking to maximize space in your house or you’re simply longing to tidy things up a bit, keep the following hints, tips and tricks in mind for a quick and easy home makeover.

Getting Started

If the idea of organizing your house is stressing you out, start with a small project like cleaning out a medicine cabinet and working your way toward loftier goals such as reorganizing your garage.

Once you’ve picked a spot to declutter, think about the best way to tackle the job. Like most things in life, a little planning goes a long way when organizing. Set a timeframe to complete the project but be realistic. Cleaning out an entire attic will take far longer than reorganizing a linen closet.

Begin by separating items into three piles: Keep it, get rid of it, or move it to storage. Keeping things is easy. (After all, keeping too many things is what surrounds us with clutter to begin with, isn’t it?)

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Image: aleutie - Getty Images

Keep, Get Rid of, and Storage boxes

Deciding whether to keep something or pitch it can be a bit of a headscratcher for many. When you’re struggling with the decision to save an item, consider the following:

• Think of decluttering as a way to make room for items that matter most. If something isn’t adding value to your life, it’s likely time to get rid of it.
• Ask yourself if you’d buy this exact same item right now. If not, donate it.
• Follow the two-year rule. If you haven’t worn something in two years, you likely don’t need it (and probably won’t miss it).
• Eliminate duplicate items. Do you really need four pairs of black flip-flops? Keep the best pair and say goodbye to the rest.

If you keep an item, decide if it’s something that can be stored out of sight. If your home has a basement or attic, storage may not be an issue. For many, however, storage is always a concern. Try to get creative with space under beds (great for storing out-of-season clothing) or add shelving that takes advantage of vertical space. (Add a shelf over a doorway for books or hang sturdy racks from the garage ceiling to keep holiday décor.)

Remember that just because you’ve always stored something somewhere, doesn’t mean that’s the best spot for it. For example, after organizing your pantry, you might find that it makes better sense to store your stand mixer on the kitchen counter where you’d use it more often.

Getting & Staying Organized

Once you’ve downsized and decluttered, it’s time to get organized. Clean the area, refold clothes and linens, and find homes for stray items. Invest in tiered shelves, shelf risers, storage boxes and drawer organizers. These items make consolidating a snap with minimal cost, but you can also use small bowls or even old muffin tins to organize junk drawers, office supplies and the like.

While you’re shopping for organizers, consider a label maker. Labelling bins and storage boxes not only makes it easy to help family members set things where they belong, but labels offer a clean, finished look sure to leave you feeling satisfied with a job well done.

Revisit the space or area a day or two later and take a quick inventory. Is there anything else that could be donated or tossed away? Is there something that should be moved to another spot in the home? You might surprise yourself with your new ambition to downsize even more.

You’ll need to keep on top of things if you want a clutter-free home, so schedule a few “declutter days” every season. While it may seem a chore at first, you’ll reward yourself by reclaiming your space and bringing a sense of calm to your home and to life in general.