Do not waste another second feeling miserable about yourself for being too disorganized. Now is the time to declutter your stuff and tidy up your home. It is completely natural to feel overwhelmed and anxious when you are surrounded by an overly messy environment. However, there is no point in blaming yourself for all the clutter accumulated over time. Instead, try to take a step towards making a change and getting rid of all the junk you have been keeping all along. By following the simple organization techniques mentioned below, virtually anyone can get rid of the unwanted stuff piling up in your garage, storeroom, and kitchen cabinets.
Get Rid of Unnecessary Items
One of the most important steps towards keeping your home clutter-free is to get rid of unnecessary items that you have been keeping which occupy too much space and are not used. Try to develop a minimalistic approach, the less stuff you have at your home, the easier it is to keep everything in a well-sorted fashion. According to HenfieldStorage “Once you already have the items you realise you no longer need, you may put them in a self storage unit for a while until you are able to decide what to do with them.” You might be wondering where to begin, so here are some places in your home where you will most likely find unnecessary junk just laying there, taking up space.
- Drawers and lockers consisting of several items like ripped bags, broken watches, outdated electronic devices, and much more than you need.
- Look into your wardrobe and closets, you will find a bulk of clothes and shoes that you no longer wear.
- Antique decorative items that do not go with the aesthetics of your home anymore.
- Old electronic items and broken furniture piling up in your backyard or the garage should also be disposed of as they will never be used again.
- That spot in the corner where junk is temporarily placed and forgot to put into the trash (e.g. water bottles, empty perfume bottles, etc.). This may pile up in time.
- The bathroom may also have a pile of junk like disposable shavers that are not used anymore, old toothbrushes, soapboxes, and expired skincare products.
Adopt Habits that Help
Once you have handled the excess junk, you will surely experience the comfort and serenity that comes while living in a clutter-free environment. Try practicing these tasks regularly and make them a part of your daily routine to avoid stuff from accumulating in the first place.
Here are a few habits to follow
- When you cannot decide whether to keep something or throw it out, question yourself on its usability now and any attached sentiments. Keep what you feel has value and throw the useless stuff out.
- Putting daily used items back to their designated spots.
- Sorting out the unwashed clothes every weekend.
- Creating a daily planner to follow ensures you are on the right track.
Control your Expenses
Spending on things without giving a second thought can result in your home bulking up with unnecessary items. We all have at least one or two kitchen appliances that were just used once and are now sitting on shelves, only taking up space. Try to not waste your income on items that you will not use after half of the month. Making a budget for your purchases can help with managing expenses. Moreover, make smart choices when selecting appliances. For instance, picking out a quality food processor can improve your kitchen shelf space and do the same work as a juicer, blender, and chopper combined. Keeping your expenditures in check not only saves up money but also keeps your habit of buying unnecessary things at bay.
Sorting Your Stuff
Most of the time, our households get all cluttered up because there are things that we ignore to deal with, or we have to decide about. Following a sorting system is key in managing your household items that uses specifically labeled baskets or containers to place items in an order. The most commonly used sorting system is the three-box system where each box is labeled accordingly. The labels can be anything that can differentiate items usages like frequently used items, seasonal items, storage items or items to keep, items to discard, and items to store. You can even improvise according to your requirements by increasing the number of boxes. Please don’t forget that the ultimate goal here is to arrange everything in your house accordingly. Start with working in one room and slowly scan through each item one by one. Moreover, the items should be placed in the sorting boxes. After the sorting has been completed, place the items at their designated areas. For instance, the items in the frequently used box should be placed in a drawer or a cabinet. In case of seasonal items, decide whether you will keep them or donate them to someone. Lately, items in the storage box can be packed securely and stored in the storage area.
Donate or Recycle
A lot of things occupying extra space in your home might be a good use for many underprivileged people. Try to donate your wearable clothing, electronics, furniture, and other usable items to any local charity in your vicinity. In addition, recycling is an effective way to avoid your home getting cluttered. Recycling glass, metals, toys, and single-use plastics are the way to start. Take a look inside your storeroom, attic, backyard, and garage to collect recyclables that you can find. Take them to your nearest recycling drop-off location. You can even end up making a good amount of money by organizing a garage sale in your local neighborhood.
Once you start developing the habit of regularly organizing your home, you will not find yourself surrounded by a bulk of unnecessary stuff again. It is truly an undeniable fact that the process of decluttering is not that simple. Instead, it requires motivation and consistency to produce results.