The ABCs of Decluttering

Sometimes de-cluttering an area of your home can be overwhelming. Many clients tell me that they just don’t know where to begin when it comes to clearing, cleaning, and organizing different areas of their home. But there are some basic guidelines you can follow when dealing with those areas of your home that have accumulated excess items.

A. Dive in and start with one item at a time.

B. Clear a space where you can make 3 different piles: 1. To Keep, 2. Give-Away/Donate, 3. Throw out.

C. As you go through the mountain of excess items, ask yourself ‘does this item bring me joy?, do I use this item on a semi-regular basis (at least once every couple of months)?, have I used this item in the past year?’

D. If the answer is yes to any of these questions, put them in the ‘to keep’ pile.

E. If the answer is no to all of these questions, it is an item to give away or throw out.

F. If the answer is yes to ‘does this item give me joy’, and no for the other 2 questions, it is ok to keep the item. If it gave you joy but you’re ready to let it go, give it away.

G. When you are putting items into the trash or donate piles, thank each item for what it brought into your life. This simple act has a way of helping to let go of items that you may still be wanting to keep.

H. Once you have all of the items sorted into one of the 3 piles, bring the trash items immediately outside to the trash bin.

I. Next, pack up the donate items into boxes or bags and put directly into your car. Bring to the closest donation center as soon as you’re able so that you don’t second guess your decisions and bring them back into the house.

J. Now what to do with the items that you are going to keep? Sort them into like-minded piles. If you’re organizing the bathroom, you can put all medications in one area, deodorant in another, toothbrushes/toothpaste/dental floss etc. in another area, and so on. You simply gather up like things and give them each their own areas.

K. If you have a label maker, you can even label each area so that family members know where to put each item away after use.

L. The final part is the maintenance. This can be the hardest part for some families who have been used to putting their items wherever they feel like it on any given day (don’t feel bad if this is your family, we all have different gifts and for some, organization is just not one of those!).

Take some time once a week to relocate any items that have gone astray. You can do this as part of your weekly cleaning routine. This way things don’t get out of hand again over time.

The very last thing to do is celebrate your success! Most of us don’t take the time to appreciate the things we accomplish. Take the time. Go for a walk outside. Take a hot bath in your organized bathroom. Cozy up to a good book. Thank yourself. This simple act of removing clutter can positively affect many areas of your life. It seems simple, but it will change the energy in your home, and in your life.

As one final note: If you’re really feeling like the clutter is just too much for you to tackle alone, make an appointment with one of our organizing specialists to come and help you as you move through the sometimes difficult process of letting things go. We’re trained to do this. We have compassion for how difficult it can be. We also have an ‘outsiders eye’ to be able to help you when you’re having a tough time choosing what to keep and what to let go of.