Tips To Declutter Any Room In Your Home

Do you need to declutter a room or space in your house? Is your home being taken over by clutter? Are there piles of magazines, shoes, clothes, projects, or junk mail here, there, and everywhere?

If you look around your home and become anxious or downright stressed when you see all there is to put away or organize, it's time to de-clutter. A cluttered home is a stress-filled home.

Many times people get to a certain point and feel there is just too much to tackle and they give up completely, but you don't have to throw in the towel just yet. Besides, that towel has a “home” and it isn't on the floor.

The process of de-cluttering your home may seem a bit overwhelming to you, especially if the clutter has been allowed to pile up over several weeks, months, or even longer. However, de-cluttering doesn't have to be a monumental task.

The best way to tackle clutter is to do it in small increments. Begin with a drawer, a closet, or a counter and then move to a room in the house. Ask a friend or family member for help during this process. They'll have an objective perspective and may help you make better decisions.

How Do You Start To Declutter?

Prepare to declutter your home by gathering a few bags or boxes. You'll have three categories:

Give, Keep, or Sell.

Right now it seems you don't have room for everything, but once you decide on what you're keeping, you'll have a better idea of how it fits into your plan of organization for each space.

Choose a small space that has been bothering you for a while and start there.

Keep in mind the following questions:

• How does this item make you feel? Are there negative feelings associated with this item?
  (If so, give it away!)
• Does this fit? Do I wear it regularly?
• Do I LOVE it?
• Does this item make my life simpler or more difficult?

More than likely, you'll find forgotten treasures you can use to create entirely new displays in your home. Storage options will present themselves naturally as you put things in the "Give" container.

As soon as you get through a space, load all of the items for charity into your vehicle. If possible, take them right away! If you plan to sell some items, set a time frame for listing them. If they're not at least listed by that date, give them away to charity.

Tips For Keeping Your Home Decluttered

• Open mail over the trash can. Pitch junk mail immediately. File statements right away. Bills go in a designated place to pay later.
• One area of the home should stay clutter free always - a counter, room, or drawer at the very least.
• Purge regularly!
• Take 15 minutes a day and de-clutter a corner, a counter, or the office desk.
• Everything needs a home or it goes to charity.
• Buy one - Give one. If you purchase something new, plan to give something away.
• As soon as you come through the door, have a place designated for coats, shoes, backpacks, briefcases, outwear, purses, and the like.

We need to accept the reality that clutter is going to happen. Given our busy and hectic lives, clutter is often the end result. The good news is that you can stay ahead of it if you purpose to organize your home and simplify your life. First when you declutter each area of your home and then by maintaining it regularly.