Decluttering Your Home Can Help You Feel More Comfortable Living There

Many people know a hoarder or two. These people just gather too many things and it ends up that their home is full of different things that they may or may not need. However, it’s not just hoarders that can end up with too many things. It’s easy for people to have an unorganized home which ends up feeling cluttered without owning too many items. In these cases, it's simply a matter of finding some organizational tips or help to declutter and help a home look more sorted and organized. Clutter can often cause people extra stress, as a well organized home often leads to streamlined thoughts. When trying to declutter, it’s important to take it a little bit at a time. These tips can help you get to where you want to be with decluttering your home. 

1 - Create a Checklist

It’s a good idea to start with a checklist. Make a list of different chores that you want to complete and items that you know you no longer need. This can allow you to see visual proof that you are making progress. A checklist gives you a plan to start from. Keep in mind that this is a long term checklist. It’s not something that needs to be completed in the first day or two of the decluttering process. 

2 - Donate Clothing

A lot of people don’t want to get rid of clothing because it feels like a “waste”. Keep in mind that donating clothing can be a simple way to benefit others while cleaning things up in your home a bit. There’s one easy way to determine what clothing should go. For hanging clothing, when putting something back after wearing and cleaning it, reverse the direction of the clothes hanger. After two or three months, you should have a good idea of what needs to go. For dressers and wardrobes, you can create different piles, but apply the same principal. 

3 - Give Away Items on a Schedule

Removing items from the home can be as simple as giving them away to people who can use them on a regular schedule. Most people may aim to give away one thing per day. This would result in 365 extra items being moved throughout the year. This very quickly becomes a routine, which makes it easy to follow through consistently. 

4 - Start Slow But Work Consistently

Rather than stepping in and working for hours to declutter the home, try to start with just 5-10 minutes each day. Just this little bit will produce results over time and make a home cleaner. In addition, it won’t wear on a person’s nerves or effort and makes it more likely for people to keep following through on the decluttering process. 

5 - Friends and Family Can Help 

Try bringing a friend or family member over to the home. They can specifically suggest items that seem like clutter to them as a guest to the home. This is especially true of larger items in the home which you may see as crucial, but also never use. This requires back and forth. The reason for keeping it should be provided and the helper can either agree that it’s a good reason or move on and veto your reason for keeping the item. 

6 - Use Before and After Photos

When decluttering, it can be really motivating to see the difference you make. Take photos of a smaller area that you’re planning to declutter. Go through the process and take a photo of the after appearance. This can really give some motivation and encourage anyone to keep going with the decluttering when there’;s some drastic evidence of the differences they are creating in their home right in front of them.