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Clearing clutter doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Use this simple process to help declutter your house effectively, one item at a time!
Shuffling through a drawer in my kitchen, I shoved aside a garlic press – and there they were.
Languishing in a sandwich bag, staring back at me. I’d tried one time, to give them life. But it was no use.
My cheeks burning, I pushed the garlic press back on top of them, turned my eyes away, and closed the drawer.
Why Decluttering is So Hard
It is possible to easily declutter your house. But why does it always feel like you’re trying to climb Mount Everest? After all, it’s just stuff, right?
Well, yes, it IS just stuff. But clutter also represents deferred decisions – decisions you have decided to put off, for one reason or another.
Like those frosting tips hiding in my kitchen drawer. I wanted to learn to decorate the most adorable cupcakes, but I never had time. Was I going to give up that little dream?
I don’t want to face that decision, so I let those frosting tips sit in a drawer in my kitchen. They’re clutter that represents a deferred decision.
That’s why clutter piles up. We ask ourselves questions that we don’t want to answer, so those items continue to sit in limbo in our homes.
Decluttering Can Be Easy
The days of living with clutter are over! Here’s my easy checklist for clearing clutter. Do a teeny bit of prep work, ask a few questions about each item, and boom – decision made.
Clearing Clutter Checklist
First, you’ll do some prep work to lay the foundation for successful decluttering. Then, you’ll run through a quick series of questions to ask about each item, to help you decide what to do with it.
Set Yourself Up For Success
The most successful decluttering sessions start with great preparation. There are a few things you should do when getting ready for clearing clutter.
Find a donation center
First, you need to figure out where you’ll take items you decide you no longer want. Try Googling “household donation center + (your zip code)” to find a center near you.
You can also see if there is a Salvation Army or Goodwill donation center in your area.
Schedule a drop-off or pick-up on your calendar
Next, you should decide when you’ll drop off those donations. Otherwise, they’ll become clutter all over again. Get it in your calendar, and make sure you honor that commitment.
Get a sturdy box or trash bags
Finally, You should gather some boxes or trash bags to hold the items you’ve decided to donate. Trash bags are great for clothing and soft items, like pillows, blankets, and curtains. Boxes work best for other household goods.
Work in sections
Set a goal to declutter a specific area first. Work in small sections, and take a break every 20 minutes or so. As a result, you’ll feel less overwhelmed and have a greater sense of accomplishment when your decluttering session is over.
Go with the flow
As you start clearing clutter, you might find that you gain momentum and want to keep decluttering. Roll with that as long as you can! You might surprise yourself by how much you can declutter in a short period of time.
Move On to Clearing Clutter, Piece by Piece
Now that you’ve set the stage for an awesome decluttering experience, it’s time to dive in!
For each piece of clutter you encounter, ask yourself the 5 following questions. Don’t stress – these are simple yes or no questions, and each one should take you only a few seconds. Once you’ve answered the question, move forward as instructed based on your answer.
Questions to Ask About Each Piece of Clutter
1. Is this item broken beyond repair?
If no, continue to question 2. If yes, recycle it or throw it away. For items that are broken but repairable, AND which pass all of the questions below, set them aside for repair.
2. Does my family use, need, or love this? Or will we use or need it in the VERY near future?
If yes, continue to question 3. If no, donate or give to someone who wants it.
3. Is this item a multiple? Can I get rid of 1 or more multiples of the same item?
If no, continue to question 4. If yes, set it aside to donate.
4. Does this item have a home?
If no, continue to question 5. If yes, put it away.
5. Where can I make a home for this item?
Okay, this is the only question on my clearing clutter checklist that isn’t “yes” or “no.” The idea is to quickly give this item a new home, so it’s no longer clutter. Here are some questions to ask yourself when finding a home for an item.
- Who uses this item?
- Where is this item used?
- Is there space to store the item where it is used, or does it need to be stored somewhere else?
If there is a lack of storage space in the room where the item is used, the item is used infrequently, or it’s used for multiple things, you might need to store it elsewhere.
Wrap-Up
Once you’ve reached a stopping point in clearing clutter, it’s time to wrap up!
There shouldn’t be too much to do at this point if you followed the instructions above. That’s because as you were clearing clutter, you should have been putting items away or setting them aside to donate or repair. Here are some things you can do to wrap up your decluttering session.
Get trash and donations out of the house as soon as possible. Place donations near the door you use regularly to get in and out of your house. As a result, you’ll be more likely to drop the donations off at the time you scheduled above.
You could also schedule a donation pickup, if available in your area.
Clean the newly-decluttered area. Clutter makes cleaning difficult, and also attracts dust and grime. Dust, vacuum, and polish the space to get it looking even better.
Work on organizing. After you’ve put away the items you’re keeping, you might find that you have some pockets of disorganization in your house. As a result, you might want to think about doing some small organizing projects in the near future.
Check out my post on how to organize anything for a step-by-step organizing process I use in my own home!
Clearing Clutter: Conclusion
Decluttering can be intimidating. The best approach is to take a deep breath, and declutter one item at a time using the simple yes or no questions above. Once you feel comfortable with clearing clutter based on the process above, you might want to move on to methodically decluttering your entire house. Then you might be ready for more focused projects, like how to declutter your nightstand or how to declutter your house quickly.
I’m so glad I no longer have to see those frosting tips in my kitchen drawer. I made the decision to let them go, and I haven’t looked back since.
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