We’ve all looked around our homes and thought “I need to get rid of some of this crap.” Use these tips for purging your house and get started today.
The average American spends just over $100 per day.
While most of that money goes toward housing, food, and transportation, we also spend frivolously on things that become junk. Combine that with gifts, items we’ve inherited, random paperwork, and other miscellaneous items, and you’ve got a recipe for a cluttered home.
Purging your house every once and a while is a good way to stay on top of the mess. But a good declutter means knowing where to start and how to let go.
For that, we’ve got 5 decluttering tips that are sure to start you off on the right foot.
1.Make a Plan for Purging Your House
The first step to any successful declutter is to make a plan. Before you start purging your house, think about what you want to accomplish and create a plan around those goals. This will help you measure your achievements and give you a sense of accomplishment as you tick things off the list.
Consider listing and rating each room of your house according to the severity of clutter. Then create a schedule around the amount of time you’ll need for each area.
2.Edit Before You Organize
There’s no sense in organizing items that should actually be thrown out. So before you start to organize a drawer, shelf, or cabinet, edit it first.
Empty out the cabinet, drawer, or shelf first. Throw out anything that’s expired or unneeded. For example, in the bathroom, these might be first-aid products and, in the kitchen, these might be expired food items.
3.Start With Five Minutes
Purging your house can be overwhelming. When you’re feeling like there’s just too much to tackle, it’s a good idea to start small. Anybody can handle just five minutes of purging.
While five minutes isn’t going to make a dent in a house full of clutter, it gets you started. Doing five minutes again the next day and the day after that will slowly help you make progress on your entire home. Before you know it, you’ll have a closet cleared, then a room, and then a floor.
4.Have a Paper Spot
Sometimes our homes only look cluttered because we let things like paperwork pile up. Without a designated spot for household items, mail, and paperwork, they tend to build on surfaces and make the home look busier than it actually is.
This is a simple fix — just designate a spot for incoming paper. Make sure to regularly address those paper as well. Once every 1-2 weeks should be enough to keep your counters clear of paperwork.
5.Trash Bag Ten
Every day for one week, take ten minutes and two garbage bags to a designated area of your home you want to clear out. One trash bag is for actual garbage and the other is for stuff to donate or sell. Dedicate those ten minutes to purge clutter from the space and after one week you’ll notice a significant difference.
And for the stuff you can’t get rid of but don’t want in the house, there’s a third bag. See storage units for a place to store these possessions.
More Home Advice
Purging your house requires a plan and some editing. Once you’ve mapped out what needs to be tackled, you can start slowly.
Take five or ten minutes every day to declutter a room or area. Don’t forget to take measures to prevent clutter like paperwork as well.
And when you’re looking for advice on how to make your home better, be sure to check out our home improvement blog.
