A clean and tidy home is more relaxing to live in and easier to clean. Make an effort this year to get rid of belongings you no longer use or need. Your living spaces will feel larger when they’re less crowded. The home will become a less stressful place to spend time. Getting started on such a large project can seem overwhelming, but here are a few tips to easily declutter your home.
Deal With Mail When You Receive it
In many homes, the mail is one of the main sources of clutter. Bills, advertising mail, newspapers, greeting cards, and magazines accumulate around the house. Create a rule that you’ll take care of the mail as soon as it arrives. Throw away junk mail immediately. Put magazines and newspapers in a place where they will be read. Pay bills when you receive them.
Allow yourself two months to read a magazine or newspaper. After that time has passed, newspapers can be recycled and magazines can be donated to a thrift store.
Declutter Your Home by Downsizing Your Belongings
To declutter your living spaces, begin by getting rid of things you no longer need. If this step feels daunting, start small. Choose a single cabinet, drawer, or closet as a place to get started. When you make progress, you’ll be motivated to continue the project.
Wherever you decide to start, remove everything from the area. You’ll be able to clearly see what was taking up space in your home. Next, separate those items into piles. Create a pile of things to keep, put items you’ll donate in a box, have another box to collect belongings that should be stored elsewhere in the home, and keep a trash can nearby. Things you don’t need or use go into the donation box. Throw any trash away immediately.
Work through different areas in your house with the same process: empty a storage area, clean it, and sort the items there. Put boxes of donation items in your car as they become full and drop them off next time you run errands.
Work on Becoming Organized
After spending time cleaning and decluttering, take a look at the things you store around your home. For each closet, cabinet, and drawer, determine ways to become better organized. Shelves may be helpful in the garage. You might add a small chest-of-drawers to your closet to store clothing and accessories. The kitchen drawers could benefit from organizing trays. When you create a place for everything in your home, it becomes easier to put things back when you’re finished using them. This helps keep your home from becoming cluttered again.
Declutter Your Home by Using Smart Storage
In most homes, you have items that aren’t needed year-round. These items can be packed away and stored elsewhere so they won’t take up space. A basement, garage, or attic can provide seasonal storage. Add shelves or plastic totes for keeping your belongings out of the way. Holiday decorations, out-of-season clothing, and sporting equipment are just a few examples of things you don’t need to store in your living spaces.
Lawn and garden tools and chemicals might be stored in the garage or an outdoor shed. Keep kayaks, baseball equipment, and pool supplies in the basement during the off-season. An extra closet can be used to hold warm winter bedding and the family’s wardrobe of scarves, gloves, hats, and mittens during the spring and summer.
Declutter your home and develop strategies for keeping the living spaces neat and tidy. An organized home is better for the whole family’s well-being.
Precision Home Inspectors offers home inspections to customers in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. Contact us to request our services.