If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the amount of “stuff” in your home, it may be time to declutter.
Decluttering can help you feel more organized, and give you more space to enjoy your house at the same time.
But, getting started can be intimidating—where do you even begin?
If you’re struggling to decide how to tackle decluttering your house, try these six easy tips to make the process easier.
1. Rent a Dumpster
Having a dumpster in your driveway can be a great way to get you motivated and make decluttering much easier.
Renting a dumpster also eliminates the hassle of making multiple trips to the landfill or donation center, as everything you want to clear out can go right into the dumpster.
Plus, having the extra space can make it easier to sort through your belongings without feeling overwhelmed.
Look into Residential Dumpster rentals for Hampton Roads or your own area, and decide if the cost of a dumpster rental might be worth paying to make your decluttering process easier.
2. Start With One Room At A Time
This may seem like an obvious tip, but for some people it can be one that’s easy to forget.
Trying to declutter your home all at once can be much more stressful than it needs to be, and you may quit completely if you get too overwhelmed.
If you break down the task into smaller chunks, then the job will feel much more manageable.
Start with a single room, such as the kitchen or living room, and work your way through each space one by one until you reach your goal.
3. Don’t Be Afraid to Let Go of Items You Don’t Need
It can be easy to form attachments to some of the items in our homes that we never use.
When decluttering your house, it is important to let go of those items, especially if they don’t have any meaningful memories behind them.
If you can’t decide if an item should stay or go, ask yourself these questions: “Do I use this often? Does it bring me joy? Is there any sentimental value attached to it?”
If the answers are no, then it’s time to part with the item. Consider donating gently used items or reselling them online. Throw away anything that’s damaged or severely outdated.
5. Designate A Donation Space
Designating a donation space or area while decluttering is important in order to help you visualize what needs to be removed from your home.
Setting up a box, bag, or specific corner of the house can be an easy way to get you motivated to add items from around the house to your designated area.
Give yourself a set amount of time to fill the space, and then load up your vehicle and take it to your nearest donation center.
You’ll be amazed by how freeing it can be to clear out all your unneeded items all at once!
4. Create A System to Keep Clutter At Bay
Once the clutter has been cleared out, it’s time to create a system that will help you keep clutter from building up again. This will require some planning and thoughtfulness on your part.
Consider what items should belong in each room of your home, and designate a specific space for each one.
Make sure other family members understand where different items should be stored when not in use, and encourage everyone to pick up after themselves to ensure spaces stay organized.
6. Make Decluttering a Habit
Decluttering is a lot of work, so you’ll want to make sure that it’s not something you have to do all over again in a few months!
Instead, it’s time to make regular decluttering a part of your everyday lifestyle, keeping clutter at bay permanently.
Set aside some time each week or month to go through you house and remove any items that are no longer needed.
You should also take notes on what items tend to accumulate most, and come up with some strategies to prevent that accumulation in the future.
For example, if you’re constantly dealing with too many books, consider going to the library or using an e-reader instead of buying books outright.
Decluttering your house doesn’t have to be a daunting task, and the results are worth the effort.
Try these tips to get you started, and then work on creating a sustainable system on how to stay organized, to keep clutter out of the house permanently.
With a little effort and dedication, you’ll be able to create an organized and inviting home in no time.