A post about the best ways to start decluttering + grab your own free printable declutter checklist.
Spring cleaning has hit me a little earlier this year and as soon as Christmas and New Year were out of the way I went into full blown de-clutter mode, but thanks to a lot of life stuff happening too I am still in the midst of it all, so this post is going to serve to help you guys get your spring cleaning/de-cluttering going while I also get myself in gear for finishing off here too.
Start the declutter in the smallest room first
That’s right, start small. It might be so tempting to go straight into the biggest area/mess/place that needs decluttering the most but I promise there is a method to this suggested madness, so hear me out.
When we get in a certain frame of mine we want to achieve it all immediately but so often fall at the first (or second) hurdle because we lose focus and/or motivation. This is usually because the task at hand came seem daunting when it is so big or includes lots of rooms. If you start small you will start racking up those wins a lot quicker and you will find that this fills you with motivation and spurs you on to keep going. I started with the downstairs hallway area and having this to greet me when I walked through the door or came down the stairs filled me with so much motivation to keep going with the rest of the house. Sometimes, when clearing and organising you may very well come across a prest problem that you feel needs addressing, at this stage you might find the best course of action is to hire a professional, such as PA pest control, to come and sort the problem for you.
Be ruthless
This might go without saying but in a de-clutter you need to be ruthless. No, I’m not suggesting you throw away everything that is important to you but you need to ask yourself how much value it holds in your life. There will be many things that you just can’t part with and that’s ok too. If it’s things that hold a lot of sentimental value to you but they aren’t necessarily part of your every day life in your home then maybe storing them away is a good idea.
If you’re holding onto things because you “might use it one day” set it aside and at the end of de-cluttering that room re-evaluate how much you really want to keep it. If you’re anything like me once you start getting a little irritated with a room you’ll very quickly be able to be ruthless.
After this process what you should be left with is either things you need on a daily basis or things that are priceless to you that you will want to store away safely.
Three piles
Separate your things in each room as you sort them and place them into 3 piles; Keep, Donate, Throw away. There is so much milage still left in so many of our things and more than ever people are buying second hand, reusing, recycling, up cycling and trying to reduce waste in order to help the planet. Unless something is really broken and unsalvageable (and let’s be honest, most of our stuff isn’t) then think about either donating it or selling it on. The decluttering process can be a little bit of a money maker too and if you are looking to get rid of some items think about listing them on sites such as eBay or Facebook Marketplace. You can also donate your things to charity shops, food banks and women’s refuges too. Look in your local area and see what services are available.
At the end of your declutter in each room look at what you have in your keep pile again and see if you see anything that in reflection you might be able to get rid of, you might be surprised at yourself and be able to reduce this pile down even further.
Also, with your throw away pile do your best to evaluate the materials you are throwing away. Could they be recycled maybe? Don’t send things to landfill if they don’t need to go there.
Organise & Re-evaluate (and declutter again if necessary)
As you’re putting the room back together after decluttering you might find one more opportunity to remove even more items from your home. What you should currently be left with is everything you put in your ‘keep’ pile, but as you clear everything away you might find you are still left with some items that have no home. This is a great time to evaluate those items and see if you do still really need them.
De-clutter first, then clean
De-cluttering can be a bit of a dusty process and can also temporarily end up with more mess than you started with. I find the best thing to do is de-clutter first and clean last, this helps me with the entire de-cluttering process because I feel less inclined to keep everything that is currently getting on my nerves. When you are done de-cluttering you can re-arrange what you have, get your room back to how you want it and then give it a deep clean. Once these things are finished you will really feel as though you have completed that room.
Free Checklist to help you declutter & deep clean your home
[convertkit form=1327420]Decluttering is a work in progress in our home, especially with a baby who comes with so much stuff that I am sure keeps multiplying. Using these tips I find that I can continually keep on top of the things inside our home. Decluttering is a work in progress and you might even find that setting aside time every quarter helps you keep on top of thing, it can be amazing how quickly we start to accumulate things in our homes. My advice is do one big declutter and revisit each room/space periodically to see if there is anything else you can get rid of. Happy Decluttering!