Are you tired of living in a cluttered home? Living in a cluttered home can be uncomfortable and disorganized. If you want to start your journey towards a clutter-free home, then follow these eight simple tips below.
- Utilize available areas in and around your home
- The first thing you should do before trying to get your home clean is to create a strategy. You can't just start throwing things out or cleaning without a plan, especially if you have a family who will get upset when they come back and their stuff isn't where it normally is. First, take an inventory of your home and the areas around it. List down rooms in your house that are cluttered and take note of rooms that aren't cluttered at all. From there, start small by taking fifteen minutes a day to work on one area at a time. Your home may have an extra room, an attic, basement, or garage that has plenty of available space. You can utilize them to place items in your house that you do not need at the moment. The garage can be an excellent location for storing tools and spare parts at home. You just need to keep these items organized and placed neatly in one place. There are plenty of websites that you can visit if you want to see more garage storage ideas and ways you can maximize storage in other areas in your home. Be sure to have the dimensions and measurements of the area done before applying some of the tips you find online. You may need to make adjustments if the area you are going to convert as storage space is smaller or bigger.
- Use storage space wisely
- As obvious as this may sound, it's easy for people to forget simple things like utilizing storage space that's available to them. Putting your things away where they belong not only is a good time-saver, but it keeps the floors from being cluttered as well as makes your home look cleaner to those who enter it.
- When you think of storage space, you probably imagine a simple room with boxes and bins. However, we suggest thinking outside the box because there are so many other places in your home where items can be stored. Some useful ideas include: behind couches or chairs that have storage underneath them, using hermit crab shells for candy and small food storage containers, turning old jars into candleholders by placing tea lights inside and utilizing unused cabinets in your kitchen to store spices instead of stacking them on the countertop.
- Keep a "home for everything" rule
- Part of keeping your home clean and clutter-free is establishing a policy that allows you to know where every object in your house belongs. For example, if you have a lamp on a bookshelf in one room, don't just put it anywhere when you move rooms or finish using it. Put it back on the bookshelf, so there's no confusion later down the road about where the lamp should go. If you already own multiple lamps and can't decide which one to keep, put them all away and buy a single one later. You should have a home for each of your objects so that you don't need to use storage space if you don't need to.
- Finding new homes for your stuff also falls under this rule. If you want to give away an item but worry about who might take it - do not worry! There are many websites designed to help people find exactly what they need without taking up too much space in their own homes. This includes freecycle and craigslist, both of which allow you to find new homes for your unwanted items while still saving someone money!
- Use bins
- When it comes to organizing, using bins is one of the easiest ways to make a difference quickly. Many people struggle with storing different types of items in their homes, such as small toys or craft supplies. A simple solution is taking an old shoebox or cereal box and cutting holes into each side so that you have a customizable bin that will fit anywhere! The added bonus of this method is that if you want a larger storage option - just use more than one box and stack them on top of one another wherever it makes sense for your home.
- Buy furniture sets
- One of the best tips we can offer for a clutter-free home is simple yet not used by many people: buy furniture sets! This means that all of your items match, and you do not have to worry about finding a piece here and there over time. Plus, this is the easiest way to upgrade your home without spending a fortune on new stuff!
- Minimize excess
- Ensuring that every object in your house has a purpose is an effective way to cut down on clutter. However, if everyone starts following this rule except one person who's keeping things just "in case," you're probably going to end up with more clutter than before. While there's nothing wrong with having some excess, your family should be working together to minimize it so that it doesn't become a problem in the future.
- Be honest about excess
- You don't want objects taking up space in your home, but sometimes it can be hard to admit when you have too many things. There are several reasons why clutter is formed, including the fact that some people view their objects as trophies for everything they've done throughout their lives. Others like to collect random things because they're shiny or unique, and then never use them again. Whatever the reason may be, if you find yourself holding on to excess items or constantly finding new things to add to your collection, you might want to reevaluate what's going on in your home.
- Set up decluttering schedules
- In order to prevent clutter from forming again, it's important that you have yourself on a schedule of clearing up each of these areas. Putting aside fifteen minutes of every day is a great way for this habit to take place because you can focus on one area or piece of furniture without getting too overwhelmed about the entire thing. Once you've finished cleaning and organizing with one item or room, move on to the next and keep doing so until everything has been handled and put away properly. Make decluttering easier on yourself by dedicating one or two times per week to organizing your home, rather than doing it sporadically throughout the year when you get around to it.
Now that you have read about 8 tips that can help you start living a clutter-free life, what are you waiting for? Go organize those spaces and have fun doing it!