We emphasise the importance of decluttering whenever you’re moving home, as it saves you time, money and effort. You may also choose to declutter your home to downsize or simplify your living space. Whatever reason you choose to declutter, it can feel like a daunting job. We’ve put together this guide to help break down the process into easy steps.
What are the benefits of decluttering?
- It makes cleaning and organising the home much easier.
- Decluttered spaces are more relaxing than messy ones.
- You can find items more easily.
- It improves the environment and air quality, which benefits people with asthma and allergies.
- It improves safety around the home by reducing the number of hazards.
- It improves your overall quality of life.
Preparing to declutter
The easiest way to declutter a space is to work through one room at a time, or even one zone at a time, such as one cupboard. Focus on that room or zone until you’re finished, then move on to the next. To make handling easier, you’ll need containers like sturdy boxes or plastic fish bins. Label each container clearly as follows:
1: Keep
You’ll need two containers for the items you want to keep. One for anything that’s in good condition, and another for anything you need to mend or repair before you put it away again.
2: Sell
Use this container to store items with value that you can sell and convert into cash. Online auction websites are an easy way to dispose of these items. Price them to sell.
3: Donate
Use this container for any useful items you can give to charity shops or other community organisations. Depending where you live, it pays to phone ahead and ask each store what they need.
4: Recycle
Use this container for any items that can be recycled or upcycled. Search the internet to find out what you can recycle. Many companies are now recycling items you had to throw away in the past.
5: Trash
Use this container to sort any items that no longer have any use or value that you can take to the landfill.
Choosing a decluttering process
There are many ways to approach decluttering, but you’ll find it easy if you give yourself a systematic approach to the task. Here are a few ideas.
Rule of thirds: Keep one third of the items in each zone, sell or donate another third, and recycle or dispose of the last third.
The 80/20 rule: Most people only use 20% of their household items regularly. Identify that 20% and be ruthless with the remaining 80%. You don’t need to necessarily dispose of everything, but consider putting infrequently used items in tidy storage.
The usage rule: As you handle each item, ask yourself when you last used it. If that answer spans into years, it’s time to consider disposing of it.
Set realistic and achievable goals
The time it takes to declutter will vary for everyone. No matter how long it takes, set yourself realistic and achievable goals so you feel like you’re making progress and not getting overwhelmed. Then stick to a routine to maintain momentum and to keep your motivation up.
Make decluttering a regular activity
If you make decluttering a regular activity in daily life, you’ll maintain the standard you’ve set for yourself. It’s as simple as returning items to where you put them when you decluttered. High activity rooms such as the kitchen and living areas can look untidy from daily life. If you form good habits, like putting items away after use and cleaning up, you’ll enjoy the benefits of decluttering every day.