Whether it is the start of a new season, spring cleaning, or festival time, one of the best way to begin getting your home in order is to declutter. Decluttering helps get rid of things that we do not need, increases the amount of space in your house and helps to simplify your life!
One of the biggest benefits to decluttering is that it helps making find things so much easier. You won’t have to spend your time hunting through reams of not needed items to find the one item you really need! And having empty, uncluttered spaces helps reduce stress. Studies have suggested that seeing clutter constantly can increase the stress levels. And while it may seem an onerous task to start off with, here are our top tips for decluttering that will help break it down and let you achieve success without stuttering!
Start small
Decluttering can seem overwhelming when you start off. That is why it is important to start small. Start with five minutes at a time. Pick a room and then within that room, pick an area – a cupboard or a shelf, the space under the bed. And then gradually build up the momentum as the days progress.
Have a plan
Never start decluttering without a fixed plan. Keep containers handy to store the items you want to throw and pre-decide what you want with to do with them. Otherwise all you will be doing is simply moving the clutter to a box/boxes and then not know what to do with them.
Pick one room
Start off with one room. Choosing your bedroom? Start off with making the bed first. An untidy bed just adds to the feeling of clutter in your room. Starting with the bathroom? Choose your cabinet where you store your soaps, shampoos, etc. You will be amazed at the amount of unused stuff we end up stacking in our cabinets!
Be armed and ready
Keep your trash bags and containers handy. Label them as per how you want to segregate your clutter – keep, throw away, undecided (though make sure this pile doesn’t become the biggest!). And sort your clutter accordingly.
Clothes!
This is one of the biggest pain points when it comes to decluttering. But it is also one of the most important as it can help free up a lot of cupboard space. Tackle clothes in categories – your denims together, your blazers together, your tops together etc. This will make it easy for you to see just how many you have and how many of those you actually need or don’t.
The One A Day Challenge
A popular challenge that people follow across the world when it comes to decluttering is to follow the One A Day Challenge. What does this mean? Simply put, it means you discard one item every day. It can be an outfit, a pair of shoes, a kitchen utensil, an unused and expired tub of cream – anything. That way you will end up discarding 365 items in one year!
Keep your cleaners handy
Found some old clothes that you think you can keep? Or is there a floor area that you have just decluttered but it is looking dirty? Don’t forget to keep your cleaners handy. Cleaning an area after you have decluttered will make that space look as good as new. Or washing old clothes to make them look as good as new. And remember swap your chemical-based home cleaners, with plant-based ones like Osh.
