Decluttering is a little like losing weight. No matter how well you deal with your problem in the beginning, it will keep coming back unless you understand the concept of maintenance.
If you have gone to the bother of decluttering your home and making it more minimalist and free of mess, here are some tips on how to keep it that way so that you never have to have another moment of panic as you view a home that looks like a bomb exploded there.
Regular Maintenance
This step refers to simply keeping things the way they are by tossing junk when you realize you don’t need it, instead of stashing it in a pile that needs to be sorted over and over. Read your mail and immediately toss it, shred it, or deal with it and then put it into your file cabinet. There is no excuse for papers to be lying all over the floor, making it impossible to find them when you actually need them.
When you buy something from the store, put it where it is going to be kept immediately instead of setting bags on the floor and table. After the laundry comes out of the dryer, fold it and put it away immediately in the proper rooms and drawers. When you have five spare minutes, use it to tidy and clean up anything lying around. This is how you keep any huge messes from forming again.
Declutter Regularly
In addition to your regular maintenance, it is important to declutter on a regular basis. You can decide to have a serious decluttering day every three months, every six months, or just whenever your home starts looking like a junk yard. Make it a serious appointment and tidy your home from top to bottom, giving yourself another clean slate to work with.
Stop Buying Unnecessary Things
One of the biggest ways you can stop clutter in its tracks is to stop buying unnecessary things. By only allowing what you need to enter your home, you will cut down on the number of items you need to clear out later. Before you buy an item, think about whether you really need it, or if it is something you will regret at a later point in time.
Get Everyone on Board
You can’t conquer clutter alone, unless you live alone. If you are part of a family who lives together, or have roommates of any kind, you will need to make everyone a part of the decluttering team. Talk to everyone about your wishes to maintain a junk-free home, and talk about the many benefits of living in a more minimalist way than you have been. Let the other household members know that everyone’s efforts will benefit everyone else, and that you expect cooperation and teamwork.
Decluttering is only half of the solution. In order to maintain a beautiful home, you will need to take steps to keep it that way after the original clean sweep. Use these tips to keep your home free of clutter for years to come.
- Clothing purge: Go through your wardrobe and donate or sell items you haven’t worn in the past year.
- Shoe declutter: Evaluate your shoe collection and get rid of pairs you no longer wear or need.
- Accessory clean-out: Sort through jewelry, scarves, belts, and other accessories to declutter.
- Kitchen cabinet organization: Tackle one or two kitchen cabinets each day, organizing and getting rid of unnecessary items.
- Refrigerator clean-up: Check for expired items, and organize your fridge for better visibility.
- Pantry declutter: Discard expired food items and organize your pantry shelves.
- Bookshelf organization: Donate books you’ve already read or know you won’t read, and organize the remaining ones.
- Magazine and newspaper purge: Recycle old magazines and newspapers that are no longer relevant.
- Home office organization: Clear out old paperwork, file important documents, and declutter your workspace.
- Bathroom cabinet clean-out: Dispose of expired medications, skincare products, and old toiletries.
- Linens and towels purge: Evaluate your collection of linens and towels, keeping only what you need.
- Electronics declutter: Recycle or donate old electronics and chargers you no longer use.
- Kids’ toys clean-up: Involve your children in sorting through their toys, keeping only the ones they still play with.
- DVDs/CDs declutter: Digitize your collection or donate movies and music you no longer want.
- Junk drawer challenge: Tackle that one drawer filled with miscellaneous items and organize or discard them.
- Garage organization: Declutter tools, sports equipment, and other items stored in your garage.
- Sentimental items: Assess sentimental items and keep only those with true emotional value.
- Cord and cable management: Untangle and organize cords, getting rid of ones that are no longer useful.
- Home decor review: Evaluate your home decor and decide whether to keep, donate, or sell items.
- Bedside table clean-up: Clear out unnecessary items from your bedside table for a simpler space.
- Mail sorting: Develop a system for dealing with incoming mail and get rid of old, unnecessary papers.
- Desktop declutter: Organize your computer desktop, deleting files you no longer need.
- Medicine cabinet declutter: Discard expired medications and organize the remaining items.
- Holiday decorations review: Go through holiday decorations and donate or discard items you no longer use.
- Camping/outdoor gear clean-up: Sort through camping or outdoor equipment, keeping only what’s necessary.
- Unused kitchen appliances: Evaluate kitchen gadgets and appliances, keeping only those you regularly use.
- Craft supplies organization: Declutter your crafting area, donating or selling materials you no longer need.
- Car organization: Clean out your car, getting rid of unnecessary items in the trunk and backseat.
- Old paperwork review: Shred or recycle old bills, receipts, and paperwork that are no longer needed.
- Digital declutter: Clean up your computer files, delete unnecessary apps, and organize your digital space.
