The Organized Method of De-cluttering Your Home

A home that is well-organized is much more pleasant to live in. Not to mention, you use items more efficiently and you aren't searching endlessly for what's needed. If junk keeps piling up, you'll soon outgrow your house. De-cluttering can be overwhelming unless you have a plan, an organized method.

Getting Started

Choose one room to start with. De-cluttering in steps is less overwhelming and you'll get more accomplished. If you don't have a lot of time, you don't have to de-clutter an entire room all at once. Start with one drawer or closet at a time. Set a goal of decluttering at least a small area once a day. This gives a sense of accomplishment and incentive to keep going. Going from left to right of a room can help you stay focused. Get the entire family involved.

Separate Items

Separate items into the following categories...

* throw aways
* donate, give away, yard sale
* keep in place
* items wanted, but to store elsewhere

Items that haven't been used for a long time are taking up space. Some may not even be usable. Throw these away. You may have items that are still usable, but not to you. Donate to Good Will, The Salvation Army or a needy family in your community. If you like yard sales, have one of your own. Yard sales can be quite enjoyable. You get rid of unneeded items, while meeting new and interesting people. You help someone else and can earn money to purchase something you really want. A focus on giving will help you detach from items you don't really need.

For items that are needed or wanted, use baskets, boxes or other containers to neatly organize them. I've even used pretty flower pots to store small items such as cosmetics, pens and pencils, etc. Look around the house for items you can use for containers before buying something new.

For items that are rarely used, but you want to keep, buy plastic storage boxes and put them in a dry basement, garage or attic. Even space under the bed will work well as under-the-bed storage boxes are readily available. Hat boxes, decorative trunks also offer added storage.

Daily Items

Why make decluttering harder on yourself? As soon as you get the mail out of the box, separate it. Throw junk mail away. Have a place for bills. When you walk out of a room take something that doesn't belong in there to where it does belong, such as dirty dishes or magazines scattered around.The main living area usually gets cluttered by the daily items. Spending a few minutes a day on decluttering will prevent you from having to do a complete overhaul in the long run.

The Kitchen

Start with one cabinet. Assess each item carefully. How often do you use it? How well does it serve you? How many glasses, plates, frying pans, etc. are needed for your family size? Downsize appropriately. Organize similar items together and the most needed items in areas you can access the easiest.

Wire racks can double your space. I found them at Wal-Mart for little cost. This gives more space especially for storing canned food since you store cans under the rack and then on top of them.

Take everything out of junk drawers and under the sink. Throw away those expired store and restaurant coupons and anything that's a waste of space. Organize silverware neatly in trays made for them, inside of drawers.

Downsize on cleaning products. Choose a couple favorites and lessen your clutter. Better yet...go natural and use products such as white vinegar, lemon juice and baking soda.

The Bathroom

The bathroom is one of my favorites to organize. Take everything out of the medicine cabinet. Check expiration dates on medicines and vitamins. Throw out anything that has expired. Learn to buy only items that are needed. You don't need numerous brands of shampoo, hair spray, etc. Stick to a couple of brands that have proven to work well. Organize by "like" items.

Clear the vanity. Organize make-up and other items neatly in baskets or small bins. Store shampoo, shaving cream, etc. under the vanity in easy pull-out plastic baskets. Buy a tall metal or wood bathroom shelf for storing towels. I bought one for $5 on sale and it looks very pretty. Or, towels can be rolled and a few placed in a large wicker basket.

While you're at it...look through make-up items and dispose of anything you no longer use or has passed it's prime. Old make-up can cause eye infections. Clean brushes, sharpen eye and lip liners. Place most-used lipstick, liners, brushes in a small decorative container and place on vanity for easy access.

Bedrooms

Bedrooms should offer a sense of tranquility. Less is better! If the top of your dressers are cluttered, remove everything and decide on a few items to use. The rest can be stored and used later for a variety. Use a basket to store a few books or magazines. Clean out drawers and discard unusuables or give away usable items.

Think of a theme for your bedroom. Add ambience by using scented candles and looking for items around your house that will fit the theme. Sometimes using items in different rooms can feel like you've bought new.

A simple way to add new pictures to your decor is to print an image from the internet on parchment, glossy or matte paper; place it in a pretty frame. Very inexpensive and you can change the look anytime you want. Make sure the images are free to use.

Children's bedrooms should be simplistic, offering enough space to move around and play. Put toys in storage bins or toy boxes. Have a hamper for each child's dirty clothes. A desk is nice for doing homework. Pencils, paper and other supplies should be neatly organized on the desk.

Closets

Take clothing out of closets. Sort clothing by what fits "now". Also sort by season. Store items that are out of season. Donate clothing that no longer fits or at least store it away if you have a goal to lose weight. If you become very undecided on a few articles, put them aside and concentrate on what you are sure about. Go back to the ones you aren't sure of later.

Use shoe organizers for shoes or other items such as gloves, scarves, etc. There are many other closet organizes. Choose according to what fits your items and your closet size. Think twice before buying more clothing, impulsively.

Arrange clothing by color, short sleeve or long sleeve, pants, skirts, dresses, coats, etc.

DeStress and Reward

Many people get stressed over not knowing where to start. The key to doing this (so you don't go crazy) is to do it in small steps, but stick to your plan. You might want to de-clutter a drawer while watching tv. The next day you can de-clutter another drawer. De-cluttering doesn't have to be a dreaded task.

I de-clutter frequently and find the better organized I am, the better I feel on a daily basis. I can find what I need and make better use of what I have. Clutter can cause stress and de-cluttering can offer a sense of accomplishment. Reward yourself or your family with a nice dinner out on the town or maybe a movie. You deserve it!