Tips for Decluttering Your Home

Keeping your home clutter-free can be quite an endeavor unless you're an accomplished minimalist. Over time, most of us accumulate stacks of belongings that, let's face it, we never or rarely use. If you're determined to get rid of unnecessary items but don't know where to begin, this article is for you! Below are a selection of tried-and-tested tricks to cut down on household clutter. While it can feel overwhelming at first, by gradually working through your ever-growing collection of possessions, you can slowly free up more space in your home.

Kickstart the decluttering process today with these practical strategies.

Be Realistic About Whether You Use Something or Not

The phrase just in case is something we all revert to when we decide to keep something that we're contemplating throwing out. If we're completely honest with ourselves, though, in most cases, we never use the item again. You’ll have some items at home that you may find useful for now and again, but there comes a time when you’ve to part ways with them if you haven’t used them in ages. In short, anything that's made it through multiple clear-outs and still hasn't been used needs to go!

Dedicate a Little Time Each Week to Decluttering

When it's been a while since your last decluttering mission, tackling a small space at a time can be a lot less daunting. If you're hoping to rid your home of a few unneeded items, start by dedicating ten or fifteen minutes a week to a specific part of your home. This can be as simple as cleaning out your sock drawer or a kitchen cabinet. That way, you'll steadily reduce the volume of stuff taking up space without tiring yourself out completely.

Give Every Item a Home

Sometimes, it can feel as if we have more clutter in our homes than we actually do, especially if many of our belongings don't have a designated storage spot. Finding a home for the various objects around your house can make the space feel much tidier without throwing anything away. One of the easiest things you can do to get started is to free up your flat surfaces. This means finding convenient places to keep items you might typically place on countertops, coffee tables, and desks but that you don't use regularly.

Utilize the Space You Have

Using your space wisely is central to eliminating clutter in your home, especially if you have a bunch of stuff you use on a daily basis and genuinely need to keep. There are a few things ways to do it, though what works for you will depend on the type of home you have. Some great ways to stay organized include taking advantage of the space under your stairs, installing shelves, or adding hooks to the back of your doors.

Invest in Multi-Purpose Furniture

Opting for multi-functional furnishings goes hand-in-hand with maximizing your space in terms of clutter control. Although this isn't an excuse for keeping more things than you need, it's ideal for those with an abundance of frequently used items. Beds with built-in storage, ottomans that open up, and fold-up tables are some ways your furniture can do half of the work for you regarding storage. Those of you with compact living quarters will find these furniture styles even more helpful as they make it much easier to streamline your space.

Pay Attention to the Expiry Dates on Products

When it comes to checking expiry dates, most of our attention goes towards the perishable goods in our fridges. Yet, we often forget to keep tabs on what's sitting in our kitchen cabinets. Just because an item has a long used-by date doesn't mean it won't go off at some point. At least once a month, try to look through your cabinets and ditch any out-of-gate foods. This also applies to toiletries and cosmetics. Anything you use daily isn't likely to expire, but beware of the creams, skin makeup, or self-tanners you opened over 12 months ago and haven't used since. Chances are, these old beauty products won't cause you harm, but they become ineffective and unfit for purpose with time.

Donate Items That You Don't Need or Use

In some cases, we can find it tough to part from anything that's still in good condition, even if we no longer have a use for it. When such scenarios arise, your best option is to donate it to charity or give it to a family or friend who may need it. That way, we don't find it as difficult to let go of something as it's getting another use rather than being tossed in the trash. Naturally, this is a little different when dealing with anything with sentimental value. Generally, though, there's no need to hold on to something you can't see yourself using again, but that doesn't mean someone else won't appreciate it.

Categorize Your Items

Whenever you're attempting to declutter a room or section of your home, try to place each item into one of these categories: keep, possibly keep, donate, and throw out. Each group is quite self-explanatory, but it can make the entire process less stressful and more orderly. The 'possibly keep' set of items can be tricky to limit, so addressing the contents of this box or pile should be a high priority during your clean-out. If you're noticing that this category is filling up, go back to it when you've gone through everything else and challenge yourself to cut the number of items in half, keeping only the essentials.

Keep Your Home Clutter-Free With These Tricks and Techniques

Whether you're a self-confessed hoarder or struggle to stay organized, these tips will help you find ways to part with items you no longer need. No matter how big or small your house is, clutter has a way of building up over the years, meaning we all need to learn the most effective ways to keep it to a minimum!