At first, decluttering may feel painful. When you get rid of things you used to be attached to or remind yourself of something, you can coat up in nostalgia and forget about the main purpose of cleaning — to free up your mind and space. Let’s be productive!
There are numerous benefits of decluttering, from walking around the house without any messy obstacles to having nothing to distract you from work. Just set your goal. It will motivate you from one room to another. By applying room by room concept, you don’t get tired and do the cleaning most effectively.
We have combined the most valuable tips for decluttering and are ready to share them with you. But before proceeding to our Decluttering checklist, confess: are you a collect-everything kind of person or a throw-away-this-thing one?
Thank you for an honest answer. Let’s get started!
Follow Room By Room Concept
To finish decluttering as soon as possible and not overwhelm yourself, divide your efforts by room. So when you are done with a mess in one, you can already see the result. Doing everything at the time doesn’t make you productive at all. It just exhausts you.
We know that annual May decluttering comes with questions:
What rooms should start to clean?
What things to keep and what to throw away?
How do I find time for this?
Remember to take a breather and know that it doesn’t need to be the whole day on May 1st or the first weekend of May. You can give items on your decluttering checklist 15 minutes every day. Put a sticky note with a chore for the day on a visible spot so you remember to do it. See, Grand Laundry Room Decluttering can take only 15 minutes a day.
Visual representation encourages us to go on and finish everything faster. A little motivational trick from us: take Before and After photos. As you see how neat your house can look, decluttering is about to become your daily ritual. Such an organizing habit will replace chaotic rushing and make you the next Marie Kondo.
You are less likely to waste time on unnecessary tasks when you know exactly what you need to do. A to-do list, or to-do-room list, can help you define what is essential and largely unnecessary. So our advice is: Go room by room—Bathroom-kitchen-living room-bedroom.
Konmari Method
Have you heard about her? Marie Kondo is a pro organizer and author of a minimalist-inspired method of tackling house things. She has a show on Netflix and helps thousands of people to make their homes spark with joy.
In her case, joy means having only necessary things and not cluttering up. You may love those cute bottles and burned candles, but let’s add some air to your space.
Here are some basic rules of Marie Kondo method:
- Imagine your dream lifestyle.
- Commit yourself to cleaning up.
- Thank each item before throwing it away.
- Follow the correct order.
- Ask yourself if you are satisfied with your work.
Another important rule is don’t pile up your clothes. Fold them standing upright so you can see and easily reach any item. It dramatically saves time when you are running late in the morning.
Get Rid Of Dozens Of Cleaning Products
Having too many cleaning products doesn’t make your bathroom cleaner. It makes it look messy. Just remember how they all fall when you reach for something. Keep only necessary things that you use and that do their job. Keep the cleaning products for:
- Toilet
- Mold and germs
- Soap scum
- Bathroom tile
- Mirrors
Or you can have one All-Purpose cleanser that helps get rid of any imperfections and make your bathroom shine! It is very convenient to have only one cleaning solution that does the job for multiple surfaces.
Furniture cleaning can take hours, and rubbing the fabric may be exhausting. If you don’t want to do it yourself, you can hire a specialist. But it costs you the money you could easily save. How?
Slipcovers are the solution. They cover the furniture to protect it from damage, stains and clawing. Even your pet will thank you for such a gift. Slipcovers are machine washable, and they maintain color and shape after up to 120 washes. Plus, they are made of high-quality Italian fabric that is thick and durable.
By putting on a slipcover, you save money and time on furniture cleaning. It only takes 2 minutes to install, and its care is effortless. Such an investment is especially good for those sensitive to cleansers and dust. Slipcovers are hypoallergenic, and they have skin-friendly pH. Win-win!
Free Up Kitchen Space
This area quickly gets out of hand. You have to make dinner once to fill all countertops with empty dishes and food leftovers. So keeping minimum utensils in the kitchen is in your interest. Don’t let the kitchen get overrun by things.
Here are some essential tips for kitchen decluttering:
Throw away stained or partially melted plastic food containers.
Get rid of chipped or cracked mugs and dishes. Replace the plastic with glass. It serves much longer. Put everything in place.
The main thing to bear in mind is to free up as much space as possible. Cooking becomes more pleasant when you don’t have a stack of dishes in your way.
Declutter Your Closet
Before organizing your hanging closet, get three boxes and label them: store, give away, and trash. Enter your bedroom and place every item in these boxes. It may take a while, but such a selection process will help you understand what you have and what to do with it. Have more space and free up your lifestyle from clutter finally!
List of what needs to go to the trash box:
Begin with socks with missing matches or holes.
Clothes that feel uncomfortable when you put them on. It’s time to let them go.
It stretched out sweaters.
Torn or stained clothes. People say it brings bad luck, don’t try it on yourself. Old shoes you have worn for years.
Clothes carry your past. Let a fantastic future come to your life!
Organize Your Desk
Productivity needs to be constantly encouraged. If you work from home, interior design and furniture look influences your working mood. Take that trash box and put all the used paper, pens, and sticky notes there. Also, dirty mugs too.
Purchase a desk organizer to have everything necessary to make quick notes. And think about comfortable sitting. Putting a slipcover for a chair will make it feel soft and pleasant to touch. You deserve Italian-quality products!
Another benefit: you can spill coffee, have a cat on your lap, and accidentally drop a pen on the chair. Slipcovers are easy to clean and change. Buying a new chair will cost 4-5 times more expensive, but cheaper colorful covers can freshen up the whole look of your home office.
Good luck with May decluttering!