Published: October 12, 2021 I ORGANIZING

Your home is the place where you get your work done, and where you unwind, rest, and entertain friends. But if your home is a mess, then you’ll just end up being more irritated and less efficient (I do too!). It’s alright to buy stuff, but if you have limited space at home, it can be a nightmare. The less room you have, the more often you need to declutter to free up space for items that you actually need and use. After all, who doesn’t want to have a clean and uncluttered home, right? Your mood will instantly improve if you wake up and see your house all neat and tidy… guaranteed!

Thus, here are some easy ways to declutter your home.

1. Declutter a few minutes each day and make it a habit.

The idea here is to not get overwhelmed by all the junk in your home. For starters, do a quick clean-up 10-15 minutes daily. If it’s not possible with your schedule, try decluttering at least once a week. It’s easier to do simple tasks daily or regularly than for them to pile up. Otherwise, it’ll only make you exhausted cleaning everything all at once. Start to declutter the areas that you use all the time, like your work desk, bathroom, and kitchen. Also, focus on the areas where you get irritated the most when they’re cluttered. (For me, it’s my home office space!)

2. Sometimes, don’t be too sentimental.

One of the reasons why we don’t throw stuff away is because we get too attached to them. (I’m guilty of this myself!) However, you’re then also not giving yourself enough room for a peaceful and organized life. So, try to let go of those items that you think you can live without. These can be different for different people. Segregate sentimental items you feel you need to throw away and let them go one or two items at a time.

3. Try organizing items by room or area for each day of the week.

Schedule organizing your bedroom and living room on Saturday and Sunday for example, and doing a different part of the house each day on weekdays. You’ll feel more relaxed staying in these places after decluttering. Moreover, if you set a schedule for decluttering it will become a regular routine eventually.

4. Out-of-fashion items or stuff not in trend can go away!

Items like hair accessories, earrings, leggings, shoes, skirts, shirts, etc. that were fashionable last year but you no longer want to wear these days can be disposed of, so that you’ll have more space for clothes that you still want to wear now.  

5. Throw away shoes that aren’t durable anymore.

A good example of this is running shoes. Running shoes tend to lose their durability after a certain number of miles, and if you still use them, it may cause accidents.

So when do running shoes that you haven’t worn for a while begin to deteriorate? According to Kyle Stump, co-owner of Fleet Feet Delray Beach, you should start using your running shoes within 6-12 months after buying them. It will be best to stop using your running shoes after 200-300 miles as they will most likely cause injury after that.

6. Bless other people.

Donate or give away usable items such as clothes, linens, blankets, and pillow cases. Especially during winter, people in homeless shelters need these a lot. Or if you want to get some money out of it, you can sell them on a marketplace app like Carousell for a lower price.

7. Dispose, give away, or sell hobby items or fan merchandise you’re no longer interested in.

Did you collect memorabilia from that boy band or girl group you liked way before? If you’re no longer into them, go ahead and donate those items or sell them online.

There are certain hobbies that you liked doing before, but now you can’t seem to find the time to do them anymore. Some examples of tools for these are old water colors, crochet, and scrap-booking supplies. You can give them away to friends who like doing these crafts, and they’ll love you for it!

8. Throw away old receipts, bills, coupons, letters for sponsorships, etc.

Do lots of receipts pile up in your purses, bags, and drawers? Want a lazy decluttering tip? I usually find time during the weekend or while watching my favorite Netflix series to throw them away!

9. Go paperless or electronic!

Patronize e-books instead of paperback versions as much as you can. This will totally reduce a lot of space in your shelves. You can also give away books or other print that you’ll never get to read anymore, such as college books, old newspapers, magazines, etc.

10. Declutter holiday stuff you probably won’t need.

Find old Christmas or Halloween décors that are broken, damaged, or from many years ago that you can throw away.

11. Throw away unused boxes or recycle them to organize stuff.

Shoe boxes, appliance boxes, makeup boxes, etc. can easily pile up and take up space in your home, too.

12. You only need a few mugs!

Try to give away or donate the mugs that you collected over the years.

We’re talking about lots and lots of mugs here that you received as Christmas gifts or exchange gifts from friends, and it can really be bothersome if they occupy a large space in your cupboards. Disclaimer: If you’re an avid mug collector, no need to do this. 🙂

13. Throw out damaged electrical items.

To prevent electrical mishaps in the future, get rid of cables, cellphone chargers, earphones, or extension cords that have damage or torn areas.

14. Dump all expired foods, spices, and ingredients.

If they have no expiry date on the packaging, better throw them away too!

15. Foods you aren’t going to eat but haven’t expired yet can be given to a local food bank.

16. Organize cabinets; clean and empty drawers.

The problem with messy cabinets is that they can be a nesting place for pests. To avoid this, clean your cabinets and declutter them at least once a month.

17. Consider your decoration theme.

You can choose to give away all the other décors that don’t match your current interior design theme.

18. Throw away expired cosmetics and skincare products.

We try our best to take care of our skin, but using expired items can really damage it. Constantly check the expiry date of your cosmetics and skincare products. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration has given good advice regarding the shelf life of cosmetics and skincare.

19. Gardening tools can be organized better.

Check what gardening tools you still need, and organize them in a gardening tool box or caddy.

What area of your home will you declutter first? Let’s go!

Every part of your home needs some TLC too! Check out these other great decluttering tips:

• Real Simple and Quick Ways of Decluttering and Cleaning Your Closet
• Decluttering Made Easy: How to Get Rid of the Mess in Your Kitchen
• Your Ultimate Guide to Uncomplicated Decluttering and Cleaning the Bathroom

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