Clutter-Free Series Wrap Up

This month I have shared with you ways to have a clutter-free home room by room. Today I am sharing the clutter-free series wrap up post, tying all posts together for easier use.

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Clutter-Free Series Room by Room:

Let’s face it, we all have a little junk laying around, some more so than others (I’m pointing at myself here). All that junk and clutter everywhere can be so overwhelming! We need our homes to have a relaxing feel to them, otherwise, we may start to hate coming home. Not taking care of our homes could also mean we’re not taking care of ourselves.

Mess Equals Stress

According to Psychology Today, clutter can leave us feeling anxious and overwhelmed. I know that’s very true for me. When a few things are out of place, it doesn’t bother me, but when there’s so much clutter around that I can barely walk it becomes a problem. I start feeling overwhelmed, then out of control, then extremely stressed out.

Clutter makes it more difficult to relax, both physically and mentally.

Psychology Today

Why Declutter?

What is clutter? The Marriam-Webster dictionary defines clutter as “a crowded or confused mass or collection; to fill or cover with scattered or disordered things that impede movement or reduce effectiveness.” In other words, clutter is anything you’re hanging on to that does not add value to your life.

Why declutter? For some people, such as myself, organizing the clutter can lead to a stress-free environment. Getting rid of the clutter makes more room in my home. Since my home is rather small, I need all the extra space I can get! I feel a sense of accomplishment and more control over my life and my home when it is clutter-free.

How to Declutter

Step 1: Set Goals

Make sure you set some realistic goals for your decluttering process. You’re more than likely not going to get to every room in the house in one day. That’s why I broke up my clutter-free series into a room-by-room guide, sharing every Friday so you could print the checklist and work on each room on the weekend.

Step 2: Create a Sorting System

In my posts, I mentioned sorting your items into three piles while you were decluttering each room: keep, donate, and trash. Make sure you have your own system that works for you. You can also have a box labeled for recycling and if you have a lot of items to get rid of, you could also consider having a garage or yard sale to make some extra cash.

Related: What Actually Happens to the Clothes I Donate?

Helpful Tips for Having a Clutter-Free Home

• Make sure it works. If you come across something you’ve had stashed away for a while and realize it doesn’t work, throw it out. If you really want to fix it, do it right away; don’t let it sit around collected dust for another few months.
• Track items you actually use. When you organize your closet, turn all the hangers the same way. When you wear something, turn the hanger around. At the end of the year get rid of all the clothes you haven’t worn. You can do the same thing with books and DVD’s.
• Do you love it really? I sometimes buy things I’m not really crazy about and since I absolutely hate returning things, they just sit in my home collecting dust. If I don’t love it and I don’t need it, I need to get rid of it!
• Start small. Before starting on an entire room, start with a small space, like a drawer or table tops. Consider starting in one corner of a room and working your way around.
• Keep similar items together. Keeping similar items together makes your life simpler. For example, when you are organizing your clothing, keep jeans together, t-shirts together, sweaters together and shoes together. Or you could keep all of your shirts together organized by color. Whichever system works best for you.
• Baskets and bins are your best friends. Baskets and bins are so great at keeping items together and organized. I keep them in my bathroom cabinet to organize all of my bathroom items. There are bins in my kitchen cabinets to organize snacks. Baskets work great for stacking magazines in neatly!
• Make it fun! Turn on your favorite music to make decluttering a little more entertaining. Time flies when you’re having fun!

I hope this clutter-free series has helped in getting your home organized and your life more relaxing. Clutter can be overwhelming, but the clutter-free process doesn’t have to be!

Find more organizing tips here:
How to Organize Your Financial Life
How to Declutter and Organize Your Phone
How to Organize Your Paperwork
Bedroom Organizing Ideas That Will Work for Anyone
10 Best Organizers for Your Bedroom