Home

About

Blog

Contact

Tackle the Clutter

~ Kelsey Weber ~

WARNING!

It’s very easy to waste time PLANNING to

de-clutter your house, but then never get around to doing it.

So before you get too caught up in the planning, why don’t you take a few

minutes to complete one of the following de-cluttering challenges,

and THEN spend time planning your next steps towards a cleaner, simpler life.

5 Minute De-Cluttering Challenges

Don’t just sit at your computer and “think” about de-cluttering – take 5 minutes of action right now! Just pick one of the following challenges and do it – it shouldn’t take you more than 5 minutes to complete. Trust me – you’ll feel really good afterwards!

* Take a quick look around your house and find 10 things to throw away and 10 things to give away.    

* Clean off one shelf. It doesn’t matter what shelf – it can be a book shelf, closet shelf, pantry shelf – take your pick. Don’t tackle the entire shelving unit – just 1 shelf.

* Set a timer for 5 minutes, and see how many things you can put away in that time. Aim for things that are more noticeable in your home – items that are scattered on the floor, on the table, or in the entry way.

* Pick a drawer, any drawer. Dump out all its contents and sort them into three piles: 1) Stuff that really belongs in the drawer, 2) Stuff that belongs elsewhere, 3) Stuff to get rid of. Wipe the drawer out nice and clean and neatly put everything from pile #1 back inside. Deal with the other two piles immediately!

* Pick one room, and sweep everything (dirt, papers, books, toys, clothes, etc), into a pile in the corner of the room. Next, take out anything from the pile that you do not want thrown away (get your kids to help!) and put the items where they belong. Sweep up what’s left in the pile – and enjoy a nice clean floor!

* Start a “Give-Away” box. Make de-cluttering easier by having a designated place to put things you don’t need or want anymore. Find a very noticeable spot in your house to keep the box so you will be reminded to keep adding to it. Now find 10 things in your house that you can put in the box right now!

De-Cluttering Your House – Two Bags at a Time

To make an even bigger dent in your clutter problem, try doing this challenge, which will help you be very intentional about getting rid of stuff.

1) Fill Up a Garbage Bag

Grab a garbage bag and go around to each of the rooms in your house picking up trash (empty toothpaste bottles, paper garbage, broken electronics) – Don’t stop until you have the entire bag filled up.

2) Fill Up a Give Away Bag

Now grab another empty garbage bag and start filling it up with things you don’t need that can be given away (clothes, shoes, toys, books, movies) – Don’t stop until you have the bag filled up with things to get rid of.

3) Get Rid of the Clutter

Throw away the garbage. Drop off the give away bag at a local donation center. Just like that your house has less clutter – 2 bags less to be exact!

4) Repeat the Process

Repeat the process again next week. Two bags of clutter out the door every week! The benefits are beyond description!

Steps to De-Cluttering Your Home

Now that you’ve taken real action against clutter in your home, it’s time to put together a plan for tackling the rest of the house!

1) Assess the Situation

Here’s a quick questionnaire you can print and fill out to help you assess the situation concerning clutter in your home. It should only take a few minutes to complete the questionnaire, but when you’re finished you should have a clear idea of what you’re dealing with and where to start.

* Clutter Questionnaire (.pdf)

2) Pick a Room

Pick a room in the house to start with. You can pick the easiest room and work up to the harder ones, or you can choose to start with the room that is bothering you the most and tackle that project right away. Either way, pick a room to be your starting point. Make it a goal to de-clutter just one room each week.

3) Gather Your Supplies

Grab a couple garbage bags – one for trash and one for things to be given away.

4) De-Clutter

Pick a section of the room – the floor, the shelves, the drawers, the closet – pick just one section and start sorting through everything that’s there. If you don’t use the item, give it away. If it’s broken, throw it in the garbage. Aim to get rid of as much as you can. Also put away any items that don’t belong in that space. Straighten the things that remain – which at this point should be much less than what was there before, and only the essentials of things you actually use.

Great De-Cluttering Tips

* Make a “One Year” Box

Take any items you’re not sure about (such as  the“I might need it someday” items) and put them in this box. Close up the box and tape it shut. Date it for 1 year in the future. When that date comes, if you didn’t need to open the box to get anything out, donate the box WITHOUT OPENING IT!! You probably won’t even remember what was in the box, which means you won’t miss any of it!

* Papers

If paperwork is your weakness, get a filing system and create a separate folder for bills due, bills paid, banking, tax documents, receipts, appliance instructions, etc, and file them each day. Also have a specific spot where all “incoming” papers go (mail, school slips, receipts, etc). Most of the paper “clutter” in your home is likely because you tend to set papers down just anywhere – on the counter, on the desk, on the table – stop setting papers down at random, and start a habit of always putting papers on this one pile.

* Recyclables

Be realistic about recyclables. Keep a few empty jars or takeaway food containers, but not hundreds. One or two carrier bags or padded envelopes, not piles of them. Whenever you think “Oh, this could be useful”, first check and see how many you already have and don’t keep it if you don’t need to. When in doubt ask yourself: Do I really need it? Is it in good order? Could I replace it easily if I needed to? Would I really use it any time soon?

* Be Ruthless

If you haven’t worn something in 12 months, give it away. If you haven’t used any of the gift wrap you’ve been carefully saving, put it in the recycling bin. If its been broken for 3 months and you haven’t fixed it yet, get rid of it.