Cluttered spaces don’t only affect the overall functionality; they can also have a serious impact on your mental well-being. You may think that you are accustomed to your mess and that because of that, it can’t be harmful. However, this is similar to the noise pollution. At first, it bothers you, but sooner or later, you get used to it. That doesn’t mean it isn’t still harmful on a deeper psychological level and that it doesn’t contribute to your stress. You don’t have to put up with that anymore. There are many ways to declutter your home and create a much more pleasant environment where stress and anxiety will be unwelcomed guests.
Prevention is better than cure
In order to truly and efficiently declutter your home, you should stop producing more clutter. Think about why you are buying so many things. Sometimes hoarding can be a sign of depression, so try to look for clues or maybe talk to someone about it. Buy only items you really need, such as household products. Avoid buying everything discounted and challenge yourself to make it through one month without buying unnecessary stuff.
Use the one in – two out approach
Now if you simply have to go shopping, use the one in – two out rule. For every new item you carry into your home, you should throw out two items. You don’t have to throw them away though (unless they are completely useless). You can give them to charity or organize a garage sale. This gradual way of decluttering will be helpful if you are afraid of a sudden change.
Or just change everything suddenly
If you are more of a do-all-the-job-at-once than gradual-change kind of person, you can just take one or two days, inspect your home for all the excess things and get rid of them. As with the previous advice, you can sell them, give them away or throw them away, it’s up to you.
Organize seasonal decluttering
There is one more option: storing away the things you currently don’t use. This includes seasonal items, like ski equipment or Christmas decoration. If you own an attic or basement, you can store them there. If not, you can always rent a storage unit until the time comes to use them again.
Take care of the floor space
A room can never look neat if the floor is overcrowded with bulky furniture pieces, layered rugs and shaggy carpets. Go with small furniture pieces or at least raised ones so that the floor underneath them is visible. If you think bare floors look too sterile, you can use patterned runner rugs as an alternative to carpets and add a dash of personality to the space.
Be clever with storage
Having plenty of storage is the only way to actually control the clutter in your house. That means including bookshelves, baskets, floating shelves, bags, and, of course, multifunctional furniture with hidden compartments. Just be careful with bookshelves, they are not there for displaying your entire book collection. Instead, fit the books in the room’s overall style. Also, if you are displaying any non-book items, limit their number to three per shelf. Group them by color and theme, but let their size vary.
Separate the memories from the stuff
One of the most frequent excuses people make against decluttering is “those are my memories”. Really, a 2001 magazine with a great cover is a memory? Unless you took the photo for the cover, that magazine goes in the “stuff” category. Photos are the greatest memories and in this day and age, you probably have them all in a digital format. So, unless you are planning on displaying them, keep them stored away. College notebooks you will never again use are also “stuff”. Your favorite skinny jeans you can’t get into? Guess what? “Stuff.”
A clean home means a clear mind, and even though getting rid of a bunch of old and unnecessary stuff seems difficult at first, once you are finally done, you will see your efforts were worthwhile as you will live a more serene life.
About author:
Tracey Clayton is a full-time mom of three girls. She’s passionate about traveling, fashion, home decor and healthy living. Her motto is: “Live the life you love, love the life you live.”
