More than just places of shelter, our homes serve as a sanctuary where we can be our truest selves. But sometimes, there are obstacles that hinder a house from becoming a personal sanctuary. Perhaps the walls and flooring are in a color you don’t prefer. Or maybe, the furniture doesn’t fit your style. Beyond design and style preferences, however, is the question of whether your house has a comfortable number of things in it or not.
While it’s nice to have your treasured items around you, accumulating clutter is simply not good for your space. What’s worse, clutter can even impact your productivity and overall mental health. As such, it’s important to understand that decluttering is just as important as picking out styles and complementary color palettes.
That said, decluttering is not always an easy feat. With this, here are some tips to get you started on cleaning up your space—and make your life all the better for it.
Start with Small, Manageable Areas
As most of us already know, decluttering can be quite overwhelming. The thought of cleaning up mountains of clothes and knickknacks can throw some people off and discourage them from having a cleaner home. But by taking baby steps and starting with small areas, decluttering becomes progressively easier.
To start your decluttering journey, you can begin with corners and flat surfaces such as a workstation or countertop. Then, you can move on to bigger areas such as your closet or home office. By working gradually, you might be surprised to see that you have already cleaned out your entire home without even realizing it.
Dispose of Irreparable and Ruined Items
As a rule of thumb, you need to get rid of items that are broken beyond repair. If there are items that can still be fixed, it’s best to act on them as soon as possible so they can regain their functionality and purpose.
Furniture can sometimes be overlooked when decluttering, but they play a critical role in improving a room’s ambiance. If you have bulky, broken beds or couches, it would be ideal to dispose of them and replace them with furniture that complements the room’s size and style. And since upgrading your home’s furniture can be pricey, you can skip the ones that are brand-new and go for second hand furniture instead to save money. Aside from freshening up the look of your space, you’ll also save a lot of money.
Retain the Items You Love and Regularly Use
A great way to gauge whether your belongings should stay or go is by identifying their purpose. With this, it’s best to ask yourself when was the last time you used a shirt, gadget, toy, or pair of shoes lying around. If it has been ages since you last used them, you can dispose of them already. Better yet, you can determine better uses for pre-loved belongings by recycling them, giving them away to other family members, or donating them to those in need.
Ideally, most of the items in your home should have a long shelf life and remain useful for years. One tip that decluttering experts suggest is to narrow down your belongings to those you want to bring when moving out.
Categorize Items Based on Their “Homes”
A well-appointed home always has everything in its place. To keep your home spic and span, you may want to designate “homes” for each item. You can maximize the use of storage spaces, desk organizers, cabinets, and the like to prevent areas of the house from getting messy. Most of the time, keeping everything neatly stored in designated containers can save you a lot of space and mitigate the feeling of being cramped. More than that, keeping a home well-organized is a great way to prevent items from getting misplaced.
Let Go of Sentimentality
Although we mentioned that it’s best to retain items with a high level of usability, you can’t discount the fact that some useless items have sentimental value. You’ll be the judge of whether it’s time to let go of old movie tickets, artwork, or polaroid photos, but you need to make sure that you can store them in a way that doesn’t disrupt your living space.
If you have a lot of nostalgic items, it’s best to pick the ones that are truly invaluable to you and take pictures of the rest. Digitizing these items often preserves the items—and the memories—a lot better.
Reward Yourself for Decluttering
We all know that decluttering isn’t easy or fun, but you can make it rewarding and enjoyable by giving yourself a treat for cleaning up your space. It doesn’t even have to be a major overhaul—something simple as folding your clothes would already suffice. To make decluttering more fun, consider giving yourself treats such as ordering your favorite food, going to a movie, or giving yourself extra time for hobbies after cleaning up every day.
Know Your End Goal
When decluttering your place, you need to make sure that you’re doing so with the right mindset. Ask yourself why you need to declutter, what you will get out of it, and how it will make you feel. Take note of the challenges that might hinder you from making changes in your living space and think of potential strategies to address them.
In the end, it’s best to go into any home revamp effort knowing the end goal you have in mind. Ideally, your goal should hinge upon any change you want to have in your life. Maybe you want to adopt a more positive mindset and need a cleaner house to reflect that. Perhaps you’re expecting a new addition to your family, or maybe you’re freeing up space for family members who will no longer use the space.
Whatever you want to achieve, knowing your end goal will motivate you into taking the first step toward a more comfortable home. Ultimately, decluttering is a rewarding journey that goes beyond just optimizing your space. At the end of the day, cleaning up your space is a great way to let your surroundings work better for the life you truly deserve.
