How to Declutter Your Home: 10 Creative Decluttering Tips

Many people find the concept of living a life that is simple and has less stuff quite appealing. However, there often comes a feeling of anxiousness and stress when one actually starts toying with the thought of having less stuff. Understanding how to declutter your home and, consequently, decluttering your life can be easy and has several advantages.

The advantages of decluttering

The advantages of having less stuff are numerous. However, it is difficult to perform the action of decluttering till the time the advantages start showing themselves.

• Much Less Cleanup: Cleaning is already a bit of a chore. However, cleaning becomes much more difficult when you have to clean objects you are not emotionally attached to or dislike.
• Simpler to organize: After decluttering, things become simpler to find. They do not disappear into a mess anymore. Instead of shifting items all around, you can move freely in your home and enjoy the space.
• Less tension: Once the house is cluttered, looking at it can induce nausea. It is desirable for everyone to look around the home you dearly live in.
• Fewer debts: Not spending much time shopping for items that add to the clutter implies that your bank account and wallet stay fuller, the credit card bills are lower and your house would not be filled with expensive stuff you do not need.
• More savings: Owning less stuff as per minimalism would mean that you save money from buying unnecessary things. This means more financial freedom.
• More vigor for your greatest pursuits: You can now devote much time and energy to activities you enjoy rather than worrying about acquiring more stuff. You will ultimately become happier.

Now that you know the benefits of decluttering your home (and your life), you can look forward to getting answers to the next question, where do you start?

10 Creative Tips For Decluttering

You will need to think outside the box if you are thinking and need advice on ways to declutter. Here are a few creative tips for decluttering to inspire you to declutter your home:

• Begin with 5 minutes at a time: If you have just begun decluttering, five minutes a day will help you to begin momentum.
• Every day, give away one thing: This step will mean that you remove 365 things every year from your belongings. This can be doubled to make the number 730 in a year. You can keep increasing this number once you get too comfortable.
• Completely fill a trash bag: Fill a trash bag as promptly as you can with things you can donate.
• Donate your unused clothing: Simply put all your clothes in hangers facing in the opposite direction to identify which clothes you never wear. Reverse the hanger in the correct direction after you have worn that clothing. After several months discard the clothing that you have not used at all.
• Make a checklist for decluttering: Making a decluttering checklist will give you a visual idea about where you need to begin and what you need to get rid of.
• Accept the 12-12-12 challenge: Find 12 items to be thrown, to be donated, and returned to their rightful places.
• Consider seeing your home with fresh eyes: It is simple for a new visitor to forget what your house looks like. As if you were paying a visit to your friend's home, enter your house. Jot down your first impression on the way to clean and make changes in your home.
• Take pictures of a small area both before and after: Select a part of your house, for example, your study table, and click a picture. Clean the area quickly and then take an after picture. Once you have the visual cue of how the home looks after decluttering, it becomes easier to do so.
• Ask a friend for assistance: Ask a family member or a friend to go through your house and give advice on a bunch of big things to give or throw away. If you don't want to discard any item, you have to give solid reasons for your friend to agree with. If you don't get the approval, you can discard that item.
• Utilize the four-box approach: Take four boxes and label them as keep, trash, re-locate and give away. Enter any room you want to declutter and place things in each of the four boxes. This might take a considerable amount of time, such as days, weeks, or months but it will assist you in getting an idea of the amount of stuff you possess and what you want to do with each of them.

The aim is to take your first step to declutter with joy no matter which approach you take. You can also plan out your decluttering as per the rooms in your home.

Decluttering room by room

Bathroom

Begin with your medicine cabinet. Take out everything and discard the items you need to. Put back everything you wish to keep. Next, do the same with your cabinet drawers, shower, and tub. Pull out everything you have and declutter.

Bedroom

Make your bed first. Begin with your nightstands. Remove items that do not belong there and throw out or recycle anything you don't use anymore. Follow suit with dresser, chest, and bureau tops. Put away the clothing that needs hanging or folding. Take out stuff from the drawers and sort the items out as per the four-box approach. Tackle the desk next. Discard anything that you have not used in the past six months. Place items in their usual places. Hang, fold, or store any clothing.

Wardrobe

The simplest way to declutter a wardrobe is by starting to declutter the clothing by its type. Begin by pulling out different types of dresses and then decluttering them using the four-box approach. If you have any clothing that is in the wrong spot, put them back in its right place. Put away your dirty laundry in laundry bags. If you have anything that needs to be repaired, send them to the tailors. You can donate the clothes you don't need anymore.

Kitchen

Begin decluttering your kitchen by paying heed to one category of things at a time. Go through the kitchen zone by zone. Empty each area fully, examine each object, and put everything back in its rightful place. Begin with storage spaces such as upper cabinets and pantry, and then continue with drawers, lower cabinets, and the area below the kitchen sink. Finally, pay attention to the countertops. Put away as many items as you can and keep only the things you use every day over them.

Living Room

Begin with side tables, bookcases, and consoles. Then continue decluttering your entertainment center and coffee table. Return items to their rightful places after emptying them and evaluating them. Put away books, discard paper clutter like mail, and put remote controls in the proper places. Next, take out every electronic item from the room that you are not using or is not working.

Final Words

It is not required to completely declutter your home or life in a day. This task can be finished in due time and can even be needed to be done on a frequent basis. As long as you start the process today, you are further advanced than yesterday. Simplification does not mean that your space becomes boring or your lifestyle becomes sparse. On the contrary, your home might become quiet, calm, and less chaotic with lesser distractions. Decluttering can make your home into a space of rest and comfort, transforming it from a stressful environment.