Even the most organized people have areas they neglect to #organize and #declutter, Real Homes says. These areas likely include the #junk drawer — that catch-all space that holds everything pens to pills to old phones. The pantry is another area that gathers random items (sometimes in multiples) and must be #cleaned and #organized regularly to avoid eating expired foodstuffs. Linen closets should contain only the towels and bedding you actually use, not the many backups used for cleaning or guests. Instead of neglecting these spaces, tackle them before everything else, professional organizers suggest.
Tag: decluttering your home
Organize the Hidden Areas That Spring Cleaning Missed
You may think you’ve done a thorough #spring #cleaning, Houzz says, but you may have missed some areas that tend to attract lots of #clutter. Living room cupboards, coffee tables and sideboards can fill up with stuff you don’t need, such as old DVDs, candles, menus and flyers, decorative objects, photos, and assorted electronic devices. The home-office desk attracts paperwork, bills and other items that need to be hidden quickly, as does the bedside table. The food storage container cabinet in your kitchen is probably crammed with old and mismatched bowls and lids, and every home has a “dump zone” where incoming goods get dropped.
Declutter the Most Troublesome Spots
Want to #declutter but don’t know here to start? Strat with the area that “gives you the most grief,” says The Decluttering Club. It might be the kitchen, since it is a frequently used space; the bedroom closet, which attracts lots of clothes and other #stuff that has no regular home; or the bathroom, where half-used cosmetics and sundries tend to pile up. Pick an area and start small, filling a bag or box with #stuff that hasn’t been used in a while and trashing the stuff that can’t be saved. Once you start #decluttering a trouble spot and see progress, it will give you the momentum you need to move on to another area of the home.
Decluttering the Forgotten Spaces in Your Home
Homes often contain spaces you forget to #declutter, says The Ethicalist. But those spots may be easy to handle because they hold the #stuff you rarely miss — things you use only for holidays and special occasions. Forgotten places may include the pantry, attic, garage and the space under the sink. Take a few hours (or a few days) to do a thorough editing of the junk in those areas, and you will feel refreshed. “Clean and clear spaces have a great impact on our mental health and make us feel happy,” says Sana Brohi, operator of a coaching business in Dubai. “When we have a sense of well-being and achievement, we function better.”
Breaking With the Decluttering Trends
We at The Organizing Blog like to think that we’re a respected authority in the #decluttering knowledge space, continually lending tips and strategies to get your home and life in order while #donating the things you don’t need to a worthy cause.
We weren’t the first on the scene, of course, and we won’t be the last — dozens of experts and gurus have made careers out of helping people #declutter, and there are as many trendy strategies to help people #minimize and #organize their excess #stuff.
While the scholarship agrees that a #clean and #organized home environment is optimal for one’s mood and health, today we’re going to remind readers that there is no single “right” way to tackle the problem. The right way to #declutter is the way that works for you.
“Decluttering is very much a personal process — it’s your home and your belongings,” says Homes & Gardens. “Some may find it harder than others, preferring a more gentle approach to a more ruthless one, and vice versa.”
For example, Marie Kondo’s much-vaunted KonMari method asks you to sort every category of possession, keeping only the things that “spark joy.” But consider the lowly vegetable peeler: It probably does not spark joy, but it is undeniably useful — and you can feel good about holding onto it.
KonMari isn’t the only game in town, though. Other trendy strategies include the One-Hour Method, the Core 4 Method, the 30-Day Minimalism Challenge, the Move-Out Method, Swedish Death Cleaning, and the One In/One Out Rule.
Some #organizing schemes are just too gimmicky to keep up, Apartment Therapy says. For example, you may overlabel your stuff. You might buy too many organizing products. Or you may be too meticulous about folding and sorting small items such as socks and underwear, wasting time and energy on a single drawer.
Because #organization and #clutter are widespread challenges, the clutterati will keep inventing new ways to deal with them. Try one or invent your own. The strategy that works for you — the one that you can follow and get results — is the best to follow.