You may find that a more minimalist life suits you after you do your spring cleaning and donate your excess stuff to ClothingDonations.org. Extend that simple, uncluttered look to your yard and outdoor spaces, says Pacific Outdoor Living, and you can keep your home spotless — inside and out — with less maintenance. Use hardscape elements such as pavers and pea gravel to frame specific areas for entertaining and planting, and include low-maintenance, drought-tolerant plants. With an occasional sweep, your outdoor space will look good all season long.
Tag: decluttering
Declutter Your Deck or Patio
Clutter can be just as frustrating and unappealing on a deck or patio, says the Houselogic blog. The solution? Make do-it-yourself bins to organize and hide your stuff. Paint wooden crates a fun color using a waterproof paint and/or sealant, and place them wherever you need storage. Attach casters, and they can be moved alongside the table or grill easily, or serve double-duty as extra seating. “Storage can be as important outdoors as it is indoors,” landscaper Keith Sacks says.
Things You Can Trash Immediately
The decision to trash things carries with it a blissful immediacy. There’s lots of stuff people shove into a drawer and keep that’s of little use to anyone. So, throw out or recycle the old magazines, orphaned socks, takeout menus, plastic cutlery, mystery keys, half-used cosmetics and other items that are only cluttering up your home immediately. If something is unopened, in good shape and could be useful to a new owner, however, donate it to ClothingDonations.org, and you will help fund valuable veterans’ programs.
Set Aside the ‘Maybes’ When Decluttering
When considering what to keep, donate or trash, you will come across stuff that isn’t useful right now, but you think you might need or use one day. These in-between items can slow down the decision-making in your decluttering process, or derail it altogether. The solution? Create a “Maybe” box, the Zen Habits blog suggests, put the questionable items inside and store it in an out-of-the-way place for six months. Then, revisit the box. Most people find a box full of stuff they never needed, and can donate immediately.
Go Beyond Decluttering by De-Owning
The Becoming Minimalist blog says it isn’t enough to declutter; for a lasting effect, you must “de-own” the things you don’t use. Why? Because only improving organization won’t encourage you to make tough decisions or decrease your desire for new things; often, it will just sort them into a place where they are temporarily out of sight. “Carry a trash bag from room-to-room,” the blog says. “See how big of a donation pile you can make. It doesn’t matter so much how you remove [these items], as long as you do.”