Clutter is often unavoidable in our homes, especially for those of us with growing families.
To some clutter isn’t that bothersome but to others, it can cause all types of issues, everything from arguing with your partner, increasing stress to causing trips and falls for the elderly members of your family.
Clutter is something most of us simply live with and every so often we take a day to get rid of it. For those of us who don’t want to spend our weekend cleaning up the clutter, this is the article for you.
Today we will be looking at some of the best ways to minimise the clutter in your homes and as a result, cut down on the stress that clutter can bring.
Why should we declutter?
Clutter in our homes can make it look dirtier than it is. No one likes a dirty house and no one wants to see a mess every time they come home from work either. Your home should be a relaxing place and if it’s full of clutter it will have the opposite effect on you.
Decluttering tips
Decluttering your home is simpler than you may think and a few tips on decluttering can make a world of difference in your home. To start with, you should aim to clear the surfaces in your house. Surfaces covered in books, magazines or other items make your home look messier than it is.
Start by putting your items away into their designated spaces and then give your worktops a clean. You will be surprised how much difference this can make right away.
When you have cleared your worktops you can then move on to decluttering the rest of your home. At this point you may not have space to put additional items in, this is where our next tip comes in handy.
Clutter is the result of not having enough space in your home, so you have two options when it comes to making more space. The first is to buy furniture with in-built storage.
You can buy beds, mirrors and ottomans to add more storage space to your home. If you can’t afford to replace all of your existing furniture you may want to rent a storage unit. Storage units these days are cheap and can be rented out on a monthly basis for a small fee. The smaller the storage unit the smaller the fee.
If you have a storage unit or have furniture with in-built storage and your home is still a mess then you should adopt a one in and one out rule. This rule simply means that for every new item that you buy an old item must be disposed of. This rule isn’t perfect but it gets you thinking about any new items that you may buy.
Storage space in your home will help you to get rid of clutter but what many don’t talk about is how you should be handling that clutter. For some families, they may leave the clutter pile up and then spend a weekend getting it back down. In our opinion, this is wrong and can cause more stress than is needed.
Our advice would be to declutter for a few minutes every night. This way it doesn’t become a huge chore and doesn’t become overwhelming. When decluttering you should also look to tackle one room at a time. This keeps your home from becoming too messy in the process and once again stops you from becoming unmotivated.
What should you do with unwanted items?
Unwanted items can be thrown away, added into a storage unit for a later date, sold online or you can donate them to a local charity.
We like the last option as it gives others the chance to have nice items without having to break the bank to do so. If you are in the position to donate your furniture then you could change somebodies life.
An unwanted item to you may not be worth anything, but to someone else, it could give them so much happiness.
Conclusion
Your home doesn’t have to be messy and you don’t have to spend all of your free time cleaning to have a house you can be proud of. Using these tips above you will be able to get more out of your existing home.