5 Strategies to Declutter Your Home - Why Decluttering Is Necessary

With more people living in homes and also working from home, it's important to afford the time and attention required to organize your living spaces and remove clutter at home.

Channeling your inner Marie Kondo has become a necessity, especially during these stressful and uncertain times. Clutter is essentially any unnecessary stuff or excess belongings that accumulate into an overwhelming mess.

The problem with clutter at home is that it adds to people's stress levels at a time when things are already very stressful and uncertain due to economic difficulties, wars, climate change, and more.

All that excess physical stuff at home can make you feel out of control and unable to get anything completed efficiently, which in turn clogs your mind leading to invisible clutter that affects your mental and emotional health, as well as your physical health.

You will know your house is cluttered if you can't find things easily, you step on things often, your drawers, closets, and other storages are overstuffed. You are even embarrassed to invite people over because of all the mess in your home.

Clutter makes your home less safe, more messy, overwhelming (physically and emotionally), and exhausting to the people living in cluttered homes. This is why you must organize your living spaces and remove clutter at home.

The Benefits of Decluttering Your Home

Decluttering your home comes with many benefits. Besides keeping things neat, tidy, and organized which increases productivity, clearing your spaces of clutter also leads to a clearer mind.

Studies have shown how cluttered and unorganized households can cause feelings of depression, anxiety, and fatigue. There’s that liberating and rewarding feeling that comes with getting rid of the pile of unused or old stuff.

Owning fewer items reduces your overall stress levels, because you have fewer things to keep track of, organize, and clean at home. You find more reasons to love your home.

When you declutter your home, you regain a lost sense of control and increase your level of satisfaction, which in turn brings many other positive and tangible benefits, from better sleep to improved focus and increased efficiency.

Therefore, getting into the “Does it spark joy?” mindset, where you remove anything that does not spark joy for you, can turn out to be an incredibly enjoyable and meaningful activity.

Top Tips and Strategies to Declutter Your Home

Decluttering starts with figuring out why you need to declutter in the first place. Imagine how you want your home to look like, function, and fit your lifestyle. This can inspire you to see why you should declutter. 

Once you know why you want to declutter your home and understand the benefits of decluttering, it's time to get down to it. From your wardrobe closet to the bathroom and kitchen drawers, many areas in your home can benefit from a good cleanup.

Here are effective tips and strategies to declutter your home and turn your cluttered living space into a tidier, safer, and more joyful and welcoming place:

1. Plan, Prioritize, and Categorize

Take a dispassionate approach to downsizing and organizing your stuff. Ask hard questions: How useful is this item? Is it sentimental? Is it something I have been storing for more than a decade?

Let go of all those things you've been holding on that you don't use to reduce clutter. Make it a habit to choose quality over quantity, focusing on keeping only few stuff—what you actually need.

Take it slowly as you go through each closet, open all drawers, and assess every item. Group your things by categories to see what you have and determine the objects you don’t need.

An effective strategy here is sorting your belongings using the four-box method. Box up your items into four different purposes: one for storing or putting away; one for things that you plan to donate or sell; one for useful items to keep; and one for throwing out. 

2. Take It One Room at a Time

Don’t rush into decluttering your space so that you don’t get overwhelmed with the task. Start small and take it one room at a time. Have a clear idea of all the things you have to do, then break it down into smaller tasks that you can perform to make the process easier and systematic.

Keep in your cabinets only those items that you use on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Repack your closet and sort out your clothes. Getting rid of unnecessary stuff will free up space

Embrace an efficient and quality lifestyle by ditching those clothes that you haven't worn for six months and arranging those you’ll keep into sections, so they are easier to browse.

If you’ve set up a home office, see to it that you organize your desks and make space for those everyday items. Working in a cluttered environment can be bad for your productivity and focus. Make sure that you keep your working station as clean, tidy and organized as possible.

And if you live with someone who works from home, compel them to clean up after themselves to keep things neat and tidy.

3. Store and Label

After you’ve determined all of the items that you’re going to keep, it’s now time to find them a place in your home.

Combine and consolidate your things so you can regain a lot of unnecessarily wasted space. Make an inventory of what you have and where they are stored. Maximize the vertical spaces for more storage options.

The kitchen is one of the most used places in the home and can be tricky to declutter. Start by categorizing and designating storage spaces for your cooking pans and utensils, cutlery, and gadgets.

Prioritize those you frequently use and place them in very accessible areas. Keep everything organized by putting them in small, lidded jars or clear containers and label all your ingredients. 

4. Make It Collaborative and Fun

Decluttering need not be an exhausting endeavor. Get all the members of your family involved and have fun while you’re at it. Before you know it, you’ll be going down memory lane and reminiscing all the wonderful moments you had with your precious belongings.

Work together and think about how you can effectively repurpose and organize your household items. Unleash your creativity and resourcefulness and put all those boxes and containers you’ve piled up to good use.

That extra Tupperware or food container can be used to organize jewelry and other small items. Small baskets are perfect for your bathroom supplies, while bins under beds can be used to store toys or shoes. 

5. Clean and Disinfect As You Go 

You must see to it that your spaces are not only decluttered, but are also clean, safe, and sanitized.

Maximize this time you are decluttering your home as an opportunity to clean and disinfect, especially those high-touch areas, as you work your way towards getting rid of unwanted and unusable stuff.

Deep cleaning will not only prevent dust and dirt from piling up but also ensure that your home is free of germs and protected against diseases. 

In Conclusion

Decluttering your living space will make your home more spacious, visually appealing, easier to clean, safer, and healthier for everyone. So, make it a habit to maintain a clean and organized home for safer and healthier living.

No matter how small, every step you take to declutter your home will help you feel happier, less stressed, more productive, and at peace. With the right amount of discipline and effort, you’ll can declutter and make the most out of your most personal space.