We have been surrounded with a lot of stuff in our life-time and we still continuously acquiring more stuff as we go along the way. The hardest part of keeping ourselves organized is the part of letting go of things that we don’t use hence decluttering is needed to keep ourselves clean and always organized.
So how do we deal clutter everyday especially when you’re just too busy and you could only spare 15 – 30 mins of your time cleaning and organizing around the house?
Here are proven ways to keep your house clutter-free in minutes:
- Have boxes and containers for all items in the house – To stay organized and clutter-free, you need to have boxes and containers for all your small items so you could easily find them.Boxes allow you to keep things that are occasionally in use like decors, art materials etc. Allowing yourself to identify things that are to be used regularly and occasionally helps to reduce clutter around the house.
- Clean as you go – Never leave the house or the spot untidy. It would cause a bundle of clutter at the end of the day. If you have shoes or slippers lying around the living room, pick them up as you leave and put them on their proper place. Same with cups and glasses put them on your sink and clean them up after using. This way you practice discipline and cleanliness around your house and it would allow you to be more conscious as you move around the house.
- Stop buying stuff – To be clutter-free, you need to stop buying things. If there is a need to buy, you need to let go of things too. Practice to stop buying and learn to work on items you have around the house.
- If you can’t do a general cleaning, try to clean one part of the house first – We are busy and to be honest de-cluttering is really a task, so start cleaning up a part of your cabinets or drawers then move up from there.
- Recycle and Donate Things – A great way to become clutter-free is to donate and recycle the things you own and you don’t use. Donating things to the less fortunate can help a lot and also it frees up space on your house as well. Recycling allows you to earn a couple of bucks plus it cleans up your house. Do this once or twice a week so you can clear up clutter.
To achieve a clutter-free house you need to become very responsible and disciplined. Every week make it a point to clean up and declutter your house. Decluttering is a continuous process and it takes practice so just keep on doing it to keep your house organized and clean.
Elaine Fernando is a Professional Organizer, a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) and a member of APPO (Association of Personal Photo Organizers). Elaine may be reached at 908-630-8995 or [email protected]
