The Top 7: Tips for Decluttering

Author: Maibella ni Rhoiden t'al'Varrak, August 2018

I love to be organized. I utilize calendar reminders to keep my life on track. I have folders and bags for everything. I even color-coordinate my schedule for convention weekends. But no matter how much the rest of my life is organized, I cannot seem to keep my house neat and orderly.

I really try though! And recently, with the help of some strong motivation (a long-term house guest arriving later this month) and a few inspiring books, I’ve made some real progress.

Here are the top 7 things I’ve learned about decluttering that have had significant impact on me.

1. Give it away or throw it away. I have a really hard time with this. I’m sentimental about lots of things and I can’t stand waste. Honestly this is my biggest challenge. I’m working on learning to let go of things that truly don’t matter, particularly things that I think SHOULD matter but really don’t. Do I need a bunch of photos from high school of people I barely remember? No. Why am I keeping 20+ towels in my bathroom closet? At most I need no more than 10 – the rest can be donated, freeing up lots of space in the closet.
2. Everything must have a home. Once I’ve decided that I want to keep something, I need to decide where it permanently belongs. If it doesn’t have a home then I’m likely to put it down somewhere and leave it there. (That includes things like my purse – it needs to go in the exact same place every time I get home.) If I can’t find a home for it, I have to seriously consider why I’m keeping it.
3. Keep surfaces empty. An empty surface looks so neat and clean that I’m compelled to keep it that way. Surfaces filled with items make it easy for me to stick more stuff on them. If I know the countertop is supposed to be empty I will be less likely to put something there “just for a minute” and end up leaving it there. When finding a home for an item, I try very hard to not let that home be the top of a bookshelf, or a windowsill, or a countertop, because I know I’ll just end up putting more and more items there in the long run.
4. Utilize shelves with doors. Of course I do need to have shelves and cabinets and places to put the items in my home. But I’ve come to prefer shelving units with doors. I can put things on the shelf (neatly!) then close the door and voila! Everything looks neat and clean!
5. Add shelves. If you’re like me you may have a tendency to stuff things in closets and close the door, hoping that you never have to find something in that closet again. The tall open space in my hall closet has always been packed full of who knows what that I never use. Once I clear everything out I can install shelves to help organize the space. More likely, since I’m not very handy, I’ll find a skinny bookshelf or other piece of furniture at a thrift store and put that in the closet. That should give me some tall space for my brooms next to the shelves, and lots of places to organize the other items that need a home so I can easily find them when I need them.
6. Keep sheets in bedrooms. My whole life I thought that extra sheets belonged in the bathroom or hall closet. Now I think that that’s totally wrong – sheets belong in the bedroom where they will be used! A Rubbermaid container can easily hold all the sheets and pillowcases I need, and it can be stored in the bedroom closet or under the bed. No more pulling out all the sheets in the closet to find the right size for my bed – each person’s sheets are in his or her room, easy to access when needed. This has the added benefit of freeing up space in my very small bathroom closet.
7. Fold your underwear. This sounds really silly but it has been really impactful for me! My top drawer used to be a mess of balled up underwear and socks that I had to paw through every morning to find what I needed. Marie Kondo’s book, THE LIFE-CHANGING MAGIC OF TIDYING UP, changed that for me. Now I start my day by opening a drawer full of neatly folded items and easily finding the one I’m looking for. Surprisingly, that little bit of peace in the morning makes a big difference!

Do you think you’ll try any of these suggestions in your home? What are YOUR top tips for decluttering?