Home for the Holidays - Decluttering
November 14, 2024
With the holidays quickly approaching, many of us are considering getting our houses ready for company. If clearing the clutter seems overwhelming, we have put together some tips to get you motivated and keep your home clutter-free.
Decluttering is the process of removing unnecessary items, organizing, and putting things back in place. Knowing where to begin the process is the first step, and a decluttering game plan is essential.
Begin by determining your decluttering goal. Do you merely want to get rid of visible clutter, or do you want to create an entirely new household organizational system?
One straightforward option is the “Four-Box Method.” Using four boxes or storage bins streamlines your decluttering job. Here’s a breakdown of how four boxes can make tackling a cluttered room a breeze.
Box 1: Trash, don’t forget to recycle items whenever possible!
Box 2: Give Away/Sell
Box 3: Storage, things that you can’t or don’t want to get rid of but that you aren’t in need of on a day-to-day basis.
Box 4: Put away. These are items that need to be kept in your house but relocated to their proper place.
If the whole house is too overwhelming, take it one room or category at a time. Follow this simple, three-step decluttering checklist.
Step 1: Using the four-box method, sort through toys, books, and magazines.
Step 2: Reduce the amount of knickknacks.
Step 3: Create a permanent storage location for everyday items like remotes, chargers, and video game controllers.
When you finally free the entire house of clutter, keep it that way with these simple rules.
1. Declutter Briefly and Often
2. Add Decluttering to Your Calendar
3. The No-More-Stuff Rule
4. The One-In-Two-Out Rule
5. Downsize Your Storage
6. The Clothing Rule: If you haven’t worn an item in the past year, you likely don’t need it.
7. The One-Year-and-Gone Rule is similar to the clothing rule, except it applies to other belongings.
Keep your eye on the end goal to remind you how good it will feel to have an organized, clutter-free home.