Clearing clutter quickly and stress free is possible with these simple, easy to follow rules.
The number one tool to achieving a home that brings you calm and happiness is learning the art of clearing clutter. Explore the best and most efficient techniques to getting rid of the stuff you don’t need without getting stressed, overwhelmed or making a bigger mess than before.
Can I Do This? I Have So Much Stuff!
I can pinpoint the exact moment I began what I like to refer to as my Simple Home Journey. A video came up on my youtube feed. It was November of 2019, and the video was called “Minimalist Family House Tour“, posted by Dawn from The Minimal Mom. I don’t think I had ever heard of Minimalism before, at least not as something that a family of 8 could relate to. Watching a tour of Dawn’s house was life changing for me. I craved what I saw on the screen and I was determined to follow suit. But where do you begin? I had read Marie Kondo’s book before, and her methods definitely did NOT work for me. I usually ended up with a giant mess, exhausted from indecision and not much better off than before I started.
After going through my own journey, I would call what I have “Clutter-Free Living” more than actual Minimalism. Whatever you want to call it, it is a great way to live.
I am going to walk you through the best place to start, what you will need, and tips and tricks to decluttering painlessly, efficiently, and with results that will change the way you live.
What You Will Need To Clear That Clutter!
My clutter clearing methods are mainly a combination of things I learned from Dawn at The Minimal Mom, Dana K. White’s book Decluttering At The Speed Of Life, and things that I learned just by going through the process.
To start, it is best to have on hand:
- Garbage Bags
- Bags or Boxes for donations
- A Memory Box for every family member in the house
Choose A Starting Point And Begin Decluttering
I like to start with a place that isn’t too sentimental and can yield the biggest results right away. Is there an area of your house that you know has tons of junk that will be easy for you to get rid of? That would be the best place to start clearing clutter quickly and stress free!
The 3 Tools You Need To Clear Clutter Quickly
The Garbage Bag
Don’t empty out an entire closet, or dump everything onto the ground!
If we are starting in your bedroom, go to the closet. Before we even analyze each item of clothes, look for garbage. We keep garbage everywhere without even realizing it. Are there a bunch of wire hangers in there that you don’t need? What about clothes that you know are stained or torn and you can’t even give them away, but you still have them hanging there taking up space? Now grab your garbage bag and throw them away.
Giveaway Bag or Box
Once you have thrown out all the garbage, slide all your clothes to one side and start to go through items one by one. As you touch it ask yourself, Do I wear this? Do I reach for this, only to put it back because I don’t like the way it fits, or because the buttons gap? Giveaway bag/box.
Memory Box
My high school sweatshirt that I don’t want to part with for nostalgic reasons, but I never wear? Memory Box. I like to use the long flat rubbermaid boxes, but use what works for you. This is where we keep things like yearbooks, special projects, letters. Anything you don’t need but want to keep for pure sentimentality.
Having a memory box on hand for each family member will help take the stress out of clearing clutter. As long as it fits in the box, it now has a home. Be realistic. Only put things in the Memory Box if you want to keep it for the right reasons. Sentimental reasons get to stay. Guilt or What If reasons don’t get space in the Memory Box.
Rehoming Items Crucial To Success
I find my daughter’s blouse hanging in my closet?
Stop – Don’t put it on your bed with plans to put it away later.
Take the blouse, and walk over to your daughter’s closet and put it away immediately.
It may feel inefficient, but naturally neat and tidy people know the secret, and it is this. Doing it right away eliminates any mess from being created at all. If you had to stop in middle of your decluttering project, all you would have to do would be to throw out your garbage bag, put your giveaway bag in your car, and nothing is out of place.
This method keeps you clearing clutter long term because no mess means no stress.
You may be tempted to make piles or baskets to put away later, or sort through. These items usually end up leaving us with a bigger mess and never make their way to their proper place in your house. With a little patience and putting things where they belong as you go, you are guaranteeing yourself a clutter-free home in your future.
This system works for every area of the house no matter the size. You have 5 minutes of free time? Do one drawer. An hour? Front hall closet.
Be consistent. Put decluttering in your schedule, even if it will only be 5 minutes. See my article on creating and maintaining a schedule here.
Questions You Need To Ask Constantly
One of the most important things I learned from Dana besides her mess free decluttering method, are the questions we need to ask ourselves to maximize our decluttering efforts.
Question 1: If I needed this, would I know I had it?
Question 2: Where would I look for this if I needed it?
If I Needed This Would I Know I Had It?
I grew up being taught to value what we have and to be very careful not to waste.
If my child was outgrowing their swimming diapers, I would put them away to use for the next kid. I made a birthday party and had leftover birthday candles? Great! Let me stick them in this closet for the next birthday.
When I next needed those things, I had no memory of the items I had stored away and went and bought new ones. Now, not only was I not saving anything, I was letting these diapers and candles live rent free in what is valuable space in my home.
Be honest with yourself. Will I know I have these items if I store them away? If I have any doubt at all I will get rid of them or give them to someone who can use them.
Where Would I Look For This If I Needed It?
You are decluttering a drawer full of junk in your kitchen and find a screwdriver.
Ask yourself Question #1. Yes, if I needed this screwdriver I would assume I had one.
Question #2 – where would you look for it? The toolbox? Great. Get up right away and put it in the toolbox.
What about these goggles? I might want to keep each child’s pair of goggles in their drawer near their bathing suit, but I know they go and look for them near the beach bag that holds the sand toys. Don’t put the item where you think it is supposed to go. Put them where you or other members of your family would look for them if they needed them.
Every Little Bit Counts
When I first started my journey, I was throwing away so many garbage bags, and giving away piles of things, but my house still felt like a mess! It takes time.
Yes, some people decide to just pack everything in their house up at once, and if they don’t need any of the items for 6 months, they chuck it all. For most people, that isn’t very realistic.
Consistency is key. Have I said that before? It’s true in most areas of life, and it is no different here.
The only way to reach the finish line is by scheduling in time to clear clutter and using any spare time you can to declutter something. But while Rome wasn’t built in a day, there are many moments where you will feel the instant gratification that comes with decluttering.
When I decluttered the junk drawer in my kitchen, it took me about 30 minutes. It was REALLY stuffed full of junk. Pens that didn’t work, useless receipts, hair pins and ties. The list was endless.
From that point on though, every time I opened the drawer for a pair of scissors or a pen, it was pure joy. The pens I had there worked, I didn’t have to shuffle anything around for what I needed, and I could see everything in the drawer at a glance. The junk drawer has now been renamed the miscellaneous drawer.
That was a life changing moment for me, and every time I conquered another cabinet, drawer, or surface, it changed some more. It kept changing until one day I turned around and everything had a place, everything was in its place and life was so much easier!
The Reverse Clutter Clearing Method
One of the fastest and most gratifying methods of decluttering is coming at it from a less traditional angle.
Most people look at each item they own and decide whether or not they need it in their life. Decision fatigue is real and can wear us down. For some areas of your house there is a much faster method that can work.
When I decluttered the playroom in my house, I used the reverse method. I pulled out any toy that I knew my kids played with on a regular basis. Then I gave away the rest.
Life. Changing.
I didn’t have to sit there with each toy, hemming and hawing and trying to decide if I should keep it or not. I had a nice amount of toys that I had chosen to keep that my kids played with, what more did we need?
Does this method scare you? You can always close up what you plan to giveaway in a box and date it for a few months into the future. If you haven’t needed anything in the box, then maybe it is time to donate it to someone who will get a lot of use out of it.
Follow Through And Consistency
It would be a shame to spend your valuable time clearing clutter only to have the items all end up back in your house again.
Trash bags are easy, as soon as they are full, throw them out! A few experts will recommend using black trash bags to avoid the temptation to take things back out when you see them. Make sure you know where and how you can donate items. If you can it is best to put it right into your car and drop it off as soon as it will be accepted. Whatever you do, make sure you get everything you have decluttered out of your house as soon as possible!
Even after going through and decluttering my entire house, the job doesn’t end. Maintenance is the only way to keep your house clear of clutter for good. I make notes in my agenda during the week of areas where I have noticed clutter building up. I have one time slot during my week for decluttering, and when that time comes, I declutter any I may have written down the week before.
The good news? That junk drawer that once took me a half hour to clean up now takes 5 minutes.
Yes, You Can Clear That Clutter!
Don’t let labels you may have for yourself, or years of living with too much stuff discourage you. Everyone can become more minimalist and reap the benefits that come along with it.
There were many times along the journey where I felt like a fraud or didn’t really believe that I could reach that elusive land of decluttered living. But I did, and you can too.
Remember, put decluttering into your schedule today. Your life will change, one drawer, one cabinet, one surface at a time. Before you know it, you will look up and realize your life is different.
Everyone deserves the peace and enjoyment that comes along with more simplified living, and yes, that includes you!
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