We tend to spend a lot of money on trying to make our homes more functional and beautiful. Therefore, we accumulate a lot of unwanted or outdated items in our houses over a short period. Most homeowners find themselves feeling uncomfortable and disorganized due to the buildup of clutter. Luckily, a bit of decluttering can give you a new perspective and fresh start in your home. Contrary to what most people think, decluttering isn’t as tedious as it seems. In this post, we have included top tips to help declutter your home throughout the year.
1. Sort Out Every Item in Your Home
The first step is separating what you need from what you don’t need. Start by sorting out every item, and deciding whether an item is useful or not. Once you have all the clutter set aside, you can decide what to do with each item.
You can always either sell, donate, or throw away. If an item is no longer functional or requires expensive repair costs, throw it away. The rest of the items can either be donated or sold, depending on their value. However, consider that giving stuff away can help improve someone else’s life.
2. Avoid Tossing Everything in the Storage Unit
Having a storage unit includes a lot of advantages. However, it is also among the leading reasons for having clutter in your home. Do not throw everything you no longer use in your storage unit such as old furniture. If you won’t use any item for more than a year, consider donating or selling.
Use your storage unit for items such as seasonal decorations. Any item that has some sentimental value can also find a home in your storage unit. Otherwise, only store items you use at least twice a year in your storage unit.
3. Not Every Item Has Sentimental Value
When sorting out stuff you haven’t held or seen in a long time, it’s normal to feel some sentimental attachment. However, remember that your life has been moving on just fine without these items. You probably didn’t even know these items still existed before decluttering.
Avoid hoarding by understanding that not everything holds some sentimental value. Take your emotions away from the process and declutter your home by removing all items that have no use in your current life. Let go of the past and embrace new memories.
4. Always Stay Organized
One thing that always leads to clutter is disorganization. Surface clutter, for example, occurs when items in your home don’t have designated placement locations. When everything goes where it is supposed to go, it’s easy to avoid hoarding.
It will also help to label the exact location for items in your home. Staying organized might seem a little tedious, but you will soon get accustomed to the technique. Take your time and ensure you master where every small item in your home is supposed to go.
5. Always Have a Shopping List
Most people tend to have duplicate items in their homes due to one simple mistake — failing to write a shopping list. Do you constantly find yourself with extra items such as household cleaners? If so, you probably don’t rely on a shopping list.
Avoid having multiple single items by taking inventory of what you have and what you need. You will also save a lot of money in the long run by using this simple technique. Use your smartphone to help you figure out what your home needs.
Month by Month Decluttering Calendar
Decluttering an entire home is not something you can do over a single day or weekend. You need to divide the workload over the year to ensure you don’t miss anything. Look at our decluttering calendar to help you get started to declutter your home.
January — Start with the bathrooms and any bath-related products.
February — Move to the master bedroom, and don’t forget about the drawers, closet, and underneath the bed.
March — Do you have a home office? Match into your office and go through all the filing cabinets to get rid of clutter. You can also use this time to better-organize your computer files.
April & May — Declutter your garage during this period. Because most garages act as storage rooms, you will need a bit of time to complete the process. Divide the room into sections to make the work more manageable.
June — let your kids help you declutter their bedrooms. Ensure you look underneath beds and all surfaces, including toy bins and closets.
July — Go through your entire kitchen and remove any clutter. Look at all kitchen gadgets, pans, cleaning supplies, cabinets, and drawers.
August — it is time to look at the linens, cleaning supplies, and medicinal supplies in communal areas.
September & October — Use this period to go through your basement and attic. You will probably need a lot of time if you use these areas for storage.
November — Take some rest and bask in the glory of your achievement. However, you can continue decluttering the basement or attic.
December — Declutter your family room and living room. The good news is that these rooms tend to have fewer items.
Get Help from The Professionals
Are you still having trouble decluttering your entire home? At Sunny Trash Hauling, we can help you with junk removal and trash hauling services. Ensure you contact us today to find out more on how to declutter your home!