Feel like the mess at your place is causing you stress? Try these decluttering tips from Tricia McKay for a cleaner, calmer home.
My husband and I spent the large part of the the last few weekends cleaning and decluttering our home. And oh boy, it felt good to actually have excess space. Mentally, it felt incredibly good as if we’d thrown away our negative emotions together with all that physical junk. Today I’d like to share some of my tips for decluttering your home.
1. Start small
At first I found idea of cleaning out the whole house extremely daunting and kept putting it off. Then one day, after having trouble finding a key, I decided to clean out the one drawer I had a feeling it was in. I found the key shortly and that achievement alone motivated me to keep going. I couldn’t stop cleaning afterwards.
2. Teach kids to clean up their mess
My 2.5 yo son has been trained from an early age to clean up his toys after play before he is allowed to move on to the next toy or activity. I hope that this gets him in the habit of putting things away now, than procrastinate.
3. Categorize your belongings
My husband and I went through every single item in our house (and yes that includes the wardrobe) and categorize them into “keep”, “donate” and “toss’. Everything in the “toss” pile gets binned straightaway, while the “donate” items are dropped off at our local charity. The cupboards and drawers get a good clean before we put the items we want to keep back in an organised fashion which brings me to my next point..
4. Storage containers
For our linen cupboard and bathroom cupboard, we used clear containers which we labeled to make it easier for us to find items stored in them. We use straw baskets for toys, magazines, books and craft materials. On the back deck, we have a storage chest which doubles as a craft table for our son as well as storage for blankets, cushions and cleaning materials. Drawer dividers are great for organizing stationery, cutlery and other items in drawers.
5. Consider self-storage solutions
When we turned our study into a nursery for ur son, we had to use a self storage facility for some of the items that were previously in that room, such as some furniture and filing cabinets full of documents and business records that we had to keep for a certain number of years but no longer had room in the house for. Shop around for a self storage facility near you that can help you keep clutter away in a secure location.
Do you have any decluttering tips of your own to share?
