3 Ways to Remove Clutter

Removing clutter from your home sounds like a giant task when you look around at it all and see lots of messy areas, but if you take it step-by-step in small increments you can get through it! Here are 3 ways to put a dent in your current chaos and create more space and a clear mind when you organize your things:

1.  Decide upon Duplicates

 As you take a look at things that have accumulated over the years you'll probably notice that you have purchased duplicates of many items. You get home from the store with something that feels new and then you realize you already own a couple of them!... Four can openers or seven sets of cookware or maybe you own 53 T-shirts!

 The best way to deal with this is  make a decision to cut your inventory in half or perhaps at bare minimum get rid of a 3rd of what you have when it comes to duplicates.

 So, choose the best 3 out of 4 can openers and donate one to Goodwill.  If you're really daring get rid of 2 out of 4.

 Go through your cookware and decide on your favorite half, or look at the quality and keep the ones in better shape and donate the ones that are softly used.

Example:  Believe it or not this person had three times as many white bowls as you see in the photo. They decided with a family of 3 that this was plenty, but if you're someone who has parties with 10 people then keep them, or put half of them in the cabinet far away and only pull them out on special occasions when needed.

 For the t-shirts, I bet you've got 30 of them that are just plain black t-shirts, and you can get rid of 10 of the 30, plus you can look at logos you no longer like or shirts with stains, or ones that dont fit anymore, and either give them away, throw them away, or turn them into garage rags.

2. Containers: Stylish, Sleek and Sometimes Sneaky

 Containers and storage devices are really wonderful because if you decorate your home with a certain décor you can find baskets and different types of boxes or containers that will  match and look wonderful on a shelf or stacked area.  

Example: Boxes of tea & coffee can look sloppy, so these wooden containers were great on this kitchen shelf!

They serve a purpose and they definitely keep items organized, but here is the sneaky catch:  you've gotta make sure that you actually go through your things thoroughly before you load them into the container, because I have opened up many a box and found a random assortment of 

" forgotten yet hidden" items that included a pencil, a stuffed animal, and 3 pairs of sunglasses along with business cards, a broken watch and my mom's old pearls. So, in other words, it's hidden well behind an adorable box but what's inside is truly not organized and can be a mystery when you open it.

 There are a couple ways to deal with this: 

•  Decide that you will give yourself only one box of "random stuff" every once in a while because everyone has that kind of thing, sort of like the kitchen junk drawer.

•  Better yet, go through your items before you put them into these containers and when you do, take a small 3 by 5 card and make a short list of what's in the box, so that you can tape it to the inner lid or just keep it somewhere accessible inside and be able to know immediately what is in each box.

Here's an example school supplies ist:

•  Take all of the items that you want to put into containers and lay them out on the ground or a table in categories and label each pile/area with stickynotes: perhaps sentimental, work related, hobby related, school items, personal hygiene, etc. Then give each "topic" its own box, or a few boxes if needed, but at least you will realize as soon as you take off the lid next time that that box has a 'theme' or a topic, and you will be able to find all of your school related items in one place versus your work related paperwork or folders.

 One more thing about why I mentioned boxes can be "sleak".

 There are some very creative ways to make use of wasted space with some slim, sleak boxes that can fit under your bed.  Many of my own boxes have been purchased at Big Lots or Walmart. 

Here's an example photo below: My top box is some extra toiletries and backup stock that I did not want to put in the hallway closet, and the lower box has sentimental items such as old school projects or other paper-related sentimental things. I put that on the bottom. 

When I slide these out together, I rarely have to get to the bottom box, but the top box is easily accessible and I just pop off the lid and get my next bottle of sunscreen or the extra shampoo I found on sale!

3.  Maintaining your organization: The 6 Month Limbo Rule.

 The 6 month limbo rule is a broad idea that can be varied to your liking but here is the gist of it. It's an over arching concept to keep on top of the ever-growing dilemma of clutter, disorganization and excess in all areas of your home.

 Take a look at everything you own and if it's something you have not used for 6 months and have practically forgotten that you had it or feel you don't need it, either consider getting rid of it now, or putting it in what I call a "6 month limbo" area. The 6 month area is kind of a 'conceptual' holding tank, if you will, of things that are on the verge of being pointless to keep, but yet you feel like you're attached to them or you don't know if you want to let them go. Give yourself another 6 months and if it's something that you haven't worn for a year by this time, or you haven't used at all, then it's time to seriously consider getting rid of it. 

I do have to say there are lots of exceptions to this rule- for example, there are some great overcoats and jackets that I plan to never get rid of, along with my classic little black dress and some black pairs of pants that I love and items that are classic garments like sweaters and blouses. Believe me, 80% of what I have purchased in clothing I have kept for years, because I'm not a big shopper. But if you find that your biggest obstacle in wasted space or clutter is clothing, then take a look at the 27 dresses that you thought you would wear to work and if you're constantly wearing the same 10, like we all do, then it's time to consider putting the remaining dresses or whatever item it is, into your 6 months limbo area. Just choose a certain side of your closet perhaps, I have a small area to the far right where I never need to look behind my hanging belts, and if I haven't gone back to pick up that outfit for yet another 6 months after putting it in my 6 month limbo area, then I have to seriously consider whether it's worth keeping.

 The same goes for your collection of soccer balls or kitchen appliances or whatever is weighing you down with the feeling of clutter or lack of space. If you see yourself only using your top 2 blenders and the other 4 blenders are wasting half of the cabinet and havent been touched for months, well, you get the idea.

 I hope these ideas were helpful and I'd love to hear your comments or thoughts if you have done these in the past or plan to do them in the future! Also write down any of your ideas that you use to get organized. As always we're glad to help with your organizational needs and can be contacted at AtoZNeatSpace@gmail.com 

 You can also find our page on Angie's List,  for further information and regional areas we cover for your professional organizing needs.