16 Decluttering Strategies Everyone Needs to Know

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If your home feels overrun with clutter, now is the ideal time to take action and aim for a cleaner, more spacious living environment. Decluttering strategies can transform your space from disorganized to tidy and comfortable. 

Here are 16 effective decluttering and cleaning strategies that will help you maximize space and maintain a clean and welcoming home. These tips will save you time and effort over the long term.

Clear Off All Flat Surfaces

The simplest method to eliminate clutter is to clear all flat surfaces, such as countertops, tabletops, and nightstands. Place everything on the floor, and then only return the items you truly need to cabinets, drawers, or bins. You’ll be surprised by the results.

Pick a Strategy That Works for You 

Keeping your home free of clutter is crucial for maintaining a clean and spacious environment for you and your family. It’s important to choose a decluttering strategy that fits your schedule and personality. For instance, if you have a busy lifestyle, consider decluttering one room each weekend. Alternatively, implementing multi-storage solutions can be effective if you have a large family.

Practice One In, One Out

One easy way to reduce home clutter is practicing a one-in, one-out strategy. That means for every new item you bring into your space, you take out one you already have. It is a simple way to avoid cluttering or overfilling your space. 

Remove One Item Per Day 

Removing one item per day is another way to declutter your home space. Whether you remove a single item in your bedroom closet or multiple items from your kitchen daily, you will likely declutter your home without feeling overwhelmed. 

Designate Where You Want Clutter to Go 

Decluttering your home is beneficial, but the key to keeping your surfaces clean is to have specific areas designated for items you don’t immediately need. For instance, instead of scattering clutter around your kitchen, consider dedicating a cabinet for those items, or use a bag to collect things for donation or resale. This strategy helps maintain tidiness and organization.

Declutter in Stages

Trying to declutter your entire house in one day can be overwhelming. Instead, dividing your decluttering into manageable stages allows you to clean at your own pace and helps avoid regret over hastily discarded items. Start by identifying clutter, create a checklist, and decide whether to trash or keep each item. This staged approach can make the process more manageable and effective.

Create a Decluttering Checklist

When you know where you are in the process, your decluttering tasks are easy to complete. Create a simple-to-follow decluttering checklist that covers every aspect of your task, from the top areas to declutter to when to declutter.

Edit Your Decor 

Preparing your home for summer is an excellent opportunity to declutter by editing your home decor. If you have excess throw pillows, blankets, and other decorative items, consider boxing them up and storing them away. When a new season arrives, you can bring out the box and refresh your space with these items, giving it a new look.

Sort Clutter into Piles Before Putting Away 

When decluttering your home, use large laundry bags to separate your clutter into a keep-and-discard pile and small bags for items you are unsure of discarding or keeping. Sorting your clutter into piles before putting them away can help you make the process easier and faster. 

Make Use of Vertical Storage To Reduce Clutter

Decluttering is all about creating more space in your home. A good way to create more space is by using vertical storage where applicable. Use vertical storage, like floating shelves on walls, to display decorative items or store books you read less frequently. You can also use hanging bars or hooks in your kitchen to store utensils, dish towels, and cutting boards. 

The 90/90 Strategy

Deciding what to keep or discard can be challenging during decluttering. Implementing the 90/90 rule can simplify this decision. As you declutter, consider getting rid of items you haven’t used in the past 90 days and don’t anticipate using them in the next 90 days. This strategy helps you determine which items are truly necessary.

Use the Snowball Strategy

The snowball strategy is a decluttering approach that can help you make decisions about keeping or discarding items. It works by setting a standard based on the condition of one item and applying it to all similar items. For instance, if you decide to get rid of a torn piece of clothing, then you should also declutter all other items that are torn. While this method might seem drastic, it is particularly effective when you’re feeling indecisive.

Take Before And After Photos

Often, seeing the progress you have made in your decluttering journey is enough to keep you motivated. Take some photos of your space before and after decluttering. As your home starts to feel cluttered again, you can quickly fix your space by looking at the before-and-after photos to know which area you need to focus on. 

Do a 15-Minute Nightly Clean-up

Starting your home decluttering journey doesn’t have to be complex or time-consuming. Instead of spending hours decluttering on a specific day, you can start by doing a 15-minute clean-up every evening before bedtime to keep clutter from piling up.

Choose Multi-functional Furniture Pieces

Sometimes, all you need to keep your home clutter-free is to find ways to organize it using multi-functional furniture pieces. To declutter and organize your space, invest in sturdy furniture pieces that serve multiple purposes. For example, a daybed that serves as a bed, couch, and storage cabinet is an excellent furniture piece to hide clutter.

Create A Catch-All Landing Station Near The Door

Keys, purses, and even sunglasses can become cluttered if you fail to store them properly. To avoid searching for keys and other small items, create a spot by your door to store these items as soon as you get home. You could repurpose an old bowl and place it by your door to hold your keys, rings, and sunglasses to prevent them from cluttering your space. 

How to Declutter Your Kitchen: 20 Items You Must Toss

The kitchen holds a special place in our homes, serving as a hub for cooking, meals, and gatherings. However, even though it’s the center of our daily lives, it’s easy for clutter, disarray, and items that have outstayed their welcome to accumulate in this space. Check out the 12 items in your kitchen that should be thrown away immediately.

How to Declutter Your Kitchen: 20 Items You Should Toss

12 Unexpected Items in Your Garage That Deserve the Boot

Undertaking a garage cleanup may seem significant, but the rewards of reclaiming the space are substantial. This effort might even allow you to park your car again. Looking at all the stuff that has piled up over the years, you might not know where to start. You can start by getting rid of these 12 common items that usually clutter up garages.

12 Unexpected Items in Your Garage That Deserve the Boot