My home is fairly well decluttered. I have a lot of things, such as clothes, compared to some, but I like and use everything I have. I enjoy my home the way it is and don’t feel there is too much here anymore. However, decluttering is a continuous process. I’m sorry to break it to you, but even the most minimal homes can become more decluttered over time. Decluttering is not something you can do once and leave alone. You need to ensure you have habits that keep it that way. Not in a regimental way, but good practices will ensure the clutter doesn’t creep up again. Read on for the most simple habits to help keep your home clutter-free.
Declutter Challenge
I did a declutter challenge to rid myself of anything I’d unnecessarily kept over the past few months. The challenge meant removing 450+ items from the home, which I thought would be impossible. I keep on top of things, we don’t keep clutter or anything we are not using. The wardrobe and drawers are organised. Hooowever, I managed the entire challenge! Some things were small, like shopping receipts, but some were bigger, like bedding that no longer belongs to a set, books I probably won’t read that would be better off in a new home.
Some days I struggled because I couldn’t think of anything to get rid of, but I managed either way day after day. Odd socks, or ones I no longer want. Makeup that’s past the usage date. Samples I likely won’t use. It’s surprising how easily clutter creeps back into our lives and how much of a difference getting rid of tiny things can create a more clutter-free home.
Habits to Keep Your Home Clutter-Free
Throw packaging away as soon as you have opened something.
This might sound daft to some people, but sometimes the packaging feels part of the product. Chances are you will never put the item back in it’s box/bag – get rid! Also, throw the cardboard/plastic out instantly if you don’t have a recycling bin handy in the house.
Read letters and sort as soon as they arrive.
Urgh! Paper clutter. It’s so easy to let things pile up to be looked at one day. I had a bunch of leaflets and offers for things I actually want recently and placed them on my desk to sort one day. They had been there weeks before I finally decided to sort through them. I usually do it straight away and bin anything not needed, but again it proves how one habit dropped can easily cause more clutter.
Display your most useful items.
This seems counterproductive, but I feel so much better having things I use often on display – in a tidy way! Not only can you make it look good – e.g. pasta in jars is a current fave – but it means it’s not squirrelled away in a cupboard not being used. No more finding year out of date food (who me?). It’s also more sustainable as you can go to refill stores for top-ups rather than using more packaging. There is a balance between cluttering your worktops and styling your everyday basics though. Seek Pinterest assistance!
A place for everything.
How many times have you had a few things laying about and no idea where to put them? Its much easier when everything has a home and a simple 5 minute tidy up before bed can make all the difference as to how the next day starts.
Don’t wait for motivation, create it.
It’s so hard to do what we’re supposed to do. I find it especially difficult when it’s dark and dreary outside, but forcing yourself too do one small thing creates a domino effect on the rest. For example, making your bed in the morning will likely inspire you to move things from the bedside that shouldn’t be there and so on. Make yourself do one thing and if that’s all you do, great! If you end up doing more, even better!
One way I manage to motivate myself is telling myself to do something for only 15 minutes – hardly any time at all to improve the home. I also often do a ‘power hour’, where I will do 1 full hour or housework or something else I need to do. I do whatever I can in that hour and then can relax. I often end up getting into whatever I’m doing and going over that hour. Whatever makes it work for you, it helps towards keeping a clutter-free home.
One in, one out.
Decluttering is an ongoing process for most. You will find in time you buy less, because you don’t want to keep doing it. But with things so easily accessible to us, it’s easy to end up with new home accessories or extra clothing that you don’t necessarily need. We have to remove things from the home as often as we bring them in. You can apply the one in, one out rule to this. Love the new coat you’ve seen that’s perfect for this season? Do you already have one? Are you willing to give that one away for the new one? These every day choices will make a difference to your home and your bank balance!
I hope these tips are useful, but I have so many more! Check out the Declutter section of the blog for more ideas and detailed breakdowns of how to declutter each room.
Is there anything you want help with? Let me know in the comments or an email and I will try my best to help! I genuinely get joy from decluttering so let me know your problem areas and we’ll tackle them together.
