How to Declutter One Room at a Time

 

Decluttering doesn't have to be an overwhelming thing. What makes it easier is breaking it down one room at a time.  Below I've put together some tips for how you can declutter one room at a time. If you do one room a day or one room a week, eventually your entire home can be neat and tidy.


Pick a Room

Of course you need to start by choosing a room. My best advice is start small.  This may mean a bathroom or a linen closet. Whatever you feel you can start out with without getting too overwhelmed, go with that.  The idea is that over time it'll get easier as you move on to other rooms and when you feel defeated you can look back at what areas you've already decluttered to remind yourself that you CAN do this. 

Clear Surfaces

Start by clearing off any cluttered surfaces.  These areas are usually places where things accrue that don't belong there out in the open.  Go through and throw out any trash, put items back in other rooms they may belong in, or put them away in the room you're working on.  

Go High to Low

Work from top to bottom if there are shelves in the area you're working on. So if you're working on a bathroom, you want to start with any storage shelves, then move to the medicine cabinet, then under sink storage, and then the tub itself. 

Don't Worry about Organizing

Right now you just want to focus on decluttering to get rid of what you don't need or what doesn't belong. You can go back and really think of creative ways to organize at a later time. 

Purge Purge Purge

If you have duplicates of things you won't or don't use, get rid of them. Whether you toss or donate, get them in a box or bag for that purpose. Empty shelves and drawers then pick up each and every item to examine and determine if you need it or not.  If you have an excess supply of makeup in your bathroom, and it barely fits, perhaps the overstock can go in a linen or bathroom closet.  

 

Clean

After you have determined what to keep, wipe down surfaces before putting things back.  Wipe down the medicine cabinet shelves, the top of the shower (you and I both know stuff accrues up there) and dust any hard to reach surfaces. 

 

Put Things Back Mindfully

When you've purged and cleaned, you can begin putting things away.  Put them in a logic order when you put them back but don't fuss over any organizing solutions just yet. You can do that at a later time. The reason for this is because when you move on to other rooms you may end up emptying out organizing bins and boxes that you can use in other spaces. 

 

Move on to the Next

Once you finish a room, make a plan for which room you'll do next. You can break things down in a more simple way as well. For instance, instead of tackling the bedroom and bedroom closet together, have the closet be it's own "room". Closets can be big tasks so sometimes they deserve their own day or week. 

 

Hopefully this helps you break down the task of decluttering your home so it's not so overwhelming.

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