5 Helpful Tips for Decluttering Any Space

It's easy to feel overwhelmed when you start decluttering your home. We look at the ENTIRE picture and think "I have to clean up all THAT?". So we walk away, and keep living in a less than ideal environment just because we don't have the energy to just start.

But that's the secret - just start - one step at a time! Stop looking at your home as a whole, but instead, break it down into manageable chunks.

We've been in our home seven years. In fact, it was seven years this past weekend! Hard to believe. But it feels as if I've been working on decluttering it since we moved in.

Combining 2 homes into one was challenging and many things just got put aside to deal with "later". Keep in mind that I had a 2 month old at the time as well. Not sure what I was thinking...but that's besides the point.

Point is, later never came and other things piles up as well and it became a bit overwhelming. But by adopting a few new decluttering habits and tricks, I'm beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Today I want to share with you 5 helpful tips for decluttering any space that I've found useful in my quest to tame the amount of stuff in our home!

1) Keep different containers while you declutter

When you're working on decluttering a particular space, keep a number of different boxes or bins handy. These can be used to sort the things in the room you're working in.

When I'm working, I use separate boxes for the following items. Feel free to change these up and use whatever works for you:

1. Things that belong in another part of the house
2. Donations
3. Trash
4. Recyclable

Your goal here is to make things easy to sort once you're done decluttering any space.

2) Have a place to keep things you need to get rid of

I have space in my furnace room for things that I will eventually take to the thrift store, as well as things to take to the garbage depot.

I keep a box or two for things I want to donate. When they're full, I put them in the back of my car and drop them off next time I'm in town.

For things that we have to take to the garbage depot - things that can't go in our waste, compost or recycling bins - I keep in separate containers so it's easier when the time comes to take to the garbage depot.

These include containers for:

1. Burned out lightbulbs
2. Used batteries (our local library actually has a box for these...it's great if I remember to take them!)
3. Dried up paint cans + used up painting supplies
4. Old electronics

Make it part of your regular routine to get rid of these things so they don't accumulate.

3) A box in each room

Keep a box in each family member's room for them to put things in they no longer want. Make it part of your routine to check them on a monthly basis (or whatever time frame works for you) and empty them out.

When you check the boxes, make sure to deal with its content right away. It's a waste of time and energy to dump the contents of all these boxes into a bigger one, only to forget about it and have it take up space in another part of your home.

4) Work in small time frames

Don't feel you need to do everything all at once. Sure, you might get a burst of energy and clean a room in a day, but most of us don't have the luxury of that much time...or energy!

Set your timer for 5 or 10 minutes and then do as much as you can in that time. Making this a part of your daily routine will amaze you! You can do a lot in that short amount of time.

And don't worry if you miss a day. Just start again the next day. No biggie!

5) Don't expect perfection

No one I know has a Pinterest perfect home. There's nothing wrong with aspiring to have your home looking like something out of a magazine. But don't beat yourself up about it.

You want your home to feel lived in. I think if we feel like our homes need to feel perfect and untouched, we're losing the meaning of home. Or maybe that's just my excuse.

Either way, be kind to yourself. Ask for help when you need it (I should really practice what I preach!) and don't push yourself to do it all at once.

Nothing is ever completely how we want it. You'll get one part of your house done and another will be calling for your attention. It's just the nature of the beast. Take it one day at a time.

Let me know how your decluttering journey is going and where you need more support. Email me at [email protected] and let's chat!

You got this!

Like this post? Pin it!