If you’re running out of space in your home or have way too many items you don’t use, it may be time to declutter. Clutter takes up physical and mental space, and decluttering can help you have a cleaner home and peace of mind when you look around. But if the thought of decluttering stresses you out, fret not. These eight steps will help you declutter any area in your home
1.Start small
Identify a room or a specific area to get started. This can be as simple as a drawer or a cabinet, or you can start a bit bigger with a closet or the bedroom. Trying to declutter your entire home at once can be extremely stressful, and cleaning out smaller areas to start with provides faster results to keep you motivated in the process.
2.Get supplies
Before starting out with decluttering, ensure that you have everything you would need ready. It is easy to get distracted and lose interest when you don’t have the supplies on hand. Look for cardboard boxes to sort items into, trash bags, a dusting brush or cloth, labels, post-its, and markers.
3.Clear the area
Empty out all the items in the space you’re decluttering. This will ensure nothing is forgotten and will help you visualise and arrange items easily later. If you’re decluttering an entire room, aim to do it part by part, starting with desks or cabinets and moving onto the next after finishing off one part entirely. Dividing a room into parts and decluttering step by step prevents the room from becoming a confusing mess, and also makes it easier to continue later if you run out of time or energy.
4.Sort
Look through each item and decide whether to keep it, donate it or throw it. If you have items you can’t decide on, keep them separately, and if it is still not used in a month, donate or throw them away. For example, if you’re uncluttering your closet, there may be clothes that you feel like keeping despite having never worn them. If you find clothes or shoes that are uncomfortable to wear, be honest and think about whether you will actually use them in the future, and deal with them accordingly.
5.Dispose
Once you have sorted the items into the different boxes, it is time to get rid of the unwanted items. Donate or sell items that are in a good condition, and recycle or throw away the rest. Look into local charities and other organisations who may be in need of items that you want to give away, or sell the items on online marketplaces.
6.Organise
At this point, you should be left with just the items you want to keep. Visualise how you want to keep them, and sort these items by how often you use them. Find ways to organise them using plastic boxes, containers and other suitable solutions. Assign specific places within easy reach for things that are used on a daily basis to allow you to easily take them out and put them away.
7.Create a system
Once you are done organising, create a system with designated places for various items to avoid clutter in the future. This could be something like keeping a shredder easily accessible to get rid of documents and mail you don’t wish to keep, or providing a space in the entryway to store shoes without taking them inside. This could also include buying with intention by determining what you need, and getting rid of items on a regular basis.
8.Use more storage pieces…Mid-Century Modern style
Credenzas, media cabinets, sideboards, and other multi-purpose cabinets which can be closed are the ideal solutions to store objects, documents and various electronics which – if left around – will inevitably clutter the surrounding space. The clean lines and neat design which are typical of Mid-Century Modern pieces, will add a sense of calm and organization to your space. Great examples are the credenza designed by Florence Knoll in 1961 produced by Knoll or the Modular Tall Stacking Units designed in 1949 by Anna Castelli and produced by the italian Kartell (c0-founder with the husband Giulio Castelli of Kartell itself).
