Consider these amazing facts:
- There are 300,000 items in the average home.
- One quarter of people with two-car garages don’t have room to park their cars inside them.
- The average 10-year-old has 238 toys but plays with just 12.
- The average woman owns 30 outfits — a century ago that was just nine.
The message? Our homes are packed to the rafters with a whole lot of stuff! Yet most of us feel so overwhelmed at the prospect of tackling our bad case of clutteritis that we pretend the problem simply doesn’t exist.
But, with a new year on its way, maybe it’s time to clean up our mess. Right? Here are four simple ways to start decluttering right now:
- Take 30: Attempting to declutter your entire home is too big a mountain to climb. Start in one place, like your bathroom, and dive in for 30 minutes. Pull everything out of your medicine cabinet and on to the counter, throw out any expired prescriptions, ditch almost empty bottles of moisturizer or perfume or any items you haven’t used in over six months. Wipe down the empty cabinet and re-place your selected items. Sit on the floor, and repeat for the cabinet under the sink. There, that isn’t so hard, is it? If you’re excited and inspired, move on to the drawers or closet in your bedroom. Or tackle the pile of newspapers or magazines in the den. If you’re exhausted, set a reminder for next week and take on one room or closet at a time.
- Bag it and take 5: Grab two big trash bags and prowl around. Fill one with old newspapers and magazines, boxes and wrappers, used candles, orphan mitts and socks, and items that, let’s face it, you’re never going to use again. Fill the other with five toys your kids don’t play with anymore, five articles of clothing you don’t wear anymore, five books, CDs or DVDs you’ll never read, listen to or watch anymore and bring this bag to Goodwill or any nearby charity that accepts used items.
- Super bowl: No, this has nothing to do with men in helmets and tight pants. Set down a medium sized bowl wherever you enter your home and designate it as the receptacle for keys, sunglasses, gloves, wallets and loose change. Your days of dropping sundry items throughout the house are over!
- Teachable moment: If you’re a parent, enlist your kids. Instruct them to spot items of theirs scattered throughout the home — shoes, Game Boy or Nintendo, smartphone, books, clothing, half-eaten snacks, unidentifiable items — and take them to their rooms, or the kitchen or laundry, as the case may be. And warn them that, from now on, if it’s not in their room within 24 hours it disappears forever!
What decluttering tips work best — or worst — for you? Please share your ideas in the Shop Talk Blog community forum!
Did you know: The Ikea effect
Even as the price of furniture has dropped, we’re spending more on more of it. Yet the rate at which we’re throwing it out has risen only 1/13 as fast — in other words, we’re just hoarding it. (Source)
I love your article on ways to declutter and will use your ideas after the Christmas rush is over. I do, however, have a problem with clutter that seems to be out of my control. My adult daughter has moved in with us after her divorce and gratefully there are no children involved. She has more stuff than both me and my husband put together and we live in a small house with barely 1,000 sq. feet of living space. Her things are piled roof high in her room and half of our two car garage. Things are piled in the hallway and in my bedroom and sometimes I actually feel physically ill because of all of it. I was raised in a neat home and I like to keep my home neat and clean too….but the “neat” part is simply not an option. I guess I’m really just sounding off but thought I’d type this anyway. ~Sharon
Sharon P. Do you own your one home? Is she contributing to the household funds? Storage building if you own, her responsibility to purchase and pay for it.
Storage rental if you don’t own and she still has to pay for it. Be tough. At this time she’s had 4 months living with you to get her act together. Sometimes it takes tough love. If she’s not contributing, then give her a set time limit to get things out. Do it in writing (keep multiple copies) with the consequences of you removing them at her expense.As an after thought; is she an only child?
I by nature enjoy organizing. I used to organize neighbors of mine. I would pick up boxes from a local supermarket and use them to organize my neighbors apts and small homes. I would use a black marker label for these boxes. I Mark them with the words keep, discard, and donate.
I would fill up at least six of these boxes each day until the job was completed. They all participated and it was fun .
When you organize whether it’s alone or gradually the weight of all this will be eliminated and you will have a place for everything.
Best regards to all!
Maureen
I am so like the reader “Charlene”!! I too am one of the worlds worse when it comes to cleaning in a organized manner. I will begin in one room, move to another and then begin cleaning in the second room completely forgetting about the first. meanwhile I have finished none. But I have one added problem. I seem to like to hold on to paid bills and receipts, documents and advertisements, sure that I will need them later or that I will be audited so I have to keep things for 7 years at least. Is that true? I don’t even know where I got that from. I am overflowing in boxes of papers! HELP!!!!
Use all space in a garage, all of it. Don’t leave any wall bare and get it up high the things you only use rarely. I just did this last weekend. Created a lot more space and I can find the things I use often easily and I know where everything is located. Use an assortment of storing techniques, don’t get pigeon holed into one…peg boards, shelves, bench drawers… use all of it and really think about where you want things.
Wonderful ideas. I completely agree on all topics listed. Our family began using the “Super bowl” idea and it’s working beautifully. At first, we still had a problem with items being thrown down beside the bowl, (old habit I guess), but in a very short time everything was IN the bowl and more organized. As far as training the children, we still have a few issues, but the “put it up or lose it” works wonders and at the same time the children are developing very good habits that will last a lifetime (and they don’t even realize it).
I am one of the world’s worse when it comes to cleaning in a organized manner. I will begin in one room, move to another (usually because I find something that belongs in that other room), begin cleaning in the second room completely forgetting about the first room I started in and so on and so on. Meanwhile, I have begun many cleaning projects and finished none. The advice on taking one thing at a time and only cleaning for a set amount of time is the best advice I’ve been given. THANK YOU. This way I will not feel overwhelmed, will not get tired from cleaning all day and will not be disappointed after spending all day cleaning and accomplishing nothing.
If you have not used it by know you don’t need more.
I’m really a mess!
I have a lot to do,but WITH your help I will succeed,I just KNOW I will.
Thank you, ill keep you informed.
K.Cauley
I need help I can’tell seem to throw away anything. I feel like I’m smothering in all this clutter.
Been there, done that. What helped me get going was a variation of the “5 rule” the author mentioned. I took a large box and put it in my way. Yes, in my way, so I had to see it and walk around it. Every day I would put 5 items in it for donation, I took 5 items and threw them away, and I took 5 items and put them in the recycling bin. As soon as I got my Donation box full, I would take it right to my favorite charity, as a reward to myself. (It was nice to get that big box out of the way.) However, the following day, there would be a new box for donations right in the way again, and I would start over. After a while, it became a game and I began seeking out more and more things to toss, donate and recycle.
My problem is that when I begin to clean and/or declutter, I find myself taking an item to another room where it belongs and I see something there that needs to be done so I jump in and do that, then its back to taking an item from the second room to a third…consequently, no one room is ever completely done to my satisfaction. I don’t know when I started that but I need suggestions on ways to break that habit, short of being locked in one room until its done. Somehow, I think I would dig myself out. Am I the only person in the world who does this?
Linda, you’re getting distracted going into the other rooms. Bring in a basket/box for each room you expect to take things. You should have at least for boxes to start: trash, give away/sell, storage, keep. Then I’d add a boxes for the keep title. Kitchen, bathroom, bedroom(s), office, playroom, patio, etc. based on the layout in that room. That trash section should have lots of bags so you can quickly go through things. DON”T think of the process as “getting rid of stuff” but “keeping the things you love”. Envision how you want the room to look.Write down only 5 things that Must remain in the room. Enlist physical help then take action. Work clockwise, top to bottom so you don’t miss anything. Good luck, you’ve got this girl!
Hi I am glad to know I am not the only house in America that that has this problem, your Ideas are great it’s good incentive but what about thinking about giving the real good stuff to a good will or a veterans group they come to the yard on a specific day and take most of it away good clothes your children have out grown or clothes your are not wearing anymore, for. me at least this is one way I have no guilt in.getting rid of things and to me it’s more incentive to donate these items!
I am a horder, i need help, ever since I moved into my mobile home in 1991. I haven’t been able to throw out anything. My husband has been bugging me to start to go thru things, to get rid of stuff. I NEED HELP!!! PLEASE!! Patty Tyndall
I was really overwhelmed with Hoarding and found that I could just toss out 10 things a day – I counted everything – at first it was 10 old magazines. But as the days went on I found I could toss out 10 things in each room – them after a few weeks it became a lot easier to let things go. Maybe this will help you too.
Separate everything into piles– clothes, books, household items, trash, newspapers, magazines, important papers and photos. Every day sort through a little bit. Toss, donate, organize. Clean a little bit as you go along. Try not to buy anything else till you have a place to put it. Clothes in closets and dressers. Buy bins for every thing else. It will get easier as you go. Think of your husband and family. They are more important than anything you own. Stay positive, Stephanie
Patty, have you made any progress?
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If you haven’t used or touched something in 6-12 months most likely it’s not needed. But there are people that truly are in need and giving to someone will also make YOU feel good and make your partner happy as well!!! Best Wishes and good luck!!! P.S. Start small!!! Michelle
Patricia, it’s hard especially when a small stack becomes an overwhelming mountain. Just remember you didn’t collect all those items in one day, so removing them in one day is unrealistic. Long story short, I had to change living situations rather quickly and basically shove all my belongings in bags and boxes and put them innspare roooms at my parents house. Now I face the daunting task of going thru it all and deciding what I really need. Unused clothes go to Amvets or Goodwill. Books I’m trying to sell at Half Price Books and items of value on eBay or craigslist. One small section at a time. It really helps. I tend to become overwhelmed by the big picture but soon realize one small stack every day makes a huge difference. Just set a goal (one cabinet, one counter, one shelf) and soon it will become easier to tackle. Give unused items that are of value or importance to you to your friends of family, that always makes me feel better knowing someone else is enjoying what I can’t. Maybe try enlisting the help of some trusted friends to help you. I wish you the best!
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Thank you for the idea on clean out my house. It worked great. If anyone have any new ideas please let me know.
I use to have this problem with saving everything but when you lose everything you learn to stop buying your children things you know they don’t need or going to use wear etc. Life is the best education for us all.I’m not saying that you can’t spoil your kids but stop and think about what your kids need and wants are before you get that wallet out to buy something the sales are always going to be there
We have several junk drawers throughotut the apartment, once a month we will go through them and throw the junk out. Birthdays are a great dayto throw out old unworn clothing.
To help you with the clutter like I do, I take it all that goes out and first it goes to the flea markets and swap shops, and when not sold it goes to the good will and some goes to the recycling building at the local dump site or the land fill,but also there are other second hand stores that take donations.
I used to clean and organize any space . Can always use ideas
A place for everything and everything in its place! For every item that comes in two items must go out!!
Clutter in the home leaves your mind in a state of disarray …
yes it certainly does- i am a pack rat and the habit is hard to change- i own an auction house and that makes it so much worse as we do several auctions a week!
On Nov 30 ,read instructions on decluttering my home. I love doing it like that and have a lot more to. do. I will check out this site to do the rest. So thank you very much.
I love to keep my home neat as a pin & clean as a whistle. Most women Spring clean twice a year. Spring & fall. I don’t do this at all!! When, it’s dirty, I can’t stand it & it gets cleaned. I’m a good organizer & love doing it. As I make a mess, when, I’m done with it, I clear it right up. I take, at least, 30 mins. before being done, for the day to tidy some more up. Everything has a place & everything is in its place. They have all kinds of boxes to store things, out of site & it makes it so pretty. While I’m doing what I need to do, I have my favorite music playing & I’m singing & dancing while keeping my house tidy. If you ask me, housekeeping is a whole lot of fun & I’m never bored.