Clutter sneaks up on you. From a sock left on the chair, to forgetting that the chair still exists, albeit under a mountain of clothes that are neither dirty nor clean.
To be fair, no one sets out to fill their home up with fluff, but it’s easier to collect than it is to discard. It also doesn’t help that people find shopping therapeutic (I’m people). And so, we slide down the stuffy slope of hoarding.
You might say, “What’s wrong with a little clutter? It’s just some clothes. It’s not harming anyone.” And you’d be wrong. A cluttered space can affect your eating habits, stress levels, and sleep quality.
A quote from Marie Kondo, author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up sums it up. She says, “when you tidy your space completely, you transform the scenery. The change is so profound that you feel as if you are living in a totally different world.”
So, how do you get started on this journey to tidiness and peace? Read on to learn how to easily rid your home of clutter.
- Have a goal. How much do you want gone, and when? Doing this keeps you focused on the results you want and helps you get there easily.
- Schedule a weekend. A day might work, but setting aside an entire weekend allows you to take your time with sorting and disposal. Clear any appointments or activities that fall into that time.
- Make a list. Go through your rooms and list the items you no longer need, haven’t used for over six months and would like to donate. Classify these items under things for sale, charity, up-cycling, recycling, or the trash.
- Arrange transport/storage. Decide on how you’ll move your ex-properties to their respective destination. Gather boxes, bags, and any other storage material you can find.
- Do your recon. Contact the persons or organizations that you want to donate to, and ensure that your contributions are wanted and expected.
- Ask for help. You might not move everything around yourself. So, ask for help from friends or neighbors. You might get lucky, and they’ll find something they want.
- Sell stuff. A common argument against decluttering is the cost of your stuff. The solution is to sell any valuable item that you no longer want. Search for decluttering services on social media, and choose based on sales volume and social proof.
- Discard/Recycle/Up-Cycle. After sorting through everything on your list, take the right items to recycle companies like Wecyclers, or add them to your LAWMA stash. However, beware of up-cycling. As it can be a gateway to hoarding if you don’t have handy-man blood in you.
- Deep clean. Intensively. After taking out everything that you no longer need, there’s bound to be a lot of dust and dirt. That’s where the Eden dust-busting team comes in. With a subscription to an Eden cleaning plan, you can get your apartment deep-cleaned to perfection. And because you’ll always need to keep your new space fresh, get routine weekly cleaning sessions.
- Rearrange your space. Once you’ve gotten rid of the clutter, move things around to give your apartment a fresh look. This time, have designated spots for every item in your apartment. Stay disciplined and avoid building clutter, again.