Decluttering your home can seem daunting, but it’s actually a lot like exercise. Once you start, you feel better, and you want to keep going. Getting your home decluttered means that everything you have in your space is something you find valuable, and this is good for your spirit and your mind.
The Early Steps: Make One Decision
The first step in decluttering your home is to start with a focus in just one room. Take multiple containers with you into just one room. You will need
- a bag for trash
- a box for things you want to donate
- a plastic bin for what you’re keeping
- an optional container for what you want to sell
Try to start decluttering your home in your home, or at least when your mind is rested and your decision-making muscle is strong. Put things you don’t plan to keep in a container that is opaque. Once you’ve decided, you only want to be able to see, and reconsider, the things you were going to keep anyway.
Items to Sell or Donate
If you have large items to remove from your home, you may need to hire someone to carry and haul off the item. For example, you can hire a service like Removalist to deliver items to a donor or a new owner.
Offering a delivery service for the item you’re selling may seem excessive, but Removalist actually makes things simpler for you. This service means
- you control the timing of when the item leaves your home
- you can customize the delivery time and get the best price
- you don’t have to meet face to face with a buyer unless you choose
Once the big items are gone, your decluttering process can actually be much simpler. The sense of open square footage in your home can make relaxing into the space of your home much simpler and more enjoyable.
Do Some Rearranging
Once things are gone from your home, you can play with the arrangement. For example, if you had a large bed in a guest room and sell the bed to create an office, your furniture and arrangement options are wide open. Instead of having to stuff your desk into a closet or a face the corner when you’re working, your desk can go in front of the window or face the rest of your home.
While you’re rearranging, keep an eye on your decluttering goals. For example, if you no longer need the bedroom as a bedroom but are creating a craft room, take a look at the books on the bookshelves. Do you have them because you read them, or are they in the way? Box up the ones that no longer serve and donate them so you can put open shelves to use in your custom craft room!
Bring in Professional Cleaning Services
Once you have a space cleared, consider making some updates. You can get help on refreshing the space with professional cleaning services, including
- carpet shampooing
- window cleanup
- prepping to paint the space
Once the space is cleared and empty, the sky is the limit! Consider updating window treatments, pulling art work down and repainting, or even switching out door hardware. There are many simple ways to refresh your home.
Physical and Mental Benefits
There are multiple mental and physical benefits to decluttering. First of all, it forces you to change up your thought processes and increases creative thinking. Looking at an empty room and knowing you can do anything in the space is a real game changer for your mind and spirit.
A freshly decluttered home can also make relationships easier. When planning a declutter, make sure you start with your belongings. You will need to prove the benefits to the adults in your household. Because the act of donating is such a feel good experience, it may be easier to bring children into the process by donating gently used toys.
You can do a lot of the decluttering process on your own, but you will probably need some help on the big items. Even better, having someone haul off your trash gets it out of your life and your mind, freeing up space for what you want to focus on.
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