We’ve all been there — living in a cluttered, disorganized space, promising ourselves to organize it but finding it a daunting and never-ending task. It’s time to put an end to the cycle of clutter and chaos, for real this time. By breaking down organization tips by room, we’ll show you how to declutter your home and regain control over your living space. From practical tips on sorting and organizing to expert advice on letting go of sentimental items, we’ve got you covered on your journey to a cleaner home.
Benefits of decluttering
Decluttering your home goes beyond just tidying up; it brings along a plethora of benefits that can significantly improve your physical and mental well-being. A clutter-free environment promotes better focus and productivity. A study by Princeton University researchers discovered that clutter can make it difficult to focus on a particular task.
More specifically, they discovered that a person is overwhelmed by objects not related to a particular task, making it harder to focus and complete projects efficiently. Additionally, decluttering is known to have great benefits when it comes to decreasing stress levels and anxiety. Decluttering is an essential step toward improving your overall quality of life.
The time is now
One of the hardest parts of decluttering is knowing where to start. It’s overwhelming to begin a project of decluttering and organizing your space knowing how many areas need attention. However, delaying the process only allows the clutter to grow and worsen the situation. The longer you wait, the more time and effort it will take to tackle the clutter, and it might even become a source of frustration. Starting now, going room by room through our guide, will allow you to break this process down into digestible steps so you reclaim control over your space.
How to declutter your home, by room
When going room by room, we recommend you use Marie Kondo’s KonMari Method of asking yourself, “Does this item spark joy?” If an item doesn’t bring you joy or serve a practical purpose, it’s time to say goodbye.
Bedroom
When starting the decluttering process of your bedroom, make sure to make your bed first. This helps the space look a little cleaner, encouraging you to keep treading on.
- Nightstands and cabinet surfaces: Clear off nightstands, dressers and any other surfaces of any items that don’t belong. Keep only essential items like a lamp, clock or a few decorative pieces. Put any misplaced items back in their original home and store other items in drawers using organizers. Drawer/ shelf organizers
- Under the bed: Pull out anything under the bed that doesn’t belong. Between clothes that have fallen, loose storage for items or even trash, this is an area that accumulates mess. By cleaning this space, you can invest in under-bed-organizers to practically store clothes, shoes or miscellaneous items without a clear category.
- Dresser drawers and closet: Start going through your dresser and set aside a donate pile, a wash/dry/clean pile and a keep pile. Ask yourself with each item if you still wear it, need it or even want it. If it’s an article of clothing in decent condition and you don’t have a use for it (or haven’t worn it in a while), it makes for a great donation. Apply the same process to clothes in your closet. Hang up any loose clothing on the floor as well to tidy up this small corner as well.
Bathroom
Decluttering your bathroom is a rewarding and refreshing process. It’s a good idea to start by picking up any clothes from the floor so you can really tackle organizing the cabinets and drawers. Then, set aside two areas; one for garbage and one for items being kept.
- Countertops and sink area: Remove all items from the countertops and sink area that don’t belong. It’s ideal, for decluttering purposes, to keep this area clear and organize items within cabinets or shelving. Make sure to add to the discard pile any empty or expired containers, old cosmetics and products you no longer use.
- Under-the-sink cabinet, drawers and medicine cabinet storage areas: Odds are, there are quite a bit of products and containers to dispose of in these areas. Make sure to check expiration dates to help dispose of space-taking items you no longer need. Use drawer dividers and organization containers where needed to separate items by category and frequency of usage. It’s easier to keep bathroom items tidy in designated spots for them, through dividers and containers.
- Shower/ bathtub: Remove any empty items from the shower or bathtub area and take note of any necessary refills you may need. Make sure to ask yourself if you need the products before purchasing replacements to keep products minimal in this area. Consider using shower caddies or wall-mounted organizers to keep the products tidy and easily accessible.
Living room
Depending on the size of your home or apartment, your living room may bleed into other areas. Consider any walkways or middle areas between your living room and other areas in this section, especially since there’s typically more space in the living room for more storage when cleaning up these undefined areas.
- Floor: Start by removing any items that don’t belong in the living room and return them to their proper places in other rooms. Discard any trash items that are present.
- Coffee table: Clear off any items that are not essential or decorative. Invest in a decorative tray to place on your coffee table to hold various items like remote controls, magazines, candles and other miscellaneous items that otherwise look cluttered on your coffee table.
- Entertainment center: These centers are necessary but often become cluttered quickly with numerous cables and remotes. Remove outdated electronics, cables and accessories that you no longer use. Purchase a cord cover or holder to keep these cords hidden and untangled for a more polished appearance. Then neatly arrange video games and other media items and consider donating or selling any DVDs or games you no longer enjoy or use.
- Other decor items: Bookshelves and other wall shelving can accumulate random items over time. Donate or sell any books you no longer read or need and clear out random decor that serves no purpose to the aesthetic of the room.
Kitchen
It’s a great idea to start decluttering this room by cleaning out the fridge and pantry of any expired or stale food. Donate any canned items and non-perishables to local food pantries.
- Countertops: As they are the most visible and used spaces in the kitchen, remove all items that don’t belong on the counters, like paperwork, keys or other non-kitchen items. Put away small appliances that you rarely use, leaving only the essentials.
- Cabinets and drawers: This is another great instance to use containers to organize drawers and cabinets by sorting their contents into categories.
- Under the sink: This area often accumulates various cleaning supplies. Dispose of any empty or old cleaning products and use organizers or caddies to keep everything tidy. Invest in a bag dispenser to keep your reusable plastic grocery bags organized as well.
- Junk drawer: We all have a notoriously cluttered junk drawer in our kitchen or dining area. While it’s fine to keep this drawer for miscellaneous items, it’s important to dispose of actual junk and only keep essential items.
Face clutter head-on
Conquering the cycle of clutter and chaos in our living spaces is not an impossible task. By taking a proactive approach and breaking down the decluttering process by room, you’ll regain control over the mess. With the urgency to start now, armed with practical tips and a modified KonMari Method, we can bid farewell to unnecessary items and embrace a clutter-free lifestyle. Begin this transformative journey today and experience the liberating power of decluttering in your dream apartment!
Source: apartmentguide.com