The Clutter Must Go!

Clutter is a common problem that many of us face, especially when living in the same place for a good length of time. You move in and get everything into its place, then the clutter begins to creep into your home. Months or years later, you wake up one day and look around your house, thinking, "How did it get like this?". Well, don't waste your time thinking about how it got that way, focus on what you are going to do to change it!

The first thing you'll need to come to grips with is realizing that you have some things laying around that you don't need. Try not to get too overwhelmed by the project; work on it one piece at a time. Even if you have a lot of stuff you don't want to get rid of, there are some great ways to organize your clutter and get it under control.

Let's begin with setting up 5 bins or even just designating places for 5 separate piles. These will be categorized as DONATE, SELL, RECYCLE, KEEP, and STORE. If something has enough value to sell, put it in the SELL pile, but if it isn't something you feel you could sell but someone might want it, DONATE it. Throw away or RECYCLE old papers you don't need anymore (magazines, newspapers, old receipts, etc.) - these are a major clutter culprit. Remember that you don't need to save everything - getting rid of things you don't use or need can be a very cleansing experience. Those things that you would like to keep, but don't necessarily need access to them very often should be STORED. In the KEEP pile will be the possessions that you use on a frequent basis or would like to have displayed.

Once you have established these piles, get to work. Just start sorting everything into one of the five piles. This may seem like a messy process, but this method has proven to be very effective. Before you know it, you'll have sorted through a whole room. While sorting through things, ask yourself these questions to stay focused on your objective:

1) How often do I use this and will I use it again?

2) Is it still in good condition?

3) Do I still really want this item?

The next thing you will want to do is figure out where to put the things you are getting rid of until you are ready to have a yard sale or take things to Goodwill, for instance. Boxes and trash bags work great for temporary storage. Just make sure that you don't let yourself put it off for too long. It would be wise to set a date for a garage or yard sale and to drop off your donations immediately so that you stay on track. After you have everything sorted out, you can begin to put each room back together. Think about how you would like to organize the room and what might help you keep it organized.

*Keep an eye out for more great tips on how to get and keep your house neat and organized. We will posting more information frequently.*

Written by Alyssa Elzinga, BCE TEam @ KW