There are many benefits to living in a clutter-free home. Not only is it just more visually appealing, but it will also help you feel calmer, especially since you’ll be able to find the things you need much more easily than you would in a messy house. That being said, it can be quite challenging to maintain a clutter-free house, but there are practical ways to get rid of that clutter and keep it that way. Here are some ways that you can incorporate into your home’s routine.
First, you need to begin with a major decluttering session that will get you in overall better shape. Go through your things, room by room, and decide what is really necessary to keep and what can be parted with. This is not the time to be sentimental. Just as Marie Kondo said, if it doesn’t spark joy, it’s time to move on. You should really be mainly keeping items that serve a purpose. You can recycle and donate items that are in good condition, and if something is in really bad shape, then it’s time to toss it out.
The next step is to have a designated spot for every item, especially ones that are important for daily or weekly use. This is where storage solutions come in and can really make a big difference. Label your bins and boxes for easy sorting and identification so you don’t waste your time rummaging through boxes of random stuff. After you use sometime, make sure to put it back in its place and try to make this a habit. Try not to leave things on countertops unless they belong there.
You can also designate some time on a regular basis for mini decluttering sessions. It can be a few minutes every day or a bit of time each week so that you can ensure that things don’t begin to pile up once again.
Another useful rule of thumb to keep in mind in order to avoid things piling up in your home is the “one in, one out” rule. For those who are confident in their abilities or want to level up their decluttering, you can also try the “one in, three out rule.” However, if you’re just starting out, then you can stick with the 1:1 ratio. This way, once you bring in a new item, you let go of an older one that isn’t used. This is a surefire way to prevent over-accumulating.
An area that’s often overlooked but is just as overwhelming is digital clutter. However, it is just as important to clean up digital devices as much as our physical spaces. Choose an item per week to go through and give it a digital declutter session. For example, you can go through your phone and delete apps you never use and organize the ones you do use in folders. You can unsubscribe from emails that you don’t have any purpose for. You can delete duplicate photos and free up even more space on your phone.
It’s important to mindfully think about the way you consume things, that way you can avoid accumulating more things than you actually need. Before you buy something, think about whether you actually need it or not and if it’ll add value to your life. This is good practice to get into in order to minimize impulse purchases and will reduce the amount of clutter in the house.