Decluttering just one room, let alone your entire living space, is a fantastically refreshing way of starting afresh and buying into the old adage that a ‘tidy house makes for a tidy mind’.
So, whether you are preparing to relocate to a flourishing senior living community, looking to free up extra money and downsize, or are wanting a new start after a painful relationship break-up, here is how to effectively declutter.
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- Work with Three Separate Piles
First and foremost, it can seem more than a little overwhelming when you enter your spare bedroom, for example, or closet beneath the stairs, only to find that the floor is barely visible.
This is why keeping in mind and indeed, keeping three physical boxes and as you start, in just one corner of the room so as not to fluster you, label them as follows:
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- Items to Sell or Donate to Charity
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- Items to Discard
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- Items to Keep
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- Take What You Actually Need
There is a fine line and indeed, a line that often gets confused as to which side you sit, between the things that you actually need and the things that you actually want.
Now, if you are decluttering your home ready to sell and upsize to a larger house, then reducing the volume of cardboard boxes you are intending on packing and taking is less of a priority.
However, if you are looking forward to the next stage of your life and are moving to a thriving senior living community, like the prominent assisted living in Sabre Springs, CA, for example, then you seriously need to consider those items you need for this new chapter in your life and those you can let go.
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- Keep it That Way!
Obviously, it is wonderful once you have entirely decluttered and then subsequently, of course, cleaned one room and as previously touched upon, you should definitely start in one room and in one corner of the room to keep things simple.
Once a room has been entirely cleaned and decluttered, make it clear to the other members of your household and also yourself that you have absolutely no desire to go through the entire process again and therefore, each room needs to stay that way.
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- Invest in New Storage Options
Moving forward, the best way to ensure you keep each room throughout your home decluttered and your emotional wellbeing when you do get a chance to relax in your house of a high and calming standard is to invest in smart storage options.
One mistake many people make when setting off to the nearest hardware storage looking for storage containers and boxes is to forget that there are large and untapped potential options on the walls.
For example, in the kitchen, floating shelves with plastic containers filled with dry store foodstuffs, a wooden, upcycled ladder leaning by the door with gardening gloves and watering cans and kitchen cabinet extenders will all make the best possible use of the wall space and keep things tidy.
