How to De-clutter Your Home
Posted on | June 8, 2009 |
How to De-clutter Your Home in Four Easy Steps
A step-by-step guide to becoming clutter-free.
Outside of a clean home, there’s nothing more advantageous than to have a clutter-free home when you’ve put it on the market. Unfortunately, for many (me included), we become so accustomed to the things that surround us that we’re at a loss as to where to begin.
This step-by-step guide has been created to assist you in the process of becoming clutter-free. And while primarily written for sellers (those selling their home), this list can be used by anyone.
- Step 1 - Begin with the closets: Sounds like an odd place to begin; doesn’t it? Your first thought may be that “at least the items are out-of-sight.” True. However, buyers will be looking inside your closets. Remember, this may in fact be the home they purchase. Ensuring they have enough closet space will be important. Start with the coat closet and work your way thru the entire house (including the pantry).
- For the bedroom closets - be sure to pack all seasonal items away. For example, given that we’re heading into summer, now is a good time to pack all the sweatshirts, sweaters, etc… away. You’ll be amazed at the amount of visual space this creates. Organize all shoes and handbags. If there are shoes and/or handbags you seldom if ever use, consider donating them.
- For the coat closet - minimize the number of coats to those that you wear most frequently. Store extra coats and jackets in a guest closet.
- For linen closets - group items together. Place all towels and wash clothes on one shelf, sheets on another, extra toiletry items on another.
- Step 2 - Drawers: Start with your kitchen drawers and end with the dresser/chest drawers in the bedroom. Here’s a great rule of thumb when removing the clutter; each drawer needs to serve a purpose. For example, you can put all tin foil, plastic wrap and wax paper in one drawer; pot holders and dish towels in another. Sure, we all have junk drawers. However, even these can be dealt with. First empty the drawer and group all ‘like’ items together. Pens and pencils can be grouped together and secured with a rubber band. Do the same with tools (i.e., screw drivers, wrenches, etc..). As for clothes drawers - remove all seasonal items just as you did in the closets. Place all under garments in the same drawer, shirts in another, pants in others.
Before we move onto Step 3, reward yourself. Closets and drawers have a way with collecting a lot of the items that we don’t use on a regular basis and literally serve as a catch-all. Now with these two steps behind you, you’ll also be less inclined to take the ‘visible’ clutter and move it into closets and the drawers.
- Step 3 - Counter tops: Begin in the kitchen and work your way through each of the bathrooms.
- For the kitchen counter tops: Start by removing all items. The only items that should be returned are those that you use daily. For example, if you’re like our family, we use the toaster daily so… that remains on the counter top. On the other hand, the toaster oven is seldom used and is therefore stored on a shelf in the garage along with the blender. One item you may want to consider is getting a container (I use a decorative crock) to house all the bigger utensils. For example, my spatulas, wooden spools, tongs, etc… all go inside the crock and are positioned next to the stove where they are used most often.
- For the bathroom countertops: It’s common for our hygiene-related items to stay out on the counter top. Another great alternative is to get a basket to house all of those items. Each morning, after using the items, simple return the items to the basket and store them under the sink. To add some decorative touches, purchase glass containers and leave them on the counter. These can hold your q-tips; cotton balls, bath crystals, etc…
With steps 1-3 out of the way, let’s move onto the fun part of becoming clutter-free; the rooms themselves. Here’s a room-by-room list with some suggestions that will help you through the process.
- Step 4 - Rooms: I highly recommend that for each room, you remove everything but the furniture (including accessories). In doing so, you’ll start with a clean slate.
- Living room: With all the clutter and accessories removed, it’s now time to make a decision as to what furniture pieces should stay. While every piece doesn’t necessarily have to serve a purpose, it’s a good rule of thumb to follow. Extra pieces have a way of consuming space and can add to “visual clutter.” With those decisions behind you, it’s time to move onto what accessories should be brought in. Lamps and art should come first. Next, add greenery. Greenery could be anything from small plants on the coffee table and end tables to floor plants. For the remote controls (which, in our house we have 3) use a small basket and place where it’s most convenient.
- Bedrooms: Same as with the living room, remove all items with the exception of the furniture. Add back in lamps, personal photos and accessories.
- Office: Use containers to house all of your important paperwork. To get started, put all paperwork together and create one massive pile. Next, sort through and get rid of anything you don’t need. Now create separate piles and group all like items together. Create labels for the following: bills; insurance; banking; school-related, etc… Next you could create file folders or use bins to house the paperwork. A good rule of thumb is to leave your desk each night clutter-free. This will allow you to start each day with a fresh perspective.
To ease the process of becoming clutter-free assign days of the week for each of the items on the list. Not only will this make the process more manageable, you’ll be able to see the impact of your efforts on a daily basis.
Tags: how to declutter your home > preparing your home for the market > Tips for Sellers
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