De-cluttering is something everyone should do a few times in their lives. Stuff accumulates and there are a number of benefits to clearing it out once in a while. If you want to take the de-clutter challenge, here’s how to reveal what’s beneath your mess of a home.
Go One Room at a Time
A de-cluttering project can be a major undertaking. Therefore, it is often best to tackle it in steps. You can do this how you like, but good general advice is to go one room at a time. Particularly large or cluttered rooms such as basements or garages can be split into two or more sections. Take breaks in between but don’t wait so long that you lose your momentum. Moving through your house in a methodical manner will make the entire experience much easier.
Decide What to Throw Out
This may be the hardest part of de-cluttering but it needs to be done. You will have to go through your stuff and decide what to keep and what to throw away or donate. Consider which items are truly meaningful to you and which ones you use on a regular basis. Get rid of anything you think “maybe someday” about, takes up too much space or requires more maintenance than it’s worth.
Rent a Dumpster
If you really hope to throw out a lot of stuff, renting a dumpster for your de-cluttering project may be the best option. A green bin in the driveway provides a convenient place to throw away anything you clear out of your house as opposed to having to transport it somewhere else. It is also good if you have many large items you want to throw out. Also, renting a dumpster may make you more likely to throw things out because you will want to get your money’s worth from the investment.
Get Help
Sometimes sentimentality is too strong and it can be really difficult to look at your things on an objective level. Calling in a family member or friend to help you go through things is a potential solution. They can not only help you go through your stuff faster but also force you into deciding if you really need to keep something. If your clutter levels have increased to the point of being a hoarder, it’s in your best interest to seek help for any underlying psychological conditions so you can get your life back on track.
Good times to de-clutter are when moving or when you’ve hit the point where you just can’t stand all the stuff in your house anymore. By approaching it methodically, you can get through it all and have a much cleaner house when you’re done. This will make you feel much better and reduce your stress and anxiety levels.