It seems that there’s no real end to the problem of clutter. Every day, we accumulate more and more things that need to be cleared, cleaned, and eventually removed. At a certain point, it can feel like clutter has taken over your living space – and when that happens, it can be difficult to enjoy being present in your own home.
Do a quick Google search on ending clutter, and you’re bound to find hundreds of suggestions on how to get rid of it in your home or apartment. While there are plenty of great ideas out there, we like to keep things as simple and straightforward as possible, particularly when it comes to cleaning your house. After all, life gets busy, and you may not have enough time to follow hundreds of steps!
Fortunately, decluttering isn’t quite as difficult when you make time in your daily routine for it. At Beaver Maids, we’ve gathered 3 simple steps to help you create a daily clutter-busting ritual. For those who don’t even know where to get started, this post is for you too!
Step 1: Get Rid of Clutter, Fast
To fast-track your decluttering process, we recommend taking a sturdy box around your house and performing “clutter runs” in each room. When you see anything out of place – be it a coat, a piece of mail, or a leftover wine glass – carefully place it into your box until it’s full. Then pass through the other rooms, re-distributing the items that you’ve found (or putting them into the recycling bin.) By completing this process at least two times in every room, you’ll soon have a clean slate.
Step 2: Keep that Clutter Out for Good!
Next, you’ll need to plan some strategies for organizing your house. Having designated spots to put spare items like mail, keys, and other knick-knacks can make it easier to perform Step 1 again in the future. You’ll also be more likely to observe a daily decluttering routine when you know where everything goes!
Here are some of the best places to set up permanent organizers:
· By the entrances. To combat clutter, set up entrance stations by every door in your house, from front to back. Carefully assess what would be the most helpful for your family, whether that means adding shoe and coat racks, personal cubby holes, key rings, or umbrella stands (or all of the above!)
· On the kitchen counter. Consider keeping a small file organizer and a “mail plate” on the nearest kitchen counter. That way, when you arrive with important forms and receipts, they won’t end up getting discarded or lost on accident.
· In bathroom drawers. Make use of your bathroom drawer space by setting down a few simple drawer organizers. From band-aids to cosmetics to toilet paper, give everything a designated spot in your bathroom.
· Under your spices. Sick of rifling through your spices every time you need some extra flavor? Buying a spice rack or cabinet organizer will keep your countertops free from debris and clutter – as long as you regularly put away those errant jars of herbs.
· In your closet. We all outgrow or get sick of our clothing eventually, but instead of throwing it all out, create a donation box in one of your closets. Once the donation box is full of old clothes, schedule pickup service with a local charity, or visit a nearby thrift shop to get some extra cash!
Step 3: Develop a Decluttering Routine.
Now that your home is clean and organized, it’s time to commit to a 10 minute clutter-busting routine each day. This will look different for everyone, but it’s important to pick a set time that you’ll remember, ideally towards the end of the day. You don’t have to do it alone, either: Enlisting your family members to help will reduce the work significantly!
Some ideas for how to structure your cleaning ritual:
· Alternate which rooms to de-clutter each day.
· Switch off the decluttering ritual with family members or roommates.
· Turn on some music and host a solo dance party while you put away clutter!
· Give yourself a specific number of items to put away each time.
· Start with a designated “clutter-free zone” and expand out from there.
Even the most organized among us could use a helping hand every now and then! When you contact Merry Maids for house cleaning assistance, we can also provide you with expert organizational services to start your decluttering efforts off on the right foot. Our team can help you visualize a more minimalist and mindful space, and then find creative strategies for organizing your stuff.
