Declutter Your Home

How many times do you open that single drawer in your kitchen only to find that anything you take out is tangled, smashed, or broken?  It is the drawer that holds a variety of small yet frequently used  items that have nothing to do with Kitchen activities.  This past weekend, I went into my “junk” drawer to grab the mail key and found myself literally digging for it.  That was it!   I began walking around the downstairs of my house opening drawers and cabinets to see what was in each one.  Not only did I find items I had been missing but I also saw lots of items that I know we would never use.  This was the moment when I dedicated my day and planned out future days to declutter my home.  Here is my process and what I found to be pretty helpful.

Plan your process

First address areas in your home that a) drive you crazy; b) are used more often; and c) correlate with another area needing a good cleaning.

Second, figure out if you are going to need to purchase boxes, plastic drawer dividers, bins, etc.  You will want to run out to purchase these items before you get started so you don’t loose momentum by running to the store mid-way through.

**If your unsure how to organize certain areas, log onto any of the popular house/home websites to get great ideas.

Set a time Limit 

While you are riffling through all your stuff, it is easy to get caught up in finding random forgotten items.  I found myself browsing through old photo albums and college writings.  When I looked at the clock, I had spent 20 min reminiscing and was still surrounded by stuff I

had taken out of the closet!  Give yourself a time limit and set your phone to remind you of when time is running out.

Use the 4 box method

Take a look around your house and find 3 boxes and 1 empty garbage can.  Label each of the 3 boxes as follows:

1. Keep

2. Move

3. Donate

The items in the keep box should be put back in an organized fashion.  The move box will be addressed when your finished with the declutter of that section.  These are items that you want to keep but belong in another area of the home.  The donate box should be placed in your car or garage.  Make sure to rid yourself of the items in this box within a couple days.

The trick to the trash can is to throw the items away only once.  Once you have placed them in the trash, do not remove them!

The night I organized the game closet in my house, my family played Rock Band for the first time in a year.  It sounds silly but there is a rewarding feeling to open those drawers and cabinets after the fact only to see a nice organized area.  Not only that, but you may find yourself using things you had forgot you had.