How to Keep on Top of Clutter

Keeping on top of the clutter in a home isn’t always easy, but there are ways to make the task simpler and less stressful. Once someone has a good handle on the clutter in their life, and has reduced it as much as possible, keeping it clean and organized becomes a lot easier, as well. But the first thing is to make sure the clutter gets addressed and reduced, so there’s less to manage and pick up each day. Here are some of the best ways to get the clutter under control, in order to have a home that’s clean, organized, and clutter-free.

1. Identify the Problem Areas

Many people have a lot of clutter around their house, but there are usually a couple of locations in the home that accumulate more clutter than others. Those are the areas that should be tackled first, and that will require more effort to be kept clean and free of clutter over time. The problem areas of a home are different, and depend on the people who live there. One family might pile papers and others things on the kitchen counter, while another family might have a desk or dresser where clutter builds up. No matter where the problem areas are, those are the areas that should be focused on first.

2. Take Some Time Each Day

Trying to declutter everything at once leads to an overwhelming sense of not getting it done fast enough. That can result in slowing down, and even in feeling like it’s not possible to get the job done at all. Rather than let that happen, take some time every day to focus on a particular area of the house or a de-cluttering task that needs to be completed. That way something is getting done every day, and over time the progress can be seen. By choosing a set amount of time each day, though, the chance of feeling overwhelmed and stressed about the decluttering will be reduced. That can mean getting more done.

3. Store Items Where They Get Used

The best place to store anything is near where it will be used. That way, those items don’t clutter up other places in the home. For example, if a person has a workout room but typically lifts light weights in front of the living room TV at night, it would be better to find a place in the living room for the weights. Perhaps they can be stored in the TV stand cabinets, or under the couch or coffee table. That way they aren’t contributing to the clutter, but they’re also where they’ll be getting used instead of in the other room where they aren’t convenient to access.

4. Use It or Let It Go

For items that just aren’t being used, letting them go can be the best choice. There’s no reason to keep an item that really isn’t going to be used, just because it has been in the home for a long time. To really reduce clutter in the home, the best things to keep are the things that are frequently used and the things that bring a lot of joy or value to life. If there are things that don’t fall into those categories, donating them or putting them in the trash can be very liberating. Clutter doesn’t have to take over life, when items that aren’t needed are removed from the house.

5. Don’t Buy Things With No Purpose

Anyone who’s had to deal with clutter in their home probably recognizes that it can be easy to buy things that aren’t really needed. Then those things, which were novel and fun when they were purchased, just sit around and pile up. Before bringing something home from the store, carefully consider whether it would really bring value to life. Does it have a strong purpose in the home? Will it be used a lot? It’s usually better to avoid impulse buys, to reduce the chances of getting an item that’s just going to collect dust in the future.

By making careful choices and tackling clutter for a set period of time each day, one room at a time, it’s possible to reduce and eliminate clutter issues. Once clutter has been removed, careful cleaning and buying habits can also help make sure that clutter doesn’t come back. It’s much easier to enjoy a home when clutter isn’t trying to take over.