Clutter is a collection of stuff lying around your home in an untidy mass. When we have clutter, we have more things to clean, more to organize, and more stress because of it. It’s unsightly, makes the rooms in your home feel smaller, and is a source of embarrassment for all of us when it gets out of control. 

 

 

Fortunately, there are plenty of things we can do to declutter and organize our homes. 

 

First, you need to identify the problem areas. A great method is to imagine yourself as a visitor who has never been inside your home before. Walk through your home & take pictures of the areas, and note how tidy and clean it feels, and note which areas need the most attention. Next, write down a plan of attack or a decluttering checklist.

 

If you feel overwhelmed at the scale of the work, you can break the decluttering work into 5-minute segments a day or selecting one item a day to get rid of. Or get help from a friend, spouse or your kids. 

 

Try sorting things into 4 piles:

 

Pile 1 is everyday necessities that need organizing, likely back into drawers, cupboards & closets.

 

Pile 2 is less frequently used stuff - tucked it out of sight (maybe in totes or the basement)

 

Pile 3 is stuff you never use anymore, but someone else might have use for it. Donate it to Goodwill or Value Village, or sell at a garage sale or on Mommy Market on Facebook, Kijiji or eBay.

 

Pile 4 is stuff for the trash or recycling.

 

Try to follow the one-year rule, where if you haven’t worn that piece of clothing for a year, you probably won't wear it, donate it!

 

If organizing the little things is tough for you, consider getting some kind of workstation organizers, like desk shelving trays, to get your frequently used items out of the way.

 

If you want to become more consistent in your organization habits, there are a lot of apps to help you out, such as Homey, Home Routines, OurHome, FlyLadyPlus, Unfilth Your Habitat and much more.

 

With most of us confined to home, now really is a great time to get started making your home feel more spacious by organizing and decluttering. And for those looking to sell when things normalize, you’ll be inviting higher offers, since your space will actually seem bigger and more inviting than it was before decluttering.