How To Declutter Your Home

By now you know, a neat house is the name of my game – clutter gives me the crazies! Today, I’m sharing actionable tips on how to declutter your home.

Decluttering is one of my favorite pastimes. While I want to be a professional organizer in another life, I will settle for episodes of the Home Edit for now. (Yes I was one of those kids who enjoyed cleaning her friends’ rooms!) But I love to write about it!

Whether it’s organized kitchen cabinets, taming the kids’ toys in bins, or managing the paper trail that comes in daily, keeping the KERF home clutter-free is a must-do for my sanity.

While I appreciate sentimental items and treasure Mazen’s first drawings, I’ve nailed down a system for each family member that keeps our spaces clean and clear of clutter. 

What is clutter?

A collection of things lying about in an untidy mass. Anything your eye rests on and isn’t happy with!

Clutter doesn’t have to mean “things not where they belong” but your actual decor could be considered cluttered too. Having a calming color palette can help your eye feel more calm too.

Benefits Of Decluttering Your Home

Aside from not tripping over Legos?!

Seeing as though I work from home and the whole family has been spending much more time at home overall in 2020, maintaining a clutter-free living space is crucial for reducing my stress and creating a sense of ease and peace. I know we could all use a little more of that this year!

Also, as a work from home mom, having a workspace that’s busy or messy is quite distracting for me. I need a clear, clean workspace in order to write posts like these. I can’t seem to start my workday if the kitchen is messy. My brain literally can’t focus. 

The less you own, the less you have to tidy, so the first step is always to minimize. 

Systems are key to maintaining a sense of order

Once you have system in place, it’s easier to maintain and contain for the long term. Systems are everything!!! Ask yourself HOW and WHY things are where they are and then solve the problem with a solution. Sometimes you do have to think outside of the box!

My home gets “cluttered” throughout the day, but by evening it takes me 10-20 minutes to put everything back where it belongs.

Clutter problems occur when you don’t have a spot to put something.

I am often brainstorming better, smarter systems in which to organize everyday items like shoes, dog gear, Mazen’s toys, kitchen items, your medicine cabinet, and more.

How To Declutter Your Home

1. Manage The Paper Trail

One of the most critical things to do to decrease clutter in your home is to mitigate what comes through the front door. Between daily mail, packages, kids’ school projects, etc. we receive quite a lot of paper goods on the regular.

My paper system takes care of this. A few minutes per day “triaging” piles of paper can eliminate those daunting (and ugly) stacks of paper and missing bills. Don’t even let it through your door!

Check out this blog post with tips for paper sorting and management. 

2. 10-Minute Pick-Ups

Carve out 10 minutes each morning and each evening to picking up a room in your house. Whether that’s tidying up your home office before bed or the kids playroom before they wake up, dedicating a few minutes in your daily routine is really all you need to keep things under control. 

3. Less Is More

If you’re thinking “I don’t know where to begin” or “…but my living space is small”, trust me – less is more. While I wouldn’t say I have a super minimalist style (our home is quite cozy!), too many items will always feel cluttered.

If doing it all in one day is too overwhelming, I challenge you to get rid of one item per day for an entire month.

Whether that’s a random kitchen tool you never use, an old sweater you haven’t worn in two years, or a stack of magazines that’s collecting dust on your coffee table – let it go! 

4. Clean Sweep The Kids’ Areas

I get it, as a mom of two young boys, it seems as though our home is 60% toys. From the living room to the laundry room, basement and dining room table, toy trucks and puzzles pop up everywhere. It’s never 100% clutter free. BUT, making sure every toy has a storage bin and the kids know where those are has kept our entire house from turning into a toy zone. Having dedicated play zones can minimize toys from taking over the house. 

Check out this post all about our favorite playroom storage bins.

5. Keep, Trash, Store, Donate Method

Tackle messy closets in an hour or less with the four box method. Grab four cardboard boxes or trash bags and label them: KEEP, TRASH, STORE, DONATE. This can work for any room in your home, but I know storage space is often a clutter magnet. 

Take EVERYTHING out of your closets/drawers/spaces and put back only what you want to keep instead of just pulling random items out to remove. If you are a little nervous to donate or trash things, store them in a temporary spot for a few weeks and see if you miss them. Then give them away. 

6. Organization Essentials

Baskets, bins, boxes, drawer organizers, shelves. 

I don’t believe in buying anything that doesn’t have a spot already in your home EXCEPT storage containers! You can never have too many. I also love to move them around and repurpose, like using my old Birchboxes for kids’ markers or drawer dividers. 

Here are some good ones if you’re looking to purchase some smart solutions:

Woven basket | Clear plastic bin | White stackable bins | Shelf risers | Drawer dividers | Woven Rope Baskets | Cube Organizers | Wire Baskets | 

The Clutter Cure

If you’re getting ready to declutter, consider watching my friend Mia’s Clutter Cure Workshop! Mia has an approach to clutter unlike anyone else, and her methods are truly transformative. If you can’t seem to find a method that sticks for the long term, this workshop is for you!

You may also enjoy:

• How To Declutter Your Home Office
• How To Declutter Your Kitchen Cabinets
• 5 Tips For Keeping A Clean House With Kids
• The Best Playroom Storage Bins
• Home Neat Home: Tips For Clutter Zones
• Home Neat Home: A Place For Everything