Decluttering is something that is mentioned in almost every decor blog, mindfulness podcast and environmental programme around, because there really is no down side to it. You have less stuff and enjoy more space in your home, all whilst maybe making some money on sold items, and hopefully, with better habits, saving money from a lack of new purchases, too.
Of course, it is all well and good being told that decluttering is a great idea, but doing it is not always that easy. Without a method or a structure, the simple act of decluttering can feel like a really challenging task.
To help you declutter your home, budget self storage unit and garage, certain methodologies and processes can help you to get the job done with ease. It’s just a case of finding a method that suits you. For your inspiration, here are 10 Decluttering methods you need to try for an organised home:
- Fill A Box
The fill a box method takes away the challenging feeling of having to declutter your entire home, or even an entire room, in one go. Instead, every time you go to declutter all you have to do is fill a box with unwanted/ unused items and then follow through with the final plans for those items (selling or giving away etc). Just one box at a time makes decluttering a bitesize and achievable activity. Look at storage London prices here.
- 10 Minutes At A Time
Much like the fill a box method, the 10 minutes at a time method encourages bitesize decluttering sessions that don’t feel like a days worth of work. Instead, if you can dedicate just 10 minutes a day to decluttering, you can make huge progress slowly over a long period of time.
- Reverse Hanger
If, even with seasonal budget self storage, you’re struggling with wardrobe space, you need to clear out some clothes. A great way to do this is by hanging all your clothes with the hanger the ‘wrong way round’ and then when you wear the item and put it back, turn the hanger around. After a few months you’ll start to notice which items don’t get any use and could be moved on.
- For Every New Item You Get Rid Of An Existing Item
This method of decluttering works better if you’re already the owner of a freshly cleared out home. Moving forward, you can then have a rule where every new item in has to result in an existing item being moved on. This prevents decluttering building up again.
- The Box Of Indecision
With this decluttering method you place items you aren’t sure about (anything that you think needs to go, but you’re struggling to decide) for a few weeks, months or more (depending on the item type), and if you have not needed to use the items in that time, you can move those items on.
- Can It Be Replaced?
One common decluttering method is the replacement rule, which suggests that if an item can be replaced in 20 minutes, for less than £20, you can move it out of your home without much thought. So, if you’re undecided on anything, consider this rule and if it can be replaced in 20 minutes for under £20, let it go.
- Bag And Banish
With this method you simply have a selection of bags labelled: donate, ditch, sell and save and you sort through your things filling each of those bags up accordingly. The important thing to do with this method is to follow through on the bag labels. If you plan to sell the items then list them and if they do not sell, donate them. Don’t simply organise your clutter and then leave the items in the bags only to become decluttering projects of the future.
- 10 Items A Time
Similar to other bitesize decluttering structures that we have mentioned above, the 10 items a time idea is simply where you choose 10 items from a room each time you have a decluttering session. You can do this in your budget self storage unit, your garage, your spare room – anywhere you want to organise better.
- Play The Minimalists Game
The Minimalists, who are famous for helping the world start to live the minimalist lifestyle, have a Minimalists Game that you can play. You play it with a competitor, which can be anybody else up for the challenge. You then have to do it for a month, with the need to declutter one item on day one, and then two on day two and so on. It gets very challenging as time goes on and the winner is the person who goes the longest managing to declutter as over the number requirement per day. If everybody gets to the end having achieved the numbers then everybody wins.
- KonMari
Marie Kondo is the queen of decluttering so it makes sense to follow her ideas to get your house more organised. You can get some tips by watching her programme on Netflix. Alternatively, simply follow her method of sorting items out by category, rather than room. The running theme is ditching items that no longer bring you joy. At the end you should be left with only items you need, or that bring joy. You can then focus on the functionality of your home and setting it out/ organising it in a way that works for your family.
So, which method of decluttering will you try first? Hopefully, you’ll find the system that works for you so that you can enjoy a more spacious, organised and beautiful home moving forward.
