Guest Post – How to Declutter

Hi, I’m Penelope from Penelope’s Oasis and I’m so happy to be guest posting for my friend while she is away.

I love to clean and get rid of stuff all the time (my husband jokes that one day I may accidentally declutter him). I find a neat home to be relaxing, and a sense of orderliness just makes everything easier. My time isn’t spent looking for things when I need them because I generally keep everything neat, but sometimes things start getting cluttered again, and it’s usually because I have too many things.

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by stuff? Are you looking for a way to free yourself from storing and maintaing a lot of things you don’t even know why you have anymore? That’s exactly how I felt and why I started on my “always neat” kick. It’s actually easy once you clear out the junk, and here is how:

How To Declutter

1. Get a timer and garbage bags or boxes, and if things are dusty, a pair of latex gloves and a feather duster as well. Plan to go through sections of your home that are a disaster (or not as neat as you’d like) for a set time each (at least 15 minutes, but once you get going you might want to spend an hour in each area).

2. Look at everything and decide if it’s something useful and in good condition, or brings you joy. If it’s something you use once a year or every few years and you can borrow it from someone, get rid of it. If you never use it, get rid of it. If it’s ugly, has bad memories attached, or you only keep it out of guilt (because of who gave it or because you wasted money on it), give yourself a break and get rid of it. Be ruthless- the peace of mind and neatness that results from really culling out the junk is worth it!

3. Items that are in good condition and can be sold or donated should be put in a bag. If you are selling it, list it within a week or plan a garage sale, or else the bag becomes clutter parked in your home. If you see it a few weeks later still waiting to be put on ebay, you’ll never get to it. Just donate them items. If you are donating the items, put them in your car right away so next time you see a donation drop box or center, you can drop it off. Get those items out fast or else you may be tempted to retrieve that dorky picture frame your ex gave you out of sentimentality.

4. Items that are unsellable and can’t be donated should be tossed. If you need an item and have two, keep the better one and donate or toss the spare. If you need something and the one you have is in bad condition, treat yourself and buy a new one. Don’t keep clutter, excess, or items in bad condition in your house- you deserve better.

5. Keep this up until everything that is in your house makes you happy, is useful, and in good condition. Once all the clutter is gone, there should be a place for everything. If something doesn’t have a place, it was overlooked as clutter (and you should get rid of it- keeping a lot of things on the dining room table or kitchen counter because you don’t know where to put them is just a hassle to you and your family). When everything has a place, and is alway returned there after it’s used, your whole family will be happier.

Anne

I'm a mother of 2 who likes to get involved in too much! Besides writing here I started a non-profit, I'm on the PTO board, very active in my community and volunteer in the school. I enjoy music, reading, cooking, traveling and spending time with my family. We just adopted our 3rd cat and love them all!

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