Léa NadeauOnce a year, I go around every corner of my house to declutter. It’s the perfect moment to reflect on everything that you own, but also a great moment to give back or to sell stuff for a small profit. I find decluttering good for the soul; every room of your home will look nicer so will you feel better. It makes you realize that even though you always think before buying, every year you accumulate quite a bit. When your home is cluttered, there is nothing better than the feeling of purging!
Here are my 5 quick and easy tips to declutter your home. Make sure you have a couple of empty boxes or plastic bags for all of your extra belongings.
1. STEP BY STEP
It always seems like a massive chore to declutter your home. Thinking about all the works that need to be done even before starting can be discouraging. That’s why I prefer to divide the work into many sections. You can go from one floor to another floor (and as the second tip says “room by room”).
2. ROOM BY ROOM
You have to make this chore as “fun” as it can be, as mentioned above. That’s why I recommend you executing your purging room by room. Allows yourself a couple days or even a couple of weekends to do the full decluttering of your home. If one day you’re able to clean 2 to 3 rooms, you will feel like things are moving forward. This way, you will really feel the benefits of a clean home, room by room and It will give you the energy to keep on going!
3. ASK YOURSELF THE QUESTION
Before starting, create 3 boxes labeled with; “to give”, “to sell” and “standby”. On top of that, make sure you have a lot of garbage bags for the items that can’t be recycled or given away. When beginning your purge in one room, make sure to look at every drawer, every dresser, every wardrobe, to overlook everything and ask yourself the question “Did I used this in the past year?”. If so, you can keep it. If not, then you should try to remember if it has been used in the past 2 or 3 years. If you can’t remember and that you don’t think you will be using this item in the next 6 months, then you should probably let it go. It’s time to sell, to donate or to throw away. Also, if you feel hesitant about an item, it can be classified as “standby”. The “standby” box can be kept in an unused corner of your home for 2 to 3 months. Following these couple months, if you still haven’t used any of the items in the box, it’s time to let go. I know it can sometimes be tough, but you can do this 😉 ! Keep in mind that the “standby” box is there only to give you more time to think. Because we usually have to purge a lot of things during those decluttering days and sometimes, for some items it’s more difficult to make a call. Some items we feel like we won’t be needing them anymore, but we still feel like we will be regretting it or that we will have to purchase another one. Which is exactly what we are trying to avoid!
4. TOGETHER IS BETTER!
Decluttering together is so much more fun, plus it will take half the time! It can also help you make clearer decisions when you feel hesitant. My partner and I we are always super honest with one another and by that, I mean; “No, we don’t need that anymore!”. It also raises awareness about how much we buy and how much we own, to always try consuming a little less.
5. ENJOY THIS MOMENT TO CLEAN EVERY CORNER OF YOUR ROOMS, WITH A WET CLOTH AND WITH A VACUUM = AS A BONUS A MAJOR CLEANING OF YOUR HOME.
Why not pushing the envelope a little further by cleaning every single corner of your home? You’re already moving things around mind as well leave it nice, clean and sparkly! And that also goes for your drawers, your wardrobes and all the unusual unclean spots ;).
It’s now up to you to declutter your home, hope those tips will help you!
Sacha Nadeau
Léa Nadeau
