Cleaning up a giant mess is more overwhelming than decluttering a mostly in-good-shape home. It requires patience, dedication, and consistent action.
The good news is that if a monstrous clutter pile consumes a closet, room, or whole house, it’s possible to clean it up without wallowing in overwhelm. Below, we’ve broken down the most crucial steps to systematically reduce the clutter in your home for a tidy space.
Decide Where You’ll Start
The biggest decluttering mistake is taking on too much at once. To start, pick a room or a spot within a room (say, a bookshelf). By narrowing your focus, you’ll avoid creating an even bigger mess as you work through your clutter.
Work in Zones
With your first room selected, divide the area into zones. These zones should be small and manageable. Ideally, you’ll want to tackle each zone in thirty minutes or less. For our bookshelf example, you’ll select a single shelf or half of a shelf, depending on the level of clutter.
Tackle Trash Immediately
When decluttering (or cleaning), tackle trash first. Grab an old plastic bag and fill it with all the trash in the zone you’re clearing.
Organize Items in “Keep,” “Trash,” or “Donate Piles”
Before decluttering, grab two trash bags or boxes and an old laundry basket. Immediately toss out the trash, put donatable things in a box, and put any “keep” items in the laundry basket. When you’re finished decluttering your zone, put everything in the laundry basket away.
Make Quick Decisions
With the trash gone and a zone selected, go through your items one by one and make a quick decision. Start with the easy items. If there’s something you clearly don’t want, use, or love, set it in the donate pile. Trash anything in bad condition and neatly place all your “keep” stuff where it should belong.
Keep Decluttering…