Decluttering
I try to “Declutter” at least one thing a day from my house, even if it’s something small like an empty tube of toothpaste. How do you tackle decluttering?
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Keep the minimum and get rid of the rest. Donate any clothes you haven't worn in a year. If you don't use it, get rid of it…fondues, slow cookers, books, surplus furniture, etc. Remove decorations that remind you of dead people, old relationships, soured relationships. Be brutal. Just keep joy in your house.
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I've always found that I do my best decluttering when I'm USING my house the most… which means I declutter the kitchen when I'm cooking (lots of little things get cleaned up, thrown out, OR purchased when I'm out of stock on something), the bathroom when I'm getting ready for bed, and the closets, etc on weekends - Saturday mornings - just a quick 30-40 min project..
Right now I've been working outside with my planters, weeding and replanting… so satisfying!
But the bottom line is that I like to do it "as I go" but always when i'm home enjoying my home, which is when I notice the small things, get bothered by a pile of books and decide I need to replace a pillow, etc4 -
It's true, declutterring is a never ending project in any home and you do have to take things step by step. I tend to approach decluttering based on the emotional impact it's having on me/my household. If navigating the space is causing me anxiety or stress each day, I prioritize decluttering that space the first chance I get. This happens with areas like: beneath the kitchen sink, my cosmetic organizer/drawers, my closet and our pots/pans cabinets. When I feel myself getting anxious about even touching these areas, I know it's time. What I like about this approach is that the declutterring project is always instantly rewarding because I'm tackling something that was actually disrupting my day.
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Usually once a month/bi-monthly I do a full-home declutter, and each Sunday I do small decluttering projects. Specifically in the kitchen I've decluttered a lot by realizing that we really don't need a thousand kitchen gadgets! Tools, appliances, random containers, etc. Also, paper clutter was a big issue for me, but investing in file bins and having a designated place for mail to go is a great solution!
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I too like to declutter as I go. I'm always paring things down and looking for things to get rid of and create more space. I try to have a designated spot for everything I own and that helps. My biggest downfall though is paper. I've gotten better at it, but it's still a source of frustration for me. I tend to let it pile up too long before I go through it.
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I really do try to live by the "one in, one out" rule when shopping for things or bringing pieces into my home. But it is difficult if you like to shop for deals and see something that you just can't pass up but aren't sure exactly how you will use it in the long run. I guess you have to pick and choose your battles with that kind of thing. And I love having designated drop zones around the home, but especially by the doors. So that way at least the clutter is contained until you have the time to address it!
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Hello @VivH, I do the same thing. Perhaps we could have a pace/thread somewhere here where we (and others) post what we have decluttered that day, to keep each other accountable?
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I cleaned out the fridge last night and threw a lot of old leftovers, cheese and dead vegetables away and it gave me so much joy. :)
All the while cooking a little dinner..1 -
I believe a lot of clutter exists because there isn't enough room for the important stuff to be put away - the "away" is bloated with crap so the keepers have no home. So you have to keep things pruned to ensure there's space for the keepers. Only you can choose what the metric is to decide an item's value, but once you do, you have to stick to it or the whole thing flips.
I also have a ruthless policy against bringing things into the house to begin with.
Mail gets sorted and the crap discarded directly into recycling the moment I step into the house (bin is by the door). The keepers are brought right into my office and dealt with at soonest opportunity.
Clothing, home goods, etc. only get bought to replace something that is finally being donated or discarded.
Freebies/samples are only kept if they will be used. If I try something and don't like it, it gets given away to someone else or discarded as appropriate.
I don't keep things just because they were important to a departed loved one. This is hard but I know my meemaw wouldn't want me to grudgingly use her dark, ornate, heavy Victorian side tables just because they were hers. I find new homes for them where I know they'll be properly appreciated.
I only keep as much bedding, towels, etc as is reasonable, which I define as 3 sets of sheets and 1 set of seasonally-appropriate blanket/duvet/etc for each season, per bed.
I only buy as much as I need at any time - no big purchases or backstock maintained. It just fills up the house.
I only buy electronic media unless the book, magazine, newspaper I want is only available in physical format. If I get a magazine or paper in physical format, it is recycled immediately after I finish with it.
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Any which way I can.
I’m often busy and tired, so longer decluttering sessions are rare for me. If I notice an expired condiment in the fridge, it gets dumped out (and I’ll check a few other expiration dates while I’m at it). If I spot something in my closet that I don’t plan to use again, it gets listed for sale as soon as I have five minutes for pictures.
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hi @VivH! what a great question. as I was reading the comments, it was really inspiring as I don't have a "decluttering method" just yet. sometimes, I'll be scrolling on TikTok and will see a super clean, minimalist home and that immediately jumpstarts my urge to clean.
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I've hoarded much over my life, but my issue is I think it's worth money. So that's why I hang on to items, even when I don't use them. So I've donated things to my Buy Nothing group, another place that accepts items for art work, and a thrift store that donates to animal shelters. It has helped a bit, but have to keep up with doing more. I would love to do an online auction, but not sure how to implement that.
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One of my biggest tricks for decluttering - adhere to your space limits!
If I'm shopping and I want something, and I can't think of where in my apartment it will fit, then I don't buy it. If I still really want the item, then I make myself get rid of another item to make space for it. It's all about prioritizing what you truly want vs. impulse buys.
This works for closet, kitchen, office, etc. If something comes in, something goes out.
If I have a space that's feeling cluttered, then it's time for a bigger purge. Once and awhile I'll tackle a single drawer or shelf, and twice a year I go through my closet for longer term maintenance.
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My parents died and I lived the closest, so I have many boxes of their sentimental items. Siblings live far away and are uninterested. I keep trying, but find it so hard to go through (they’ve been deceased for several years now too). I am trying to clear out several items each day from the bedroom these are stored in. One day it may be my item, another my parents’. Goals….
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Each month I have a few areas in the house I want to tackle, like for this month it’s my file drawers, nightstands, and linen cabinets. I add these to my weekly ‘to do’ list and whenever I have a few minutes in my day I know exactly what to do with those few minutes. Say the dryer is going to be done in 10 minutes, I know I can’t go through my whole file drawer in 10 minutes, but I definitely can go through at least 5 files in the 10 minutes.
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All your comments remind me that decluttering is a serious pursuit — and a difficult one. I declutter in my head all the time, but the minute I hold that thing that I need to get rid of, I am burdened with second, third, fourth thoughts. I try to leap in those times when I "can't stand it" anymore, and the results are very satisfying. Other times I fantasize that I am moving. Would I take this with me, yes or no?
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Well, gee — I've read tons of books about decluttering, and I love them; I feel better just from reading the book. Of course, doing the work is a different animal entirely! Some of my favorite decluttering ideas:
- For clothes, ask yourself, "Where am I going?" Think about your current and future life. Then ask the garment, "Are you going with me?" This helps you decide if the garment has value in your current life, not your past. (This principle applies to other things besides clothes.)
- There's a difference between an item having value and an item having value FOR YOU. Almost every item has some value. But are you really using it/enjoying it now? It's hard to get rid of things if you think about the value you're losing; but it's easier if you realize they have no value in your current life and are actually clogging things up.
- Empty space has value too.
- A decorative surface, like, say, a dresser top, should have a maximum of 3 decorative objects on it. A work surface, like a kitchen counter, should have zero objects on it. This concept was eye-opening for me. I learned that just because something is pretty doesn't necessarily mean it's OK to display it; you can have too many pretty things. (And of course one can debate the 3-item limit; the point is that the number should be limited.) And I didn't believe I could empty my kitchen counters totally, but when I tried, it turned out I could. (At least, the space where I do the most work.) I was astonished.
- You can gradually warm up to the idea of getting rid of specific objects. I liken the process to soaking dishes to loosen the food on them, so that eventually washing them is much easier. You think, "I don't actually use that tabletop fountain I made in a class ages ago. I could give it away." My first reaction is a pang — "No! I love that thing!" But I walk around with the idea for a while. I imagine the space without the thing in it. I gradually realize that I'd never miss the thing if it was gone. And finally I deaccession it. Sometimes you can make a snap decision, and sometimes you have to live with the idea for a while before you can act on it. Either way is fine.
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