this & that: de-cluttering your home

It's been trending for quite some time now that cutting the clutter has become a high priority in how we want to live in our homes. We hear it every day “I don’t want a lot of things out on my counters”, “I would like to find a place for my…”, “a lot of this stuff I currently have, can go”, “that just collects dust and is hard to clean” and the beat goes on…and the beat goes on…

So, lets talk about cutting the clutter. There is a time and place for everything, right? Right! To start, there is a business model that you may have heard of that can be easily applied to this topic. It’s the mentality to “keep, kill, combine”.

Where do you hang out in the process of de-cluttering?

DENIAL – RESISTANCE – EXPLORATION – COMMITMENT

Where ever you are in this process, there are TRICKS for enjoying the de-cluttering process...

1. Don’t do the whole house at once. Unless you really want to take advantage of this COVID-19 Stay at home orders and have had your 10th cup of coffee…then by all means, let’s do this thang! But for everyone else, take it room by room, even if it takes you a year. You will create habits and be happier not overwhelming yourself with a whole house of things to go through.

2. Document it. It’s so satisfying seeing before and afters. AND post them because #1, you should be proud of yourself, #2, you may need a reminder of what you don’t want to go back to and #3, you will probably inspire someone to move and groove on their own declutter adventure.

3. Group your common collections and start your “keep, kill, combine” piles…YES, it will get worse before it gets better.

· Is it sedimental?

· is it out because you haven’t made a spot for it?

· is it necessary to keep?

· do you just simply like it and therefore want to keep it?

· do I have it out because of forgetfulness or because those 2 flights of stairs are so far to take it?

4. Unless you are a minimalist or even and extremist, give yourself some grace. There is balance to this too. Find inspiration online for your aesthetic because function can also be pretty and can offer some creative storage solutions. Sometimes it helps to hear…

· Nothing wrong with basic basement storage

· Furniture fixtures for extra storage

· Open containers can be cute

· Label like it’s your job

· Bite the bullet and add some built-ins

· Display those dotting items

· Behind closed doors IS a solution

· Make it easy for you to maintain

5. Add some art, plants and other elements that have intention and purpose. Remember that scale or placement some extra thought. I mean, we are still talking about decluttering and many times the root of how we got there was impulse purchasing to start with. Some negative space is GOOD design!

Some final thoughts…

-Don’t get rid of a junk drawer, just limit yourself to ONE. Junk drawers are a necessity.

-Don’t have cabinets up to the ceiling if you want an open space or display space.

-Add some wallpaper or contact paper to shelves or bottoms of drawers, DIY a wall design in the back of the closet so that when you open it, its still pretty and interesting to look at.

-There are stores and companies who’s sole existence is on helping you de-clutter and using creative solutions. You can find some easy items at your local dollar store too.

-Involve kiddos because you can certainly get double the benefits by not hearing “where’s the…?” if everyone knows where an items “HOME” is.

-If it makes you feel better than throwing something away, consider to donate, upcycle, reuse, repurpose, or hand down items to someone.