Ready to declutter your house and keep it that way in less than an episode of The Crown? It sounds impossible but it’s not. After nearly a dozen moves across states and one big move to the UK, I know what it takes to keep the clutter down. I also know how easy it is to build it up and accumulate over years of collecting and holding on. But after an unmistakably fast move abroad, here are 6 tips on how to declutter your home and to keep it that way, too.
6 Tips On How To Declutter Your House
Why The Big One Matters
The words, decluttering, purge or spring cleaning, tend to send a message of an enormous project that will consume an entire weekend or more. And while that’s not entirely false, it also doesn’t have to be hard or as time-consuming as the idea suggests if you set up a system that works.
In fact, recently over dinner, I started to recommend to the family. “How about we spend the weekend – “ And that’s as far as I got before my husband put his head in his hands and sighed.
I asked him what was wrong and he said, “You’re going to suggest we spend the entire weekend doing a house purge.”
While I always find the idea of an organization project appealing, it wasn’t at all what I was going to say. The truth is, after moving to the UK, we don’t really need one.
Why?
It’s all about staying on top of the clutter once you’ve accomplished that first big one. And that’s something our family has been able to do, whether they realize it or not. Here’s how.
1 – Get Buy-In
First and foremost, get your family bought into the idea of decluttering the house and keeping it that way. If you’ve already done a big purge and now just looking to maintain, then it’s probably fairly easy to gain buy-in.
But if it’s your first time and not really sure how to declutter or why you should bother, consider these:
- A thorough house purge now is one less thing to do later if moving is in your future.
- Less clutter, less stress.
- Less clutter, less picking up to do and more time back in your day.
- You’re helping others in need. This one is HUGE. Let every family member weigh in on the type of organization to support. Nothing gains buy-in more than rallying behind a cause – even for children.
- You can claim donations on USA taxes. (If filing USA taxes, of course.). Always refer to a valuation sheet, like this Goodwill valuation guide, to properly file the claim. Make sure to collect a receipt at drop-off.
- Less clutter means a more eye-appealing home. After all, who doesn’t love a nice and tidy house!
2 – Have Supplies Ready
Once there is buy-in to declutter the house, make sure certain supplies are on hand before getting started.
- Bags/boxes – use to drop-off donations
- Tape
- Markers – use to mark boxes (and itemize if collecting a receipt in the USA)
- Plastic storage bags – great for storing small things that go together that will be donated
- Bins/bags – use to put in closets or areas to be designated as the “donation bag”
- Containers for storage (best container deal I’ve found in the UK)
- Multi-colored sticky notes
Sticky notes are my favorite tool for decluttering a house. Use different colors to indicate if the item is a donation or trash. We nearly used the entire rainbow when moving to the UK (storage, air freight, ship container, trash, donation…).
Sticky notes work great for big, obscure items (wall art, mirrors, furniture). Before you toss the recliner without chatting with your partner, slap on a sticky note first and gain alignment.
3 – Go Room By Room Or Start With The Easy 6
If you’re going for a thorough house purge, then certainly go room by room. But if you’re just trying to get a handle on things and not spend the entire weekend doing it, try these 6 easy categories:
Magazines and Flyers – They accumulate in living rooms, bathrooms, kitchens and bedroom nightstands. Quickly check the date and toss anything you no longer read.
Shoes – If there are kids in the house then this is one category that is easy for kids to participate.
Toys – Let the kids contribute toys that they don’t play with anymore. Remind them of the organization they chose to support. 😉
Old Packaging – You know what I’m talking about, right? The box the coffee machine arrived in just case there is an issue and it might need to be returned in the original box. We were packaging hoarders in the States, but we’ve gotten much better about that in the UK. Less space, less waste. It all mostly goes in recycling and occasionally a few make the basement, but that gets a look over regularly as well. Don’t forget the basement!
Toiletries and Bathroom Related – Make-up, lotions and everything else accumulated on all those flights (if you or your partner travel for work) clutter bathrooms. Take a trash bag and regularly check dates and toss. Donate flight kits to the homeless.
Paperwork – Unless you’re a millennial or tree hugger (I can say that because I used to live in Oregon), you likely save all sorts of paperwork. Take old checkbooks and old bank statements to your bank, where they confidently destroy for you. To keep paper documentation to a minimum, go digital.
If tackling closets, clothes and everything else that gets hidden behind those doors or drawers are top of mind, then go for it. Otherwise, create a system and do it over time.
4 – Create A System
To prevent spending a whole day tucked away in every closet of the house trying to decide whether to keep or toss, set up a “donation bin” in every space in the house that is likely to collect unwanted things.
Put the donation bin in an obvious place but not where it will attract attention. After all, the goal is a clutter free house.
Popular areas include bedroom closets, utility room or entry room.
Rather than put tossed shoes back in the same place (closet, entryway, or wherever they are typically kicked off), not signaling to you that they no longer fit, have holes or whatever issue, kids can now place their old shoes in a “donation bin”.
The same thing goes for clothes. Put a donation bag or bin in the every bedroom closet. If it doesn’t fit, it goes in the bag. When the bag is full, it’s time to drop off.
For adults, the decision to keep or toss clothes is harder. With cyclical trends, I’m always nervous about it coming back in style. And for that reason, I go with a 12-month rule versus the standard 6 months one. But as I’m trying to decide what to wear, rather than put something back that simply doesn’t look good on me, I don’t like or have passed over for 12 months, it goes in the donation bin. My husband does, too!
5 – Drop Off
Once the decluttering is complete or a donation bag is full, don’t wait to drop it off. Go through the bag quickly to toss out items that aren’t in good condition and then get rid of the donations right away. Holding onto the items just means the clutter is in one heap somewhere in the house. It also means that you might change your mind.
Drop off that same day or the next day. Don’t allow the stuff to creep back into your house or your life.
6 – Maintain
Set up the system to make it easy to identify unwanted things so that it’s no longer one big event but one continuous upkeep. Refer to the first tip as a reminder of the benefits for a clutter-free house. And if you stay on top of things, you’ll never have to give up an entire weekend again!
Results Over Time
If a weekend purge is your families worse nightmare, then do it over time. Tackle the easy 6. Create a system. These tips on how to declutter your house will get you there. Over time you’ll feel and see the results. So don’t wait for a big event like a big move to declutter the house. Start freeing your life today.
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