Do you find yourself sitting in your house feeling… totally overwhelmed? Or have you thought about getting a storage unit for some of your crap just so you don’t have to look at it anymore? Save yourself the expense and sanity and hop to it! I took my own advice and decluttered/organized my entire house, top to bottom. This was no easy feat! It took me two full weeks just to get all that done (while I worked full time of course.) When I’d get home in the evenings, I’d spend a couple hours tackling something – anything – to get it checked off the list. I went room by room and gave it all my love. The feeling of accomplishment is not worthy of words. I feel amazing, my home feels like home, and believe it or not… I am way more productive with all the other stuff I’ve been wanting to do! Here are a few things that can help you get started:
- Get rid of your “junk drawers”. I don’t know about you, but I had a couple of them. Find homes for all the contents…one drawer at a time. Trash the stuff that needs to be trashed, get a box going for the donations, find or create appropriate homes for things…and move on to the next drawer during your next opportunity.
- Tackle that closet! I had stuff I hadn’t worn in years. Why? Take your pick: It didn’t fit anymore, it was out of style, it didn’t match anything else, it got wrinkled all to hell every time I washed it, it was uncomfortable, it was missing a couple buttons… Whatever the case may be, either get rid of it or fix it (in the case of the missing buttons for the one shirt I still loved.)
- Papers, papers, and more papers… Get a filing cabinet if you don’t already have one, or go through all the papers in your current filing cabinet if you can’t possibly squeeze one more thing in there! Get rid of old receipts, statements, taxes older than 7 years, and just the good ol’ collection of papers you *thought* you’d do something with eventually. Let’s face it…you’re not going to do anything with those!
- Be sure to get a paper shredder (with cross-shredding) to ensure no one steals your personal info! You can also take your stack somewhere with shredding services. Just Google it and you’re bound to find a business close by who can take the problem off your hands for a wee tiny price.
- Cabinets. Oh my, my… If your Tupperware collection looks anything remotely like mine did, you will be using the containers, but with plastic wrap covering them in the fridge because you can’t find a matching lid to save your life. Take them all out and pair them up! Donate the containers you don’t need and trash the junk. And there is something to be said about the pie and pastry maker that had NEVER been used (and I didn’t foresee it ever being used!) Donated. Rusty cake pans…tossed. Thirty-six mis-matched random coffee cups…donated (the 10 matching ones remain!) All the wine tasting glasses I got for free with logos on them…buh-bye. Seriously – it’s time to go through it and get rid of stuff. Ahhhh….feels SO good!
- Clean out the fridge and freezer. You KNOW there is a science experiment growing in there somewhere, or something that’s so freezer burned that you’re not sure what it actually is. Time to go. Wipe everything out, get it organized, toss out the condiments that are from 2001, and breathe freely from your stellar accomplishment.
After you’ve tackled those items, you’ll be on a roll! You’re going to WANT to do the rest of the house after you see how fantastic decluttering your life is. Make time for the important stuff – and not feel like you’re constantly behind. It’s amazing what a little cleaning therapy can do.
– Mrs. Clean Kim
