Decluttering is that one task that never ends, isn’t it? Well, in this post, I’m going to tell you the 6 secrets to get it done once and for all! (Okay, maybe not for all, but definitely for the most part!) Before we dive in, here is something to keep in mind.
Your home is YOUR space. Meaning, you are the one who interacts with the space (and whoever is living with you, could be a roommate, spouse or your dear pet.) So whatever decluttering and beautifying you do in this space will only be effective if it is tailored to accommodate your comfort and habits. If not, it’ll just go back to exactly how it was before! Don’t worry, we are here to show you how to do just that!
Let’s get into those 6 steps, shall we?
1. Solve by Categorizing the Clutter
For this, we need to first notice what type of things contribute to clutter in what areas of the home. Is there a pile of shoes by the door? Or a pile of makeup scattered on that table in the bedroom? If a group of items all serving the same purpose keep appearing in the same place where they are not supposed to be…that means that’s exactly where they are supposed to be!
Those things are there because that’s where it is most comfortable for you to access them when and how you need them. Irrespective of what other beautiful space you assign to them, after a few days, these things are going to be back right here!
But we can definitely make them look like not-clutter. Just put a holder/stand right there. Crumbled paper piles up next to your desk? Place a dustbin there. Makeup scattered over the dressing table? Keep an open makeup bag there. Books all over the table? Keep a small book rack on the table as shown below. Easy, right?
2. Pay Special Attention to Cords and Cables
All it takes to make the cleanest room appear messy is a tangled cable wire on the floor. But getting rid of this kind of clutter can be a bit tricky. Every electronic gadget we use needs charger cables. And it’s very easy to get them to turn themselves into an entangled mess. On top of that, you risk tripping over them if they aren’t properly put away.
The best way to eliminate the cable problem is to define a straight path for them close to a wall. Identify the place at home where you are most likely to use them. Then define a path for the cable from the nearest plug point to where it is supposed to connect. Make sure that the path you define is as close to the wall and as straight as possible at all times to avoid tangling.
You can use some of these cute little cable holders for fixing this path.
3. Keep the Walls Clean
The walls can either make or break a room. If there is dirt on the walls, no matter how clean and orderly the rest of the room is, it’s just going to look messy at first glance. Try to get rid of any dirt or nails or marks left by nails previously driven into the wall. Also, try not to have any lines of a different color running across the walls. This will make the rooms look smaller and more cluttered than they really are. Same goes for the floorboards.
4. Color Coordination is Key
The color of all the furniture and accessories in a room can either make it look put together or messy and unkempt.
If you have a dark wooden panel flooring, and then tables of a different shade of brown, and then an even more different lighter shade of brown for curtains, that room is never going to look put together. In fact, the room could be next to empty and it still looks “unharmonious”, which our brain interprets as clutter.
5. Get Rid of Things That Attract Clutter
Just get rid of everything you don’t need! Easy, right? Not exactly. This step is going to be the hardest, but most crucial one in the decluttering process. The more thoroughly you do this, the longer your home will stay without clutter.
The things that attract clutter are sometimes the same as things you don’t need or want. If there is a chocolate wrapper on the table, tomorrow, other small things that you didn’t notice are getting under and around it. If there is one plastic bag laying around somewhere, a few more are going to come join it. Not to mention the dust, or worse, insects, they attract. These small things are like magnets that attract more clutter.
One key feature is that they are right in your sight but can block other smaller things from your sight. Another is that they are so easy to get rid of, that you don’t do it! “Too easy! I could do it anytime, so why bother doing it now”.
Get rid of them as fast and as thoroughly as you can!
6. Seal the Deal
So we have gotten rid of all the junk and our home looks great now! But how do we ensure that it stays the same as it is now? Remember that we have not gotten enough time yet to get used to all these changes. And if don’t soon, it’ll go back to its initial state before we can!
We can train ourselves to get used to the new pleasant changes faster by incorporating something very pleasant and noticeable.
A cute looking home fragrance or some pleasant, soft sounding wind chimes can do the trick. But make sure you give sufficient space to place these new additions so that smaller objects don’t collect around it building clutter, without you noticing.
That's It!
Now go ahead and implement these changes for a neat, beautiful home for the year!
Thanks for reading!
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