I have a system to keep my home clean, and in recent months, I have been hyper-focused on organizing and decluttering. I recently wrote about how I stay organized as a working mom. As I shared in that article, I have a fairly comprehensive organizational system that keeps everything moving forward as it needs to. I believe in: outer order, inner calm.
It all started when I began to follow a few new accounts on Instagram focused on living with less. And for someone who loves to have everything organized, the art of decluttering – and thus having less – was exactly what I needed. With that, here is how I keep my home clutter-free and organized.
Everything Needs a Place
In my opinion, the most impactful way to keep your home clutter-free is to ensure that everything – I mean everything – has a place. While some of the online inspiration can be a little much for everyday life, I do believe that consistent use of containers, storage bins, and organizers can help a lot. As you move through your home, make sure everything has its place. If it doesn’t have one? Consider whether you really need it (and if you don’t, get rid of it). If it’s important, find it a permanent home.
Create A De-Cluttering Process
Every week, I note which areas of my house I’m going to declutter/organize. I estimate how long it’ll take me (and I challenge myself to stick to that amount of time). While some methods say you must do your entire house at once, that doesn’t often work for moms with kids at home. So, I go space by space, over and over. Here’s an example. I recently decluttered my medicine cabinet (a 20-minute project). First, I took every single item out of the closet and onto the bathroom floor. Then, I sorted by type – face products in one pile, makeup in another, bath products in another, and so on. After that, I looked for products that I no longer use/like/need, and put them in a “get rid of” pile, to sort through later. Then, I considered the space and made a plan for where everything would go. I had some bins/containers already, but if I didn’t, I would go onto the Target App and immediately buy the ones that would be most helpful. Next, I cleaned the cabinet, put things back in, and made sure everything had a place. And finally? It looked amazing!
Feel Good About Letting Go
For many, one of the hardest parts of decluttering is getting rid of things you no longer need or want. I personally find it hardest when something was gifted to me, was expensive, or was something I used to love. I put things into the following categories, to make it easier to let go:
- Gives: For items that are still great quality and I think someone else would love, I give to a friend or post on my local Buy Nothing page. It feels good knowing that even if I no longer need something, it’ll go to someone else who will love it.
- Recycling: Like many, I really try to reduce my impact on the environment by recycling everything that I can. Check with your town to see when there are specialty item recycling days. Consider using a service like TerraCycle if you have a lot of things to get rid of.
- Clothing: Getting rid of clothes can be especially hard. I usually use ThredUP with the hopes of making a little cash from my unwanted clothes and knowing they’ll be donated if not.
- Trash: Some things just need to be thrown out. I try to minimize the things that go into the trash (hello, landfills) but if it can’t be recycled or given away, don’t hold on to it – get rid of it.
- “TBD”: For the items that you think you want to get rid of, but are particularly nostalgic about – put them in a box in the basement. If you’re still thinking about it in six months, grab it and find a place. If not? Let it go.
A Note On Kids Toys
Decluttering the kids’ toys might just be the hardest part. If you have young kids, make sure to do any decluttering (read: getting rid) of toys while they are not present. If they’re older, engage them in the process – one of the reasons I’m so good at organizing is that my mom instilled it in me growing up. For toys, always try to give to someone else – I start with offering to family/friends, posting on Buy Nothing, or selling (if it was expensive/is in great shape).
Schedule Maintenance
No matter how well you declutter and organize, things will inevitably build up. Create a few tasks each week to stay on top of each area. I think about whether I have 2 minutes, 5 minutes, 20 minutes, or longer – and then tackle areas accordingly. I usually focus on visual clutter first, followed by the more intense projects, and wrap it up with the easy things. That builds momentum and allows for a de-cluttering process that will stick.
