Start With A Decluttering Session 

If you’re serious about keeping your home clutter-free, the first thing you have to do is tackle the clutter you’ve got there right now – and there’s sure to be some, otherwise you wouldn’t want to keep the place clutter-free in the future. A decluttering session is what you need, and a decluttering session is what you should do, so pick a day or a weekend and dedicate some time to decluttering your entire home, room by room. 

Firstly, go through each room one at a time, otherwise, you’re going to feel completely overwhelmed and no matter how good your intentions are, you’re going to give up before you get anywhere (that’s probably what’s happened before). As you go through everything, sort it all into four categories (keep, donate, sell, and toss) and be honest with yourself about what belongs where – do you really need it or is it just taking up space? 

It’s a good idea to create a system so you make a habit of sorting through your home twice a year or so, and in that way, you’re not going to let the clutter build up too much again – you can essentially nip it in the bud. Remember, as hard as decluttering can be, it’s really all about making space for the things you love and need, so don’t feel guilty about letting go of items that no longer serve you. 

Develop A ‘One In, One Out’ Rule

One of the easiest ways to prevent clutter from getting too hard to handle between decluttering sessions is to follow the one in, one out rule. In other words, for every new item you bring into your home, make sure you remove one that you no longer need. In that way, you’ll always have the same amount of stuff, no matter what you buy. 

And the great thing about this is that it can work for anything you buy, whether it’s clothing, books, kitchen gadgets, posters, throw pillows, or anything else. Of course, if you’re specifically collecting something, that’s different – that’s a hobby that needs to be kept separate (although still under control and tidy), but for everything else, if you’re able to follow this simple rule, you’ll quickly know your home can stay tidy and you’ll be able to make more sensible purchases because if you know you have to get rid of something to buy whatever it is you’re tempted by, you can decide whether it’s worth it or not. 

Create Functional Storage Spaces 

Sometimes clutter happens because things don’t have a proper place to live, and if you want to stay organized, you need to make sure that’s not the case – everything needs to be stored somewhere. And the more functional your storage spaces are, the easier it is to remember to use them and keep your home tidy at the same time. 

One idea is to use baskets, bins, or shelves (or all of the above) because they’re perfect for everything from books to toys and so on. If you’re using bins, make sure you label them so you can find things easily when you need them, otherwise you’re going to find your storage solutions aren’t so functional after all, and when they stop being convenient, you’ll stop using them and the house will get messy again. 

It’s also worthwhile thinking about the vertical space in your home – can you use that to give you more storage in any way? Again, shelves are useful here, but you can also use hooks so you can hang things off the ground if it makes sense. And then there’s hidden storage like ottomans with built-in compartments or coffee tables with drawers; these are fantastic and really helpful if you want to make your living room look not just clutter-free but modern and attractive too. 

Use The ‘Daily Reset’ Method 

It’s easy for clutter to build up during the day as we go about our lives, and the more that goes on, the worse it’s going to get. So, if you want to stop it all from getting out of control, start having a ‘daily reset’ before bed (or earlier in the evening if you prefer – if you do it when you’re ready, that makes the most sense). 

This means spending just 10 to 15 minutes tidying up at the end of each day, and putting everything that’s come out of storage and been left where it was used back where it belongs. The key is to pick a time that works for you and then do it every day so it becomes a habit. And, if you live with other people, get them all involved – if everyone tidies their own stuff during the daily reset, it’s going to make things much quicker and easier all round. 

Use Outside Storage

Sometimes you just don’t have the space you need to store everything you need to, no matter how much you might want to tidy up, and when that’s the case, it’s well worth searching for 24 hour storage units near me so you can take the things you don’t need in your home but also don’t want to get rid of and keep them somewhere safe. 

It could be your collection or collections, as we mentioned above, or maybe it’s seasonal stuff like Halloween and Christmas decorations. It could be sentimental items that you don’t have a place for but that you simply can’t throw out (especially if you want to give them to your kids or grandchildren one day), or even stock for your business (although it does depend on what it is – check the rules of the storage facility first). 

When you store this stuff away in a safe, secure, accessible unit, you can get to it whenever you want, and it won’t take up any space in your home, so it’s the best solution a lot of the time.