Declutter Your Home Checklist: 10 Ideas to Simplify Your Space

Get Organized for the New Year

The benefits of decluttering your home are manyfold. It makes your home more pleasant to be in. It makes things easier to find. It makes your home easier to clean. It brings the focus back to your home itself instead of all the clutter inside. It quiets the senses. It can even improve airflow in your home.

So, how to declutter your home? We all have good intentions, but when it comes to getting the job done, it’s easy to get sidetracked. That’s why the New Year is the perfect time to assess your clutter and give yourself a clean slate for the year ahead. While it’s cold in Mason City, this is the perfect time to organize your home and free yourself to get out and play this summer.

Before You Start

Take a moment to ask yourself why you have a hard time letting things go. Often, it’s simply because we forget we have them. Then there’s the emotional attachment to items that we don’t use or need but were a source of joy in the past or remind us of someone special. And finally, there’s the guilt — it was a gift from your mother or something you thought you had to have, spent too much money on, and then never used. (Hiding it in your closet another year won’t help you or anyone else.)

Decluttering isn’t about getting rid of things; it’s about gaining the freedom to put your home and your time to better use.

Gird yourself with the resolve to do the job, the knowledge that simpler is better, and a few easy decluttering ideas that will make your home look and feel better in no time.

1. Gather your decluttering tools

Before you start, come prepared with bags or bins defined for the decluttering process. Begin with “To Be Put Away,” then “To Be Repaired or Mended,” “Recycle,” “To Be Donated,” and “Trash.” One more to add that may give you more incentive — “Sell.” Realizing that you could make a little money when you declutter your home can make it more fun. But keep in mind that selling your items can also take work. If you’re not looking for another project, donate them instead and enjoy the tax write-off.

2. Focus! Start decluttering one room at a time

Before you begin to organize your home, make a list of the rooms or closets that need the most attention. It’s easy to get distracted while trying to declutter. One idea leads to another; before you know it, you’ve wandered away from the area in question. Resolve to tackle that one room or an area of a room. Listen to a playlist of your favorite tunes to make the task less grueling, and dive in.

3. Set a firm decluttering time

As nice as it would seem to devote an entire day or weekend to decluttering, that plan rarely pans out. We tend to lose interest, get frustrated, or get distracted after an hour or two. So set a day, a time, and a place to start with an hour’s worth of commitment. When you’re done, set up another appointment with yourself to tackle another space. Even if you only get a bathroom drawer decluttered, the result will inspire you to devote another hour tomorrow.

4. Don’t overthink the decluttering process

Remember, removing what you don’t want or need helps you to find or see the items you do want and need. Be a little ruthless in your mission.

Seriously, what do you own that couldn’t be replaced later if you find you can’t live without it? There will always be more knickknacks for your home, another sale on sweaters, another koozie cup or water bottle from an event — you get the idea. Yes, there are many things of sentimental value, but it doesn’t mean they have to be held onto forever. Consider if someone else might appreciate it or find a better use for it.

You may want to seek support for your task. Let a friend without an emotional attachment help you decide what makes the cut. You could make a party out of it. A glass of wine could put things in proper perspective.

5. Does it really need to go, or just be reorganized?

Decluttering doesn’t necessarily mean removal. A lot of decluttering is simply putting things away where they belong, so think about how you are currently storing items and what might be improved.

If you’re lucky enough to have extra storage spaces like a garage, basement, or attic, use these places to store items you may only use once a year. (Don’t use this as an excuse to clutter these places.) Decluttering one cabinet may give you room to place items from decluttering another space. Yes, it can be an endless cycle, but bear in mind that when you give your clutter a proper space to be stored, it’s no longer considered clutter.

You may want to invest in baskets, bins, drawer organizers, shelves, or perhaps even large storage cabinets for your garage or basement. Closet organization systems can make a huge impact on your storage space. And don’t forget that under-bed storage containers are great for extra bedding, clothing, or toys.

6. Out of season, out of sight

With our Mason City climate, it’s unlikely you will be needing your summer clothes, toys, and sports equipment during the winter months. Storing these things in an out-of-the-way closet or in bins or on a rolling clothing rack in your basement may be a good solution to simplifying bedroom closets so you can easily see your favorite winter items and exchange them as seasons change.

If you have a mudroom or sunroom, organize it with baskets or bins for gloves, hats, scarves, etc., so each person in the family can put them on and off at the door instead of scattering them through the house.

It’s also good to have a space or container designated for once-a-year holiday décor, picnic, and party items.

7. Channel your inner Marie Kondo

We’ve all heard the organizational mantra, “Does it spark joy?” Well, does it? As you consider each item, ask yourself if it adds to your life, your pleasure, your ease of living, or does it just take up space. Your home should be all about you and those who share it with you. If you’re holding onto your great-grandmother’s serving dish, ask yourself would that dish spark her joy if she was serving dinner in it tonight? And if you still can’t part with it, put it on display, put a plant in it, but don’t let it just clutter a cabinet or a closet.

8. The drawer dump

The best way to get your drawers organized is to simply dump them out on a flat surface, like a towel on your bed. Then clean out the crumbs, lint, hair, or gunk from the drawer bottom and begin replacing only the things you want and use. Did you keep that little shampoo bottle from your last hotel visit? Then use it now, toss it, or put it in your travel bag. Organize drawers so that the items you use the most are in the top drawers, and those you don’t use often go in the bottom (or out the door!).

9. Digitize paperwork and photos

If you have piles, files, and drawers of paperwork or shelves and boxes of old photo albums, make a clean sweep of everything you don’t need or want. Even paperwork for taxes can be thrown away after three years. Get out your phone and snap anything you think you need and save it in your digital files.

Take phone pics of old photos and toss the moldy albums. You can even edit them to look better. (Your Aunt Bessie will be pleased.) Pick out a few priceless gems to frame and hang in a grouping on a wall to enjoy every day. A digital picture frame is a great solution to enjoy lots of photos without using lots of space in your home.

10. Once you’re done, repeat often

Decluttering your home is a never-ending battle, but the more you stay on top of the process, the easier it becomes. Maybe declare a monthly or quarterly “Declutter Day.” Get the whole family involved and give a prize to whoever makes the most impressive progress. It could lead to a lifetime of keeping clutter away. You may even think twice before you buy that next decorative item or bottle of “interesting” hot sauce.

Your friends at Window World of Mason City are here to give your home the love it deserves. Now that you have it clutter free, think of those exterior remodeling projects that can help show off your work. Let’s discuss a new entry door to welcome guests or windows to bring sunshine into your tidy home. It all starts with a free in-home consultation. Schedule yours today.