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Steps
to De-clutter a Room
Has
clutter added up in a random room in your
house? Do you have a junk room where you
just place things anywhere, because you
don't have the time or the energy to decide
where they should go? If so, let's fix that.
The
cluttered room:
1)
Pick a day you have a lot of time
free. Then roll up your sleeves and go
through the clutter. It's great to do it
with a friend because you'll have someone to
talk to and, hopefully, egg you on to give
up things you hate to give up. "Barbara,
honestly that leg lamp might be funny, but
well, to be honest it's tacky. Since you're
not tacky you should get rid of it." Have
two piles. One pile is for things to keep.
The other pile, which should be bigger, is
for items that are out of date, unnecessary,
broken, or you really will never use.
You can give this stuff away or throw it
away. And/or have a garage sale. The
proceeds of which can go into your bank
account or towards a piece of furniture you
always wanted and have space for. If you
hate to part with an item, take a picture of
it and let it go. It's better to have an
album full of pictures of things you want to
remember, than a room full of stuff you will
never use that get in the way.
2)
Have a vision for the room for the
way you want it to look. Draw a picture of
this. Take measurements of furniture before
you move them around to make sure they fit
where you would like them to go. You might
find you don't need five arm chairs and two
sofas in the same room. Space things so that
people can move around freely. The room will
appear larger.
3)
If you have a batch of magazines and
hate to part with them because they have
pretty pictures or are expensive or useful
you can A) have only two rows on a bookcase
dedicated to your favorite, most resent
issues, and/or B) give the rest or all of
them away to your eye doctor, family doctor,
or if applicable your child's school (for
cut and paste projects). You will feel good
knowing others are enjoying them. But call
first and see if they would actually like
them.
4)
For items that you would like to keep
that don't fit in the room, put them in
boxes or big plastic bins. Remember to label
the boxes/bins so you'll know what's inside
them. You can store the bins on a shelf in
your garage or the attic. I personally like
plastic bins. They are more likely to keep
pesky rodents out. Plus, they keep the items
inside from getting wet. Either from rain
coming through the roof or from water on the
ground.
5)
If the room you are organizing is the
kitchen. Organize the drawers and cabinets
wisely. Put all cups and saucers on one
shelf in a cupboard. Have corresponding
salad and dinner plates on another shelf in
that same cupboard. All dinner silverware
should go in one drawer. If some don't fit,
and they're expensive or heirlooms, put them
in a dinning room drawer. The others get rid
of. And I mean it. How often do you have
thirty-three people over? Unless you have a
large family or are quite the socialite you
don't have a good reason to keep lots of
cheap mismatching silverware around. And if
you were a socialite you'd be using your
good silverware from the dining room drawer
anyhow. Keep utensils down to a minimum.
Look at the utensil. Do you ever use it? Do
you even know what it does? If no, release
it to the trash or another person who will
use it. Or even give it to charity.
6)
If you have receipts or other papers
you need or want to keep, put them in piles
with themes. Receipts for furniture. Work
receipts. Letters from friends. Pictures
kids painted. Use folders, shoe boxes (you
can ask your local shoe store for them) or
small plastic bins to put the corresponding
paperwork in. Stack the bins/shoe boxes in a
closet. The folders should go in a drawer or
a filing cabinet. You can always buy a
folder organizer to put in a bottom drawer
of a desk. That way you can have several
folders handy for other paperwork.
7)
After you organize the room, vacuum
the carpet or wash the floor. Plus, dust.
And wash the windows. Open them up and let
in fresh air. If the room is still musty
smelling, light a scented candle. Let it
burn for a couple of hours. (Place it away
from where children can get it or the dog
can knock it over. Also, never leave a house
with a burning candle inside.) If dust has
been gathering on the drapes/curtains, have
them cleaned or clean them yourself if you
can. Or treat yourself to new ones. Wait and
see how much money you make from the items
you plan to sell at the garage sale. Then
buy new drapes/curtains. |
