A guide to decluttering your home

Whether you’re preparing for an upcoming move or just looking to simplify your space, there’s no time like the present to minimize clutter in your home. But messy homes don’t just pose an organizational challenge — for many Americans, clutter is also a serious source of stress and anxiety. 

If you’re unsure how to declutter your home, there are a number of easy tips you can implement to get your space in better shape. Taking action today will make life so much easier for you and your family — and your home will be closer to market-ready if that’s your goal.

Why you should declutter your home

While it’s common to set big goals for home organization or improvement at the start of a new year, there’s really no wrong time to choose to cull unnecessary possessions from your home.

One of the reasons people find it difficult to keep their spaces organized is that they have too much stuff and too few designated places for it all to go. By spending time carefully considering what you really need and what is getting in your way, you’ll be able to make space for the possessions that add value to your life and find a new home for the things that aren’t working for you any longer.

It may seem overwhelming at first, but by dedicating the time to examining your space and determining what you truly have use and room for, you’ll be able to see clearly where fat needs to be trimmed. And once you’ve eliminated the unnecessary stuff and made room for all the rest, you’ll have a much easier time staying organized going forward.

How to declutter your home

If you regularly find yourself overwhelmed by messes in your home, it’s time to make a change. Unfortunately, even after you’ve identified that you want to do so, it can be difficult to actually know how to declutter your home. Here are some tips to get you started on your journey to a simpler, more functional space:

1. Start small‍

Rather than thinking of this project as a top-down, whole-house initiative, break things down into smaller, more manageable tasks. By identifying small areas that need attention, like a bedroom closet, a kitchen junk drawer, or a guest room that’s become a walk-in storage space, you can more quickly cross tasks off your list and see real progress. This will inspire you to continue in your effort to declutter your home.

2. Put like objects together

‍If you’re having trouble keeping a particular area neat, it may be because things aren’t where they belong. Consider where you’re storing your objects and if they may make more sense elsewhere. When something is in its most practical location alongside other items needed for similar tasks or projects, you’re likely to find them more easily when you need them and have an incentive to put them back where they belong once you’re done with them.

3. Find new homes for things you don’t use

For many of us, it can be hard to get rid of objects that are still in good condition. This means we fill precious space with clothes we don’t wear and items we don’t use, just because we don’t want to throw them away. Thankfully, there is an alternative — rather than making life work around these things, consider selling or donating them to someone who actually needs them so you can create more room in your home for the things you love.

4. Create systems that work for you‍

Once you’ve cut down on clutter in a space, consider how you could best organize what’s left in a way that will work for you and your family. Then find boxes, drawers, or bins that will bring that system to life. Don’t overthink this — organizational influencers online make elaborate systems seem essential, but buying organizational items in bulk may wind up being counterproductive to your decluttering mission.

5. Be flexible and iterative‍

There is no single correct way to organize a home — you’ll only have it right once things are working well for your family. That means you won’t find the perfect roadmap to organization online, and you may have to make changes after you’ve crossed tidying an area off your to-do list. Be patient with yourself and your family as you work to declutter your home, and check back in a few weeks after a space is “done” to ensure it’s working for your lifestyle.

At its core, decluttering is about making your home as comfortable and practical as possible — and that means something different for everyone. Be patient as you figure out the ideal methods and habits for how to declutter your home, and don’t get defeated if it doesn’t stick on your first try. Get curious about why a system may not work for you, and be creative in finding a resolution that keeps your space looking and operating the way you want it to.

Decluttering your home before a move

While the above tips are great for individuals working to improve the look and feel of their lives within their current homes, those getting their houses ready to sell will likely need to take a different approach. If you’re decluttering with the purpose of simplifying the moving process, here are some tips to make your work easier and less stressful — and reduce the amount of clutter that follows you to your new home:

6. Start as soon as possible

‍The best way to decrease stress in a big move is to give yourself plenty of time to sort through your possessions, carefully choosing what you’ll bring with you and what you’ll do with the things you’re leaving behind. Decreasing the volume of your move can involve some difficult and emotional decisions — by starting early, you can ensure sentimental items you don’t want to bring with you are still able to find a great new home.

7. Pack as you go‍

Rather than decluttering your possessions, then going through them again as you pack, do both tasks simultaneously whenever possible. Plan out which categories can be packed well in advance — this may include things like books you don’t regularly use, decorative or sentimental objects, clothing that’s not in season, or home care items you won’t need before the move. Then pack up the things you decide to keep.

8, Check expiration dates

When packing up medicine cabinets, spice drawers, pantry goods, cleaning products, and other perishable items, be sure to check when they expire. Reducing the volume you bring with you in every category is a chance to save money and effort, but it’s especially important to ensure you aren’t bringing items into your new home that are already past their prime.

The amount you bring from one home to the next is entirely up to you, but make sure you’ve carefully considered whether or not the items you pack are functional, practical, and meaningful to you.

When you complete these three steps before your move, it can be much easier to complete the other five once you’ve arrived and settled in your new home.

Simplify your life by cutting back on clutter

Keep this in mind as you figure out how to declutter your home: comparing your space to the perfectly organized homes you see online will likely leave you feeling defeated and behind. Decluttering your home is about making your life and space as simple, functional, and beautiful as possible so that you and your family are unburdened by the stress and frustration of a messy space. Set a realistic, manageable timeline for your decluttering project and plan for reassessment down the road to ensure things are supporting your lifestyle — and remember, this is a lifelong, ongoing process, not a one-and-done task.