Entries Tagged 'Decluttering' ↓

There are just a few days left until that big day and it will be time to open all those fun, new gifts!   Then what?  You have to put them away by finding homes for all those new treasures.  Can you do it, do you have space available?  Space in the pantry for the food gift packs, chocolates and goodies?  Room in the bathroom for all those new stocking stuffer goodies-the lotions, bubble baths and scrubs?  Room in the drawer for the new, warm, fuzzy socks?  Room in the closet for the cute, new shirts?  What about the garage-new tools anyone? 

If the answer is no, then it’s time for a quick declutter session!  Don’t stress, just grab a big garbage bag for donation items and a second bag for garbage, then turn on some good, loud music!  Choose two areas of your home and spend 15 minutes in each area.  Make quick decisions here. 

Part with items that:

• You can’t remember when you used it last
• You don’t love or even like anymore
• It’s broken
• Duplicate items
• Clothing that doesn’t fit
• Clothing that doesn’t look good on you
• Clothing with rips, stains, tears
• Anything you just don’t have a use for anymore

Remember you have new items coming in and you want to have easy access to them.  You don’t want to have to shove them in with a bunch of stuff you don’t even use or want anymore.  Declutter in this way for the next few days and make space for the new treasures!

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Recently my mom had a nice photo taken of my kids.  So I ran to the store and bought a new  frame; I then tried to figure out where to put my new treasure.  Now in my house, I have decor but I don’t like to over do it.  I tend to set things up a certain way and like it that way.  When something new enters the picture, well, then it’s a process for me to figure out how I am going to move things around.  This time, WOW- it kicked off a total domino affect in my house.  Suddenly I wanted to declutter and change everything around!  Pictures came down.  Old stuff went out.  New stuff came in.

Enter the chair dilemma.  The glider above is a chair that I have had since my kids were born.  It was where they were rocked, fed and read to.  Could I get rid of it?  Well, for a long time I couldn’t let it go.  I wasn’t ready.  But suddenly it seemed too big for the space.  It seemed a bit outdated.  The color really wasn’t to my liking anymore.  Well, I have an interior design partner who always says, “It’s ok to let furniture go if it’s no longer serving your needs.”  Well, that’s where I was at.  This chair was no longer serving my needs.   I was no longer rocking babies and I really didn’t care for it much anymore. 

Enter the new chair from Ikea-a sleeker look, taking up less space and I love it!  The glider is now listed on craiglist so someone else can rock their baby now.  So, feel free to declutter your home of things that are no longer serving your needs and open yourself up to something new!

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The other day I bought myself a new set of flannel sheets, great for our rainy northwest winters!  As I took them out of the zippered, plastic bag so I could wash them, I thought about what I find all the time in client’s homes:  plastic bags and these same zippered bags from sheet and comforter sets.  I think people feel like they are sturdy and that they are going to come up with a use for them.  But they don’t.  And all these bags end up on floors and shoved in closets-empty. 

Follow these tips for decluttering bags from your home:

• Only keep a zippered, plastic bag if you have something to store in it right away.  Don’t just save them up.  They turn into clutter.
• As far as plastic bags from the store go, reuse them as much as possible by turning them into garbage sacks or take them back to the grocery store for recycling.  Most grocery stores have a recycle bin just for plastic sacks.
• Minimize your use of plastic bags from the store.  I have recently purchased some wonderful handled bags from Ikea and keep them in my trunk at all times.  I have a hard time remembering to grab them before I go into stores, but I am starting to get into the habit and soon it will be automatic.  I try to bring the bags into all stores like Target, not just the grocery store.

Part with plastic bags, improve your decluttering skills and help the environment too!

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To declutter your house, it means it’s time to get serious making decisions on what belongings to part with and what you find important to keep.  I haven’t worked with a client yet who didn’t have something to get rid of.  Actually, they always have lots of ’somethings’ to get rid of!  That’s why I’m there! 

When you are ready to tackle the decluttering process, be sure to bring all your labeled bags to the area where you are working so you aren’t running around the house.  Bring in a garbage bag or can, bring in a donation bag, recyle-whatever fits the situation for the area you are decluttering.  As you look at each item, do your best to make quick decisions and keep the flow going.  Try not to get hung up pondering on any one item for too long.  Usually once people are really ready to make progress and change their surroundings, the decisions come pretty easily.

If you don’t need it, use it or love it then it’s time to pass it on.  Donate it.   Give it away.  Make someone else happy enjoying what you no longer enjoy.  If it’s beyond use or repair, throw it away. 

Declutter your house quickly by making quick decisions and enjoying quick results!

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A common theme that I see when helping clients with their home organization projects is that they have way too many duplicate items.  Instead of one pencil holder on their desk or counter they have three.  How many pens can you really write with at one time?  And how many of them actually work?  Look in the drawer or caddy in your kitchen that holds kitchen tools.  How many wooden spoons do you have?  How about spatulas?  How many pancakes can you flip at one time?

When you are ready to declutter and get organized, then you have to take a real look at just how many of any one type of item you have.  The only clear way to do that is to place all the items of the same kind together.  Gather all those pens and see what you really have.  Place all those spatulas side-by-side, pull them out of all the different drawers they may be in.  Once you have them together in front of you, then you can see what kind of shape they are in and make your decisions on what to keep and what to part with.  If they are still in good condition, go ahead and donate the extras. 

Tackle home organization by parting with too many duplicates.  Keep what you really do need and use and be sure to keep the best of the best!

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Not only do we have to declutter our home from having excess stuff, we also have to declutter our calendars from being too full.  You can only be so many places at one time:  “one” and you can only do so many activities in one day.  With school beginning once again, it’s time to really look at what you are willing to take on.  There can be such a pull on our time and on often on our guilt with the many requests that come our way during the school year.   Just a few roles and duties that pop into my head:

• Classroom volunteering
• Art docent volunteering
• Field trip chaperone
• Room parent
• Party planning
• PTA
• And many more!

Sometimes it’s hard to say no because we tend to think that if we don’t say yes, no one else will step and everything will fall apart and it will be all our fault!  NO!  Only say yes because you:

1. Truly have the time
2. Truly have the passion for the project
3. Will remove something else from your schedule to make room if needed

Say no when you mean no.  No apologies, no excuses.  “No thank you, my plate is full, but I appreciate being considered.”  The end.  It may be hard.  That’s ok.  Doing too much and being stressed out is WAY harder on you and your family.  Practice and it will get easier. 

Declutter your time by only taking on what you really want to take on and let someone else who fits the bill take on the rest!

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You can get rid of clutter quickly in your home by following these easy steps:

First, choose an area that you would like to declutter.  My example today will be under your bathroom sink. 

• Bring into the bathroom:  a garbage can, a recyle bin and a donation box.
• Pull everything out from under your sink. 
• Place items of the same type together:  Body wash with body wash, shampoo with shampoo, lotion with lotion, etc.
• When you have items that are the  same type together, you will get the true picture of what you have on hand.

Next:

• Throw away any products that are obviously old, outdated, expired, don’t smell right or you just don’t like.
• If you can, rinse out the plastic bottles and recycle them.
• If you find that you have duplicate items, only keep them if you are sure you will use them.  If not, pass them on to someone you know or place them in the charity box.
• If you have half-used products of the same brand and fragrance, combine them into one container if possible to save space.  Recently I discovered I could do that with 2 half bags of cotton balls.

Finally:

• Store the items of the same type together so you can easily see how much you have on hand.  This will keep you from buying more at the store next time you are there.  You will remember that you already have plenty!

Stick with your project and get rid of clutter quickly and easily so you know what you have on hand!

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Here are a few easy tips on how to declutter your kid’s closets so everyone can find what they need and get out the door on time in the morning!  Sounds great doesn’t it?

Declutter tip # 1  Only keep the current size your child is wearing within easy reach.  Use storage bins with lids to store the future sizes.  Be sure to label the outside with child’s name and clothing sizes for easy retrieval.

Declutter tip # 2   Keep clothing at child’s level so they can reach in and pick out their own clothing.

Declutter tip # 3  Keep a box at the bottom of the closet to toss in outgrown clothing for donation or for other siblings.   

Declutter tip # 4  Make sure toy sets are stored together in labeled baskets or bins.  If there are too many toys to fit in the closet, box some up and store elsewhere.  Every few months rotate toys by bringing them out and boxing up the others.  Kids will be thrilled to see them again!

How to declutter kid’s closets is easy with these simple steps!

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