4. How to Declutter

Lets make more space and more time for you by decluttering your home and life.

Did you know that keeping excess stuff “just in case I need it some day” becomes a useless endeavour - because when we want it we can’t find it anyway?

By clearing up clutter you’ll have more space in your home, and more time because it will be so much easier to find things when you need them, and so much simpler to keep your home clean.

Being organized is one of the most satisfying accomplishments you could possibly imagine.

I suggest you begin with 1 hour decluttering sessions. After 1 hour, mark where you are up to, have a cup of tea and admire your work. Itty-bitty steps is the way to not get overwhelmed - you can get quite a lot done in 1 hour segments.

What if finding a whole hour is impossible?

If you really have trouble wanting to get started, or you just don’t have a whole hour at a time, just do 10 minutes, and then stop for the day. You’ll be surprised how much you can do in just 10 minutes. Reward yourself with a cuppa and a magazine afterwards. Now go and set that oven timer…

How to Declutter the Kitchen

Its time to declare war on ugly and chipped crockery, derelict saucepans that never get used, and those drawers filled with mystery items. Do you have a spot where gadgets accumulate? What about the papers, messages and mystery mail that accumulates around the phone?

Put on some upbeat music of your choice . . . light an oil burner if you like to . . . now get a determined look on your face and follow this list. Don’t over-analyse, don’t be perfectionistic, just follow the list and do it !

NOTE: The stuff you DO intend to keep, when you put them back in their place, GROUP them with similar items e.g. cups with cups, saucers with saucers, lids with lids, cans with cans, cake baking ingredients together, stationery items together etc. You may need to buy some inexpensive plastic baskets to put things back in your cupboards in groups. This is EASY and gives excellent results.

Keep in mind: if it is not useful or beautiful – it does not belong in your home. Now lets get to it !…

STEP 1: Go through all of your mugs and throw away the stained and the chipped ones. If you have 37 mugs and only a family of four, consider donating some to charity. Keep say, 15 mugs only. If they are all tatty, you can get mugs for $1 or $2 dollars at discount stores and you can have a new matching set. Now do exactly the same for chipped and worn plates, bowls and glasses.

Put back all the good ones in groups.

By now you’ll be impressed by how easy it is to get a plate or a mug without them toppling over!

STEP 2: For now, pile paperwork neatly and put it wherever you’ve designated an “office” area. However only put important things there, throw out old catalogues, newspapers and junk mail – and don’t start reading them!

STEP 3: Do you have too much unused stuff on your counter tops? A blender, but you only make fruit smoothies once a year? A bread box that never has any bread in it? Cannister sets with only moths in the bottom that collect kitchen grease? Seriously consider what you actually DO use, and store or give away the rest.

Consider if you need things like a rice cooker – a pot on the stove might work fine if you don’t eat rice every night. A popcorn maker? Do you use it often enough that a saucepan with a lid couldn’t do the job? Is an electronic can opener really necessary for you?

STEP 4: Get rid of any dead pot plants, and clear out your window sill. Don’t know what that thingamajiggy belongs to? If its been there a long time, you don’t need it. Wipe off the window sill and make it shiny clean. Put any spare buttons in a sewing box.

STEP 5: Make sure you’re not storing things like boxes from the fruiterer or anything else on the floor. Clear out old potatoes and onion peel mess.

STEP 6: Go through your drawers and throw out anything you haven’t used in a year. Knives that don’t cut, old souvenir shaped stuff, useless or ugly salt and pepper shakers, old placemats, keys that don’t fit anything, old egg cups, old plastic cutlery etc.

STEP 7: Get rid of old jars, margarine containers and plastic containers you have saved “because they might be useful”. If you’ve not used them in a year, out they go.

STEP 8: Throw away old sponges and steel wool under the sink. Clear them out and get some new ones. Also you might want to get rid of the stained tattered teatowels and purchase a few fresh ones. If you feel bad about this, cut the old ones up for rags.

THE FRIDGE: Half fill your sink with warm water and detergent. Throw away any food in the refrigerator that’s not fresh. Put the gunky plates straight into a sink of soapy dishwater (this saves the “yuck” factor). Wipe down the surfaces. If this grosses you out, wear disposal gloves and use a good spray on cleaner, and throw away the sponge when you’re done. If this still grosses you out, use paper towels and throw them out as you go.

THE FREEZER: Get rid of freezer burned goods and stuff you know you’ll never eat. Clear out icecream containers with tiny amounts of gooey stuff in the bottom.

THE PANTRY: Go through, ONE SHELF AT A TIME (do not pull out everything at once !) and throw out anything passed use-by date, things you’ve not used in a year, and things you know you’ll never use. Sweep each shelf with a dustpan and give a quick wipe. Put things back in groups – use baskets or little boxes to group like ingredients such as baking goods, packet sauces, packet soups etc.

Your next step is to go to the Cleaning Simplified tab and give the place a good clean. Stand back and admire your work !

WOW – YOU DID IT !!!!

How to Declutter the Bathroom

STEP 1: A good and easy place to start is in your wall cabinet. Get rid of any medications and creams that are past their use-by date. Throw away containers with just a bit left in the bottom – if you haven’t used it yet, you never will. Old toothbrushes – out they go - only keep your current toothbrushes. Makeup products that are dry and only bits left – throw them out too. And dried up or bad colors of nail polish – in the bin ! Now wipe down the area – if its really grotty get a disposable glove, some cleaning spray and a paper towel to do it.

STEP 2: Under the sink – old bottles of shampoo and conditioner that you don’t like or that have just a little in them can go straight in the bin. Plastic wrappers from cotton wool / ladies products can be tossed out. Any holiday items such as soap and toothpaste cases etc, put all in one zippered case. Get rid of hotel goodies – tiny soaps and thin shower caps, when are you going to use these?? - either add them to your holiday case or turf them. Only keep the stuff you’re CURRENTLY using. Now wipe the area clean and put your good stuff back.

STEP 3: If you have vanity drawers, throw out that second best brush or comb, de-hair all of them, get rid of bits of soaps you’ll never make into one cake, gather your makeup brushes, throw away dried up and mostly empty products, including products you don’t like. Clear up all the stray cotton tips and balls and throw them out. Now give it a clean, and put your stuff back in groups of like items - get some little baskets or holders if you need to.

STEP 4: Shower – I highly recommend getting a liquid soap dispenser. I like the type that dispenses three – liquid body soap (I just buy cheap kid’s bubble bath for this), shampoo and conditioner. This saves on having bottles lying around the shower floor – its wonderful and they are rather cheap.

Clear out any bottles that are empty or have just little bits in them. Clear the shower floor completely. If you don’t want a dispenser, choose a couple of select bottles only. Remove any paraphernalia hanging from the shower walls. If you have a mouldy shower curtain, get a new one and THROW OUT THE OLD ONE !!

STEP 5: Floor – if you’ve got an old fashioned or tatty bathroom mat, consider tossing it and purchasing towell mats. They’re cheap to buy, purchase two and you can have one out, and one in the wash as they wash in a normal towell load. Hang it over the bath tub to dry after your shower and you’ll never have that mouldy smell in the bathroom. Remove any display objects from the corners of your actual bath tub – too hard to keep the bath clean with stuff on it - statues and thingies are OUT ! Keep only things you will use.

STEP 6: Toilet - Clear out any shelves and floor areas of anything that doesn’t need to be there. All you should have is a toilet paper spike, a stand-up toilet brush, some air freshener, and if you REALLY have to – a magazine rack. Although I hate the idea of people using the magazines at the same time they are wiping their personal assets. I mean REALLY, do you want to touch those mags after that??

Hooray !!! You DID it ! You’re FANTASTIC !

How to Declutter the Bedroom

STEP 1: Open up ONE drawer at a time. Pull the contents out. Firstly throw away any junk (have a big bin liner handy). Secondly decide what items you will give to charity because you either never wear them or they’re plain ugly (have a second bin liner in a different colour for charity items). Have a laundry basket handy for items that need to be relocated to another room.

Tip: Don’t get sidetracked by starting another job in another room - stay focussed !

Now put all the contents OF THAT DRAWER back, neatly folded. Keep going, drawer by drawer.

When you’ve done all your drawers, now open them all up and carefully group pants with pants, T-shirts with T-shirts, socks with socks, etc. This is easy to do now because the junk and the charity clothes are out, and there’s room to move, and everything’s folded.

STEP 2: Now for your counter tops. Throw out any garbage, old makeup, used perfume/aftershave bottles, old hairspray, old hair ties etc. File away things like stray business cards and paperwork. Now give all the surfaces a wipe.

If you have a jewellery stand, weed out any particularly bad pieces of junk jewellery that is way out of fashion, and either toss, or if too good to toss, give to charity. Put everything back in order.

STEP 3: Look under the bed and pull out what you find there. Throw away, donate or put where it belongs.

STEP 4: Go through your wardrobe and pull out clothing that no longer fits, or is completely out of date, and either throw them out or donate them.

If you find items that bring back memories, create a memory box. Put in the outfit you wore on that special occasion, with perhaps the matching jewellery, the ticket stub, card etc.

The other options is to lay out the stuff and take a photo, then you can get rid of the items but still have the photo as a momento.

When you’re finally left with the clothes you will currently wear, that actually fit you and are currently in style, put them back in groups.

Either group by colour, or by season, or by pants/skirts/shirts. Whatever takes your fancy. Now stand back and look how easy it will be to get dressed in the mornings. WOW!!

Declutter your Children’s Rooms

Your children’s rooms will be decluttered in the same manner as above, except you will have to weed out the toy collection. Donate or give away any toys they have outgrown, and all the broken toys, and bits and pieces that no longer belong to anything. Put the toys back in groups, or separate them into stackable containers. Teach them to have 15 minutes “cleanup” time at the end of each play session and to put things back in their proper location. Set the timer for them too.

Declutter your Living Areas

It is hard to know what people have in their living areas. Piles of paperwork need to be taken to a filing area, and junk needs to be sorted into things to keep and display, and things to toss or donate.

TV cabinets could do with a weeding, old videos that never get watched, kid’s videos and DVDs that no longer get used now that the kids are in their 20’s. And all those cords, chargers and wires that are from mobile phones and gadgets from long ago. You know what you need to keep. Just keep in mind how nice it would be to be able to find things easily. Remember to group your videos/DVDs/tapes and CDs in like styles and genres.

Declutter your Hallway Cupboards

Are there winter coats and stray items in there that have been forgotten for years? Go through and only keep what you use.

. . . and now your Linen Cupboard

You only really need two or three sets of sheets per bed. Also now’s a good time to cull your old, thinning towels and cut them up into useful rags. Throw away or donate old table cloths and linen you never use. Put everything back in groups. Its lovely to be able to put away your linen without things toppling over!

Tip: When putting away sheet sets, fold the pillow cases and fitted sheet inside of the top sheet. This way the sets stay together.

Other Areas

Generally you need to clear table tops and floors from clutter. Put things away where they belong, and toss or donate things you don’t need. Be ruthless!!

If you knit or crochet, get a nice box with a lid and slide it under the lamp table. It will be neat and easy to access. Do the same for any other hobbies.

How to Declutter your Home Office

Whether a desk or a foldable table, everyone needs an area to store tax paperwork, insurance papers and bills.

If yours has gotten out of hand its time to declutter. If you have several years worth of paper piles, don’t worry, there’s a way to handle this easily.

STEP 1: Find all your CURRENT tax, insurance, bills etc and put them aside. Anything from prior years most likely doesn’t need to be looked at any more if it has been paid or dealt with.

STEP 2: Purchase some archive boxes with lids and divide your paperwork/magazines/folders etc into piles as you sort through your paperwork. I had a separate pile for fitness magazines, old paid bills, my husband’s old paperwork, music sheets and books from former lectures and study. I gave each its own pile, but threw out stuff I knew I’d never need again.

Each pile then went into its own archive box, and I labelled the box accordingly. Now stack these boxes under your desk or on top of a wardrobe and you’ll have access to them whenever you need them, and they are categorised!

STEP 3: Next create folders for your current paperwork (electricity, gas, mortgage, tax, birth certificates, etc) and file your current paperwork in these folders, and put them near your desk. From now on, when you pay a bill, date and file it immediately.

STEP 4: Create a tray for unpaid bills. You can create trays for pending work, recycling, anything you like.

STEP 5: Put all your stationery within easy reach all in one place, including stamps and everything you need to get things done in the office.

Now stand back and enjoy your new organized office! You’re amazing!

How to Declutter your Laundry

STEP 1: The laundry shouldn’t be a really difficult room to do. If it is filled with un-done laundry and folding, you need to see my “Staying in Control” and “Cleaning Simplified” pages to deal with this problem.

STEP 2: Throw out old cleaning products and bottles with just a little bit in them. Put all cleaning products back together in groups.

STEP 3: If you’ve got an accumulation of brick-a-brack in the laundry, its time to toss or donate, or put it where it belongs.

STEP 4: Put all your rags neatly folded in a pile, or if this is too hard, keep them in a little box inside a cupboard.

STEP 5: Throw away old dog and cat toys and anything that’s broken.

STEP 6: Wipe down all surfaces including the tops of the washing machine, the freezer, benches and the laundry trough.

STEP 7: Put in a clean towel, don’t forget to clear the window sill and if the curtain is mildewed or stained, get a bright new one.

Make sure you have storage space for everything, and if not look for a small laundry cabinet, or install high shelves for poisonous cleaning fluids.

I hope this has given you some insight into how to declutter your home. and tell me what you’ve done !

Remember, its not possible to do this all at once. Just set your timer for 10 minutes (or 1 hour if you’re feeling motivated), pick a spot and go ! It really is all about breaking things down into small managable jobs.

Reward yourself afterwards with a cup of tea and a magazine - if you have trouble rewarding yourself, set the timer for 20 mintutes, and sip and read (or yarn) until your time is up! Now go to the very top of this webpage to Tab 5 “How to do Cleaning” - don’t knock it, you could learn something new !