5 Steps to Begin the Decluttering Process

If you want to start decluttering your home but don’t know where to start, you’re in the right place.  Below are 5 steps to begin the decluttering process.

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#1 - Institute a No-Buy Period

The first place to start isn’t with your possessions.  Before you worry about getting rid of stuff, stop the influx.  Commit to a “no-buy” period.  It might be 1 month, 6 months, or a year.  (Tip – just start with 1 month; you can always just keep it going.)

During this time, commit to buying only what you truly need.  Groceries, yes. Replace your kids’ worn-out sneakers, sure.  Take advantage of the big sale at Kohl’s, absolutely NOT!

I’m not saying you can never buy a ‘want’ again, but chances are you can make do with what you already own for the next year, maybe more.  That great sale?  It will happen again.  Don’t let marketing convince you to buy something that you didn’t already know you needed.

#2 - Pick Your Space

Now you’re ready to declutter, but where should you start? Here are a couple of considerations.

1.      Start Small

Start with a small space so you can get some quick, easy wins. Pick a high-traffic or highly visible spot.  Don’t waste your precious time on the basement or the attic.  You will get there eventually.  Make sure the work you do immediately affects your day-to-day life!

2.      Verify You Have Authority

Be sure you have authority over the items in the space.

My #1 rule of decluttering (and possibly my only rule) is this... Except for items 'belonging' to small children, never declutter someone else’s stuff.  As much as your husband’s collectibles might drive you crazy, don’t touch them.

Always start with your own belongings, areas of the house that you are mainly responsible for, or neutral areas like the junk drawer or refrigerator.  And even in neutral areas, if you come across anything you think of as belonging to another adult in your home, never declutter it without consulting them. 

Common Places to Start. 

Pick the one that seems easiest or the one that currently irritates you most.

·         Junk drawer

·         Spice rack

·         Refrigerator

·         Pantry

·         Your wardrobe

·         A bookshelf

·         Under the kitchen sink

·         Bathroom closet

·         Top of your dresser

·         1 kitchen cabinet (drinking glasses, mugs, and storage containers are common irritants)

·         Cleaning supplies

#3 Schedule The Time

I am a big proponent of scheduling small chunks of time.  If you wait until you have a full day available to declutter, you’ll never get started. In the words of Dawn from The Minimal Mom, “5 Minutes Matters”.  Commit to 5-15 minute chunks of time.

#4 Gather Your Tools

A few tools will help you immensely.  Once you choose your space, you will have a better idea of exactly what these tools should look like.  I’ll explain this in a moment.

·         Garbage bag

·         Donation box

·         Purgatory bin / Time will tell bin

What do I mean by “you will have a better idea of exactly what these tools should look like”?  Mostly, I mean the shape and size of each tool.  Examples:

Garbage Bag – if you are doing your spice rack, you might just toss expired items into your kitchen garbage bin. But if you are doing the refrigerator or pantry, you might need a large garbage bag and even a recycling bin.

Donation Box – I typically suggest using cardboard boxes.  Large Amazon boxes or a box from the liquor store work great because you can fill them and donate the whole box.  However, when I do clothes, I find they are easier to transport in a garbage bag.

Purgatory Bin – this is a bin to store items you are on the fence about.  This tool lets you remove items from your space without fully committing.  It takes the pressure off. Once you get the items out of your space, you can experience what it feels like to live with less clutter. After a while, you can donate them with little thought.  How many items, what type of items, and where you are going to store the bin might dictate what type of container you use. 

A cardboard box can be useful because you can label it with a date (maybe 6 months out), and if you haven’t gone back to pull anything out by then, you can take it to the donation center without opening it.  If it’s clothes that will be stored in the bottom of your closet, an unused laundry basket might be perfect.  If you're storing items in the basement or garage, you might want a solid plastic storage bin.

Pick the containers that make the most sense for your stuff.

#5 Organization

Don’t even think about how you want to organize your stuff until you have done a lot of decluttering.  You can spend so much time and money on bins and baskets, but often they just become more clutter.  We declutter in stages as we grow our decluttering abilities.  Allow yourself time to declutter and live in the space first. The more you declutter, the more you will want to declutter.  You will likely take a second pass (and possibly a third) on many spaces to get rid of more. Organizing before that wastes time and money.

If you feel you need to add in some organization, start by repurposing what you already have.  You can often use boxes, bowls, or jars instead of fancy bins or baskets. Be sure you know what type and size of container will work best before spending money.

I highly recommend taking the Clutterbug quiz to identify what type of organizer you are BEFORE you spend any money on organization systems or products.

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