Decluttering and Cleaning- The How and Why Guide

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Decluttering and Cleaning

Part One- Decluttering

The month of February is like that awkward stage of growing out your bangs. I look around and feel very meh about everything. Is it just me? The temptation is strong to run out and buy all sorts of pillows and throws. And maybe I do need a few new things, but allow me to suggest a different course of action.

 

Have I ever mentioned how much I love to clean?

I do. You may be rolling your eyes right now because cleaning is not your vibe, and that’s fine.

I find cleaning to be cathartic. (this gets weirder by the minute, doesn’t it?)

You may fall into the camp of loving a clean room, just not one you have to clean.

I get it.

I’ve decided to divide this into two parts. Today I want to discuss the how and why of decluttering and cleaning and why it’s the FIRST thing you should do when you start a room makeover.

I’ll share tips on deep cleaning a room and my favorite cleaning contraptions in part two.

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Why Should You Declutter?

Imagine you slept through your alarm this morning. You have thirty minutes to get yourself ready and out the door. Unfortunately, you can’t find your shoes, keys, purse, or anything to wear. During your panic, you leave a trail of destruction in your already unorganized space. Finally, at 5:30, you arrive home to a room that looks like the FBI had a search warrant and ransacked your house.

How did you feel while you read this scenario? I’m going to guess you felt anxious.

Part of my Design Principles class homework was to watch this short video: Interior Design is about more than wallpaper and bean bags~Phoebe Oldrey.

At the 4:13 mark, she talks about the UCLA project, Life at Home in the Twenty-First Century. Researchers measured the stress levels of mostly women and found them to be the same as a post-traumatic stress disorder.

Let than sink in for just a moment. The anxiety you feel in a disorganized room is not in your head. Clutter creates chaos.

Here’s another statistic: Over the course of an average lifetime, because of all the clutter we live in, we will spend 3,680 hours, or 153 days, searching for missplaced items. Phones, keys, sunglasses and paperwork top the list. Source: Lost Something Already Today?

This is why you should declutter; for your mental health and the health of everyone living with you.

For your home to shine to its fullest potential, you must clear away the clutter.

I believe decluttering must be tackled before you start a room makeover.

To clarify, I’m not talking about messes that only require a quick tidying up.

One of my favorite quotes sums it up like this, “Clutter smothers, simplicity breathes.”~ Terry Guillemets

Are you feeling inspired yet?

Let’s go.

I will link to two of my favorite resource books throughout this post if you need more motivation.

How to Start Decluttering a room

Here are the items I suggest having on hand. Note that expensive bins or containers are not included in this list. The cold hard truth is you don’t need more storage; you need less stuff. (I said what I said.)

1. A timer
2. Trash bags
3. Boxes or bins labeled donate, keep, give away
4. Music

Step 1

Set your timer for 10, 15, 0r 20 minutes. You decide what your tolerance level is. When the timer goes off, take a five-minute break.

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The timer method is beneficial when you feel overwhelmed by the task. You can efficiently work in these time increments without feeling exhausted.

If you need to break it down further, set aside several days and focus on one thing. Example: Today, I will clean up all trash or return wayward items to their proper rooms.

Suppose you are the type of person who starts something and can will yourself to work for hours until the thing is done, great. Go for it.

Step 2

Now that the trash is out of the way move on to what seems to be the most challenging part for many people; deciding what to keep and what to let go of.

I recommend reading The Minimalist Home by Joshua Becker. He does a top-notch job explaining the psychology behind the reluctance to part with things, even the things we never use.

Here’s what I will tell you based on my experience, it is liberating to let things go. It’s amazing. Every bag or box that leaves your home creates more breathing room. You will ask yourself why you waited so long.

For this step, you will need your boxes or bins. One is for items to donate, one is for wayward things that don’t belong, one is for items to keep. I would add garage sale bins to this list only if you are double-dog sure you will follow through.

*A word on garage sale leftovers* Do not bring leftovers back into your house under any circumstances. Instead, do whatever is necessary to get rid of it.

*A word on donations*  The sooner they leave, the better. If you load them up in the back of your vehicle, get in the car and drive to the nearest drop-off location. Don’t drive around for three months with that mess in your trunk. As Phoebe mentioned in the video, it’s the equivalent of having a pebble in your shoe.

Better yet, post your items in a free Facebook group and have someone else take them away for you. I’ve lost track of how many things I’ve given away in groups.

Step Three

You’ve cleared the trash.

You’ve sorted through all the things.

Set the keep bins or boxes aside for now. If possible, move them to a different room.

I want you to live in the room for about a week before bringing anything back in.

You may be asking why? That’s a great question.

1. The room will be easier to deep clean with less stuff.
2. After about a week, you will know which items you want and need to bring back.

This is also helpful if you are planning to paint. I have been consistently surprised to find how many things I never missed once they left the room. This is also helpful if you need to do a second edit. (we’ll talk more about this another time)

Go forth and declutter.

Please share your best decluttering tips with me in the comments below.

Next week we will discuss deep cleaning!

Here’s another excellent resource: Cozy Minimalist Home by Myquillyn Smith

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