7 Steps To De-clutter Your Home This Festive Season

With festivities already in full swing, cleaning and de-cluttering the living spaces is on every body’s mind. Here are some simple tips on how to de-clutter your home without getting over worked. So, get started!

1. Decide an area
Rather than starting up with the whole house together, take up a small area or begin room by room. An area that you can clean up in just one sitting, for instance, a closet, the dresser, the book shelf or the bathroom. The joy of crossing area off your ‘to-do’ list will not only give you immense joy, but will also keep the motivation level high.

2. Move, Donate/Sell, Trash Boxes
Take three big boxes / bags and label them as ‘Move, Donate/Sell, Trash.’ Keep them handy whenever you sit to clean an area. The stuff that you have to keep at a new place goes in move box and things that can be used by someone else can be sold or donated. Similarly, things that you haven’t used in the last six months or those that are broken beyond repair can be simply disposed of.

3. Organise
Thoroughly scan all the stuff and place everything at the correct place. If everything has a ‘designated’ place, chances of the area getting cluttered again are pretty less.

4. Clean, Clean, Clean
Once all your flat surfaces and corners in your home are clear of unwanted things. Artefacts, clothes, gadgets, toys, boxes, toiletries and trash have got their designated places, it’s time to wipe and mop. Get that vacuum cleaner out and clean all your upholstery of dust. Wipe clean all the furniture. And lastly, mop the floor with a disinfectant.

5. Work quickly and be aggressive
Make sure you don’t give yourself much time to think about a particular thing; else you would never be able to get rid of it. Quickly ask yourself, would you use it? Can it be recycled? Can it be of some help to someone else? If the answers are ‘no,’ just dump the stuff.

6. Clothes
For clothing, reverse the direction of hangers that you are unsure about. If they remain reversed till next month, you would know that you won’t use them again. As far as toys are concerned, don’t keep all that toys out. Keep rotating them.

7. Kids’ clothes
Kids’ clothes should be checked every two months. Clothes that are stained or not fitting your child anymore should be discarded immediately.

For clothing, reverse the direction of the hangers for any items that you are unsure about. If they don’t get worn in the next month, you will know for sure that they need to go. For children’s clothing, eliminate what clothes you don’t care for or are stained. Limit the numbers to 6-8 outfits. For toys, reserve a few toys per child and remove the rest or rotate them in storage. Kids don’t want or need tons of toys.