Back in 2011, when I started living on my own, I developed the habit of decluttering and organizing my room during weekends because I hardly had any time during the weekdays. As someone who had always looked at decluttering as yet another task that needed to be done, I never understood the emotional and mental significance of it until much later.
For me, organizing my little dorm room meant that I needed to take all the clothes out of the cupboard and arrange them back in a civilized manner, clean my study table and rearrange the books on it, make the bed and clean my room. Decluttering used to happen in between these tasks if and when I encountered some clothes or books or shoes that were too damaged to be used again. I never used any kind of storage boxes, hangers or labels because I never took decluttering too seriously. And to be frank, even the slightest bit of investment on these things sounded like a waste of money.
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Over the years, as I moved places and learned about the many ways to make the most of my limited living space, investing in decluttering tools seemed like a necessity because they truly had the power to transform the way I looked at my home.
Needless to say, I didn’t have the right knowledge about the kind of decluttering tools I needed to invest in. But over time, I learned that and made little investments that could make the task of decluttering a tad bit easier for me. And if you’ve been wondering what those tools are, I’m here to answer that.
Although having these tools would make decluttering easier, you don’t have to run out and buy them right away. You can just begin decluttering with whatever tools you own and invest in more going forward:
1. A Decluttering Checklist or A To-Do List
Decluttering without a plan of action can make you feel overwhelmed. So a decluttering checklist is what you need as the first tool to get your house in a good shape.
I usually start with picking up a To-Do list notepad and make a list of all the tasks that are needed to be tackled with in a particular order. The line-up of tasks in my decluttering checklist looks something like this:
– Start with the junk drawer
– Declutter the bathroom countertop
– Clean and declutter the kitchen counters
– Get rid of visual clutter
– Declutter the closet
– Sort through the shoe rack
– Clear all the flat surfaces
– Declutter your phone and other digital devices
The To-Do list can be as basic as the one listed above or as detailed as it needs to be. Creating a plan of action always helps in keeping you on track besides helping you reach your goals in a more organized manner.
2. A Donation Box
There needs to be a decluttering box installed in a corner of your living room at all times and not just when you start decluttering. I have these beautiful yet simple donation boxes kept on the shoe closet of my house. Any unneeded item that I encounter during the process of decluttering gets tossed away in this donation box.
You can either use a simple cardboard box, or a nice-looking donation box the contents of which can later be transferred to a cheap cardboard box when it’s time to drop it off at the donation centre.
3. Lots of Labels or a Label Maker
Labels are a necessary part of organizing as they help in avoiding the mess that comes with not knowing the whereabouts of your belongings after you’ve decluttered. I use labels in my kitchen pantry, for my shelves and for storage containers. I don’t know what I would do without labels and I have no idea what organizing and decluttering looks like without them. You should also keep a good quality permanent marker handy to write on the labels. I used to buy simple labels for all my labelling needs before switching to a label maker two years ago.
4. Heavy Duty Trash Bags
Don’t start decluttering without a few heavy-duty bin bags which can house all your stuff that needs to be taken out to the trash. Anything you encounter during the decluttering process that can’t be reused, donated or resold should be tossed away into the trash bag that is strong enough to lift at least a few kilos of junk. I have used these trash bags for years for things like clothes, toys and other lightweight items. For books and other heavy weight items, I use cardboard boxes.
5. Large Containers and Boxes
For things that are supposed to be thrown out or given away to the charity, I use cheap cardboard boxes that are durable enough to carry at least a few kilos of weight. You will need at least three large boxes for the purpose of sorting out the stuff into categories, i.e, Sell, Donate and Trash.
I use a lot of stackable containers and pretty plastic storage containers to store things in my kitchen and some large underbed storage for keeping toys, clothes and comforters. I have a basket kept in every room of the house to toss in things like lightly worn clothes, mobile chargers, accessories and books that I’m currently reading. Drawer organizers come in really handy to keep small stuff and these little baskets are what I always keep on the open wall shelf for storing random daily items like remote controls, the daily newspaper and other items of daily use.
While storage containers and boxes are must-haves, you need to figure out the right number of storage solutions you need while decluttering. You don’t want to clear the rest of the clutter in your house while leaving it decluttered with all the storage containers.
6. A Large Portable Folding Table
Decluttering as a job needs a workstation too in order to sort through the items you’re looking to declutter. At times, you’ll need to spread out the contents of a closet or a drawer to do all that sorting out and a foldable table is what will come handy.
7. Flashlight
It’s always good to have a torch or a flashlight while you’re decluttering because you might need them while trying to see behind the sofa/couch or at the back of cupboards. I can’t do without a torch light while decluttering my garage, basement and car because these are the places that have dark corners that are required to be cleaned and decluttered on a regular basis.
8. Hanging Shelves, Hangers and Hooks
More often than not, the biggest reason for clutter pile-up is the lack of storage space. While you have no control on the living space, there’s a few things you can do to utilize the vertical spaces in your house.
Besides the many dozens of hangers, I have a hanging shelf in almost every closet of my house to utilize the vertical spaces. I have these pretty hooks installed on the backs of all the cupboard doors to hang towels, belts, shoulder bags, bathrobe, scarves and other accessories.
9. Stepladder
While it’s easier to declutter the lower areas of a cupboard, reaching the higher shelves is what makes it important to involve a strong and good-quality stepladder in your decluttering process.
I have this sturdy stepladder at my home which gets used all the time and I still sometimes wonder what I would do without it.
10. A Camera
Cameras have a big role to play in decluttering as they can help you take before and after decluttering photos. While you may think what the purpose of these photos are, taking pictures can help you measure the progress while you declutter your home. You can use your smartphone for this purpose or a proper camera if you want. I have a Canon DSLR for taking all my photos and I absolutely love it.
I usually always take pictures of every corner that I intend to declutter before I start decluttering because it helps me see how far I’ve come. Besides that, taking photos of the sentimental items makes it easier to get rid of them because I can always look back at them in the future.
11. A Timer
A timer is something that I absolutely can’t do without when decluttering my home. Given how emotionally and physically exhausting it is to declutter, I always make sure that I take rest at regular intervals of 30-45 minutes. I use the kitchen timer for this purpose and not my smartphone timer as I keep the latter away while decluttering because of how distracting it can be.
Now that you’ve learned about the many decluttering supplies that you will need to declutter, know that they are of no use if you lack the willingness to get going. The purpose of owning these tools is to put them to work to achieve your decluttering goals. So pick these tools up and start decluttering your home today!
Good Ideas. Makes the job easier when you know what to do.