Don’t you often get the feeling that your mother must be a superhuman with extraordinary powers to be able to do it all?
Where do mothers get this knack of keeping their house well-maintained and livable? And where do they get the motivation to do it on a regular basis despite knowing the fact that keeping the house clutter-free isn’t their sole responsibility?
I’m pretty sure that you tend to miss your mother every time you find yourself struggling with clutter. “She could do it better than me when she was my age. Then where have I failed?” is a question that must have popped up in your head more often than you can imagine. Well, you’re not alone. Mothers are truly special and they just know how to take care of things and people that truly matter to them.
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Let me drop a truth bomb. Decluttering like a mother is hard. It can be exhausting. But it doesn’t mean that you can’t learn and ace her decluttering skills. If you’re someone who wishes to kickstart their decluttering journey and need some tips & tricks for the same, here are some mom-approved decluttering tactics that can help:
1. Don’t wait for the appropriate time to start decluttering
Planning and waiting for the right time to start decluttering will only make you procrastinate and delay the process unnecessarily. And the result would be a heap of clothes, toys and papers that will take forever to get rid of.
Remember that you’re a busy mom and you’ll probably never get that much needed time to start decluttering. So pick up the tools and kickstart your decluttering journey from any corner of the house.
2. Deal with the declutter pile immediately
The biggest mistake you can make that will reverse all your decluttering efforts is putting off dealing with the items that you’ve decluttered. Items in the donation box and the trash bag will find their way back to the rooms if they’re not dealt with at the soonest. So if you have tossed your stuff into the donation box, put it into the car and drop it off at a Donation centre near you as soon as possible. Likewise, take out the garbage as soon as you’re done decluttering your house.
3. Do one corner at a time
Do you remember how your mother could declutter the home in no time despite how cluttered it was? That’s because she didn’t focus on the massiveness of clutter but rather on just starting somewhere. If the huge mountain of clutter makes you feel overwhelmed, start decluttering with a small part of one room and move ahead as you gain the momentum. For instance, if you’ve reserved the day for kitchen declutter, start by clearing the countertops, then move on to the cabinets, then to the refrigerator and dishes before doing the cleaning part. Successfully cleaning one spot at a time will inspire you to move on to the other corners thereby building the momentum for bigger decluttering projects.
4. Make clutter-cleaning a natural habit
You may not feel the need to declutter your house for many days after giving it a heavy purge. Make it a habit to keep decluttering your home on a regular basis to avoid making a bigger mess. Ask your kids to put their toys back into the toy chest after they’re done playing with them. Make your bed the first thing in the morning, do the dishes after every meal and clear the counter clutter as you cook.
5. Set a 15-minute decluttering timer every night
Reserve 15 minutes every night for the task of decluttering. Set a timer and start grabbing everything that is lying out of its rightful place. Use this time to clear off the flat surfaces and to return everything back to their rightful homes. This might seem like an overwhelming idea but soon, you’ll get into the habit of it and will start doing it as a needful job.
6. Be ruthless
Remember how you would argue with your mom about wanting to keep the items she asked you to get rid of? And she would somehow convince you to declutter it. That’s how you need to be. Sometimes, in order to give your home a fresh tone, you have to be ruthless in getting rid of things that don’t add value to your life. Being ruthless while decluttering is yet another way to stop letting the material things control you.
Also, stop second-guessing your decisions about the stuff you’ve decluttered. If you’ve tossed something into the garbage or the donation box, don’t go running back to it because you suddenly want to keep it. You’ve thrown it out for a reason, so make sure you stick to it.
7. Give each item a home to sit in
The most practical way to prevent clutter is to find a home for every item you bring in. Items that don’t have a designated place end up getting shifted from one surface to another.
Keep a basket in your living room to toss things like remote controls, reading glasses and keys. Get a vanity organizer for small accessories and makeup products, and use hangers and hooks to hang lightly-worn clothes, bathrobes and handbags.
8. Always have your decluttering tools ready
Clutter-cleaning would become easier if you have all your decluttering tools in order. Buy a stepladder, some storage solutions, a timer, trash bags or any other decluttering supplies you may need. If you want to get into the details of what decluttering tools and supplies you should keep in your house, here’s a post that can help.
So there you are! To be able to declutter like your mother is a skill that would take time to build. But that’s exactly what makes it worth it. Because if it’s not for your mother, you wouldn’t have been able to grow up in a house that was clutter-free and full of positivity. If possible, have time to call or visit your mother and ask her about her secret clutter-cleaning tips and how she managed to get the time to do it all. You’ll be able to learn much more from her than from any post or blog on the internet.
Keep decluttering!