Decluttering is hard and can seem a lot overwhelming at times. You are always struggling to let go of your possessions because there are sentiments involved. Decluttering also requires you to make decisions about what stays and what goes which can sometimes be emotionally exhausting. Sometimes, the amount of clutter you have been holding on to is so much that you would rather put off the task of decluttering than having to spend your days dealing with it.
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More often than not, it’s not the task of getting rid of stuff that makes you avoid decluttering but the energy and time it takes to do it. And sometimes, all you find yourself looking for is a magic wand that can help you declutter your home quickly and effortlessly.
Although there’s no shortcut to decluttering, I’ve come up with a few awesome DIY decluttering hacks that can help you let go of all the unneeded stuff in no time:
1. Be Strategic About Placing Bins And Boxes In Your Home
You tend to avoid decluttering because it can be tiresome to pick things individually and put them away to their rightful home. This challenge can easily be tackled if you get a bit more strategic about the placement of bins and bags in your house.
This simple hack will not only keep clutter at bay but will also help you integrate decluttering as a regular habit in your day. I have a few decorative baskets in some of the most clutter-prone corners of my home. I’ve put a basket in my closet to toss any item of clothing that I find unfit to wear.
There’s always a bag hanging off the doorknob of my kitchen door to toss in any unneeded items that I come across while cooking. At a corner of my study table, I have placed a bin to toss old newspapers, magazines, bills, receipts and other paperwork. You can also place a big basket in your kids’ bedroom for the clothes they’ve outgrown, broken toys, old books and craftwork.
2. Follow The ‘One In, One Out’ Rule
This decluttering hack alone can prove to be a game changer if your home is overflowing with clutter. It requires you to get rid of one item as and when you bring in a similar new item. So, if you’ve bought a pair of shoes, you must get rid of an old one. If you’ve bought a handbag, let go of an old one that is already sitting in your closet.
3. Put A Limit On Hangers
Setting a limit on the number of hangers can go a long way in making sure that you don’t let clothing clutter get out of control. If you have 4 closets in your house, make sure that you don’t have more than 30 or 40 hangers in each one of them. Use each one of these hangers to hang just one item of clothing and stick to this rule all the time.
Although difficult, setting a hanger limit will help ensure that you only keep clothes that you love to wear. And whenever you want to get a new piece of clothing, you will be automatically prompted to get rid of an old unloved item of clothing.
4. Set Up A Clutter Cabinet Or A Clutter Hub
It’s not always possible to put your shoes in the shoe rack or hang your handbag on the closet hook immediately after coming home. I’m pretty sure you are a busy person with a life that doesn’t leave you with time to fight clutter as and when it comes.
The best hack to keep clutter at bay until you get the time to tackle it is to set up clutter hub spots in your home. Get a pretty cabinet to sit in a distant corner of your living room where you can dump random items like shoes, snack boxes, handbag, home accessories, swimming gear, etc.
5. Use Multifunctional Furniture
Using storage friendly furniture can be a great way to save money and space in your home. Instead of cluttering your living room with a coffee table and a dining table, you can choose to have both the functions served in a single item. There are entryway benches that come with a built-in closet and ottomans that have a storage space to toss random items like magazines, remote controls, reading glasses and snack jars.
Here’s a detailed post on how you can invest in multifunctional furniture to maximize the space in your house.
6. Use A Lot Of Vertical Shelving
If despite getting rid of all the clutter, your home doesn’t have much space left to accommodate the rest of the stuff, start getting creative with vertical shelving.
Use hanging shelves in your closet and increase the number of hangers and hooks to fully utilize the door space. Get a wall-mounting rolling pin holder and a couple of spice racks in your kitchen to organize jars and containers. You can also get a few ceiling hooks to hang wind chimes and plants.
7. Hide The Cords And Cables In Toilet Paper Rolls
I used to have a separate drawer for all the cables and cords in my home, and trust me when I say that it was the most annoying task to untangle them in times of need. So, a cousin of mine suggested me to fold and store away these cords in a toilet paper roll rather than randomly tossing them into the drawer. This gives a more organized look to the drawer and I don’t have to spend an entire day untangling them.
Now that you know how easy it is to declutter your home, I hope you will want to do it as frequently as possible. And if you find yourself feeling stuck, don’t forget to come back to read these simple DIY decluttering hacks that can help you reap the benefits of a mess-free and simplified home.