This summer, home sales spiked as first-time buyers fueled bidding wars for new houses, and retirees were looking to relocate to low-tax states and warmer climates.
This frenzy drove up median prices by 18.4%. No matter if you were prepping to sell, preparing to move, or wanted to improve your peace of mind, getting rid of clutter, was at the forefront of people’s minds.
Clutter makes your home harder to sell because prospect buyers struggle to imagine living amongst your junk. Also, extensive clutter impacts your mental health in contributing to a sense of becoming overwhelmed.
So if you’re looking to move or if you want a more copacetic living space, attacking your cluttered house is a significant first step.
In the following article, we’ll examine7 tips for clutter removal that will make for a neat and tidy home.
1. Where Does Clutter Start From?
Most problems we face in life have a point of origin, and clutter is no different. So first, break out a pen and paper and look at each room of your home. Then, try to step outside yourself and imagine walking into the room for the first time.
What clutter jumps out at you? It could be papers, laundry, or excessive pillows and blankets. Whatever the issue, now track it back to the source. If your problem is junk mail, think about a routine that curbs the collection of these papers before they get stashed in a nook or cranny in your home.
If your issue is laundry on the floor, do you have a dedicated hamper or laundry day? (More on this in a sec!) Whatever the overwhelming clutter is in the room, try to find some simple solutions to deal with it before it accumulates.
2. Getting Rid of Clutter Through Laundry
Try to get in the habit of doing a load of laundry every day or every other day. If your laundry is always on the floor, get a hamper to handle it. If it overflows the hamper you have, get a bigger one. Lastly, the task of laundry isn’t complete until it’s put away neatly.
3. Children’s School Pictures
Schools send home too much of your child’s work. Save only the best and maybe not even that. Your kid doesn’t want it when they grow up (you don’t want yours, right?) If you like something, go the distance and frame it or scan it into a digital image for prosperity.
4. Out of Season Clothes
Be mindful of the seasons. Have dedicated bins for your appropriate clothes, and make sure you put them in storage as soon as the cool or warm weather hits.
5. Out of Date Media
This takes time, and a little know-how, but almost any media can be digitized these days. Convert hard discs to digital files and VHS tapes to iMovies. You may need to get specialized equipment, but it will be worth it to clear out your closet.
6. Tools and Scrap
Yes, you might use that flag-shaped piece of plywood in the next ten years, but chances are it will just eat up space. Just like old clothes and your kid’s artwork, you need to occasionally get rid of just-in-case tools and scrap parts to reduce storage clutter.
7. Side Tables and Knickknacks
Our last tip is a big one. You should look at your tables and side tables and try to clear as much as you can off from them. These spaces are often in well-trafficked areas and are noticeable to not only guests but by your subconscious.
Do your best to declutter these areas of too many knickknacks and papers first!
You Can Do It!
Suppose you are looking at the sheer amount of effort you’ll need getting rid of clutter in your home and feel overwhelmed; well, don’t! Take a breath and focus on one area at a time.
Drastic changes overnight rarely work out. Instead, take the time to declutter in a way that works best for you.
Do you need help cleaning and managing clutter? Contact us today to get started and enjoy a new you and a clean house.
