If you find yourself struggling to find a place to put everything in your home, as you quickly run out of space in your drawers and cabinets, it is time to declutter. This allows you to feel less stressed and more at peace when you are at home because you won't be overwhelmed with all of the stuff. Here are some tips for decluttering, whether you just need to get rid of a small amount of items or you are doing a major clean-out.
Try the One-Year Test
When you are struggling to find items you are willing to part with, think about whether or not you have used that item in the last year. You can choose any time limit you want that you are comfortable with, but going with about a year or close to that is a good start. Look in your closet and remove anything that you have not worn in the last year. Get rid of knick-knacks you haven't looked at or used, donate kitchen appliances that haven't been used in a year or so. These are items you are keeping, but that you really don't use often, so they are just taking up space.
Fill at Least One Bag or Box
Perhaps you aren't quite ready to part with a lot of stuff, and you want to start slower with the decluttering process. In this case, just fill one rubbish bag or large box with items you want to throw out or give away. Just a single rubbish bag filled with stuff. Go through every room of your home, not forgetting about the attic and basement, and start disposing of what you can part with. Slowly you will reduce how much clutter you have in your home and create much less stress in your home environment.
Rent a Storage Unit
If you have a lot of items in your home that you don't use, but that have some type of sentimental value, then giving them away or tossing them isn't really an option. However, you can still move them out of your home in order to declutter your life. A good option is to rent a self-storage unit. This allows you to keep the belongings, but move them out of your house and not cause more chaos in your garage or basement.
Consider Getting a Skip Bin
On the other hand, you might have a lot in your home that just needs to be thrown out or recycled. Perhaps you are moving to a smaller home, so your decluttering project is just the first step to minimizing your belongings, or you want to live more of a minimal lifestyle. This is going to leave you with a lot of items to throw away, possibly large pieces of furniture, electronics and tons of boxes and bags filled with rubbish. You can rent a skip bin for this purpose, which will be dropped off and picked up for you by the rubbish removal company. Just make sure, if you have recyclables, that you get a skip bin that is for recyclable items, and not just a regular rubbish bin.
