How to Declutter Your Home & Organize in 5 Easy Steps

May 28

Declutter your home are the three words that strike fear in every homeowner. We have all been there – closets packed to bursting point, drawers spilling over with clothes, pantries packed with expired canned goods and spices, junk drawers a conglomeration of old batteries, a child’s old retainer, and a bundle of business cards.

The fear may stem from the simple task of just getting started to declutter your home and finding out it is an enormous project. Or it may be a deeper fear of having to let go of things you simply cannot bear to part with.

A home that has been decluttered helps with clearing the ‘clutter’ from our minds too. Let’s face it when our homes are organized, cleaned, and everything in its place, we feel a sense of calm and reduced anxiety. Problems seem easier to handle, dinner is not such a burden to make, and we seem to have more time to do things we enjoy. As a certified home stager here are my tips that I share with my clients on how to declutter your home in five easy steps:

Create a list of items needed to help organize, depending on the room, such as rattan baskets, drawer organizers, storage bins, laundry hampers, storage ottomans, storage benches, shoe shelves, or sweater drawers. The Container Store can be your one-stop shopping for all of these items. However, Amazon is also a quick way to shop and get free shipping. I recently found the greatest pouches for organizing socks and underwear that you can buy from Amazon and they are included in the list of my 10 favorite storage items below.
Grab some cardboard boxes (Home Depot sells them cheap), a few laundry baskets, or trash bags and separate them into groups of Keep, Donate/Give-Away, and Sell.
Move through the first and worst room in the house and handle every item, giving it a group category of Keep, Donate, or Sell. I tell my clients if they haven’t used it in one year and it does not have sentimental value, release it. Think of others who can use it and put it to good use after they buy from the Salvation Army or Goodwill. I assure you that once it’s gone, you will likely never think of it again.
Begin putting the room back together by organizing drawers, refilling a pantry, or organizing a closet. Move methodically through each step of what needs to be put away in the room. Everything must have a place. No junk drawers are allowed in my house!
If you are selling items immediately put them on Facebook Marketplace, or deliver to a consignment shop, etc. Donated items should be scheduled for immediate pickup or deliver the same day to Goodwill, Salvation Army, or charity of your choice. This helps so that you don’t reclaim what you just purged.

Declutter Your Home | How to Systematically Clear a House of Clutter Quickly

Every six months I purge my house. Within an hour or two, I’ve gone through my entire home and emptied every closet, pantry, dresser, and storage bin of whatever I no longer use or need. Nearly everything is donated or thrown away.

Color Coded Clothes Closet

I grab two large lawn garbage bags, one for donations and one for trash, and walk through each room in the house starting in my bedroom closet. I reassess my shoes, purses, clothes, and winter coats, donating what I no longer wear or use. For ease of selecting clothes to wear, I color code them! I check expiration dates on my items in my medicine cabinet and under the sink, tossing items that are out of date.

The linen closet is purged of towels that are tired or stained, or bed sheets that need replacing. Kitchen pantries get a quick once over for out of dates spices and items that have been opened but not used. It’s amazing what I collect within those six months. Normally, I can fill a bag to the brim for donation purposes and another bag for trash. This simple bi-annual process to clear a house of clutter will help tremendously in keeping your home organized and tidy.

Storage in The Home

Thousands of items exist to give you the ability to have storage in your home that is not only functional but also allows you to store every item in your home neatly and stylishly. Here are ten of my favorite storage items to help in the task to declutter your home and keep it looking fabulous:

From underwear storage for dressers, to instant mudrooms that hold coats and handbags, the sky is the limit for organizing and having tools at your fingertips. Declutter your home, provide storage systems, organize, and then let your anxiety and overwhelm dissipate. Now you can find time for other things in your life that bring you joy and fulfillment.