Cleaning your home is always a drag. It’s not necessarily hard, but it can be quite annoying and time-consuming. That’s why people don’t do massive all-around cleanups unless there’s a major event coming up. For instance, if you aim to move and you live in a messy New York apartment, the first thing that any NYC movers worth their salt will tell you is to start decluttering your space. People might think that you’re a hoarder if you don’t, and New York has quite the history with hoarders that they don’t want to see repeated.
So, you will want to declutter your home, but how will you go about it? Well, in this article, we cover 9 of the most interesting and effective decluttering hacks for any homeowner. Most of these hacks were provided by people who are experts in interior design and/or house cleaning.
A List of Decluttering Hacks
The Six Box Rule
No, we’re not talking about the six box to-do list, as useful as it might be. Our own six box rule has a lot to do with organizing the things you want to declutter. Basically, get six big boxes (or simply designate six separate spaces) for the following items:
- One for stuff you want to throw away
- Another for stuff you want to donate
- Another for the stuff you want to recycle
- The fourth for the stuff you want to sell in a garage sale
- The fifth for items that are not in the right area of the house
- Final one for the stuff you aim to repair or mend
Baskets Are Your Friends
Baskets are absolutely amazing. They can literally go anywhere in your home. You can have a tall basket for dirty laundry, a short and stumpy basket for personal belongings, and a wide, sturdy basket for children’s toys. And the best part is that you can easily pick stuff up and put it in baskets. They can also give your room an air of elegance, and your clutter will be out of the way in no time flat.
Source: verywellmind.com
Countertop Magnetic Strips
Also known as magnet racks, these are the best decluttering tools for the modern kitchen. No longer do you need to hold knives in one big wooden knife rack that takes up space. You can simply place the knives and other tools on this magnetic strip and take them off whenever you require them.
Source: flexiblemagnets.net
Storage-Friendly Furniture
No, storage-friendly furniture is nothing new. You can always find a storage bed or a storage ottoman out there for a reasonable price. And the reason they still sell really well is because of how practical they are. You can store old magazines, toys, and other objects in a storage ottoman without it taking up too much space. Alternatively, you can put sheets, covers, and blankets in the drawers under your bed for easy access.
Source: realhomes.com
Clutter Hub Spots
As you know, people who diet have something called a cheat day. That’s the one day of the week (or month) when they eat a fatty or unhealthy meal in order to handle the new eating regimen more easily. You can do something similar with your home by designating a spot for cluttering. For instance, pick one area in your hallway or living room. Whenever you come home tired or unfocused, drop your clutter there. After you feel refreshed and rested, declutter that area and get it ready for the next round of cluttering tomorrow.
Source: closetandstorageconcepts.com
Seasonal Clothing Storage
When the seasons change, go through your closet. Put all of the season-appropriate items where you can access them, and store the rest. But don’t stop there. Of all the items you have, put the ones you most frequently use upfront. Formal wear and additional items should go in the back. Going through your closet in this way also gives you an opportunity to sort out all the clothes you intend to donate, sell, recycle, or throw away.
Source: pods.com
The Effective Bathroom Decluttering System
Go over your medicine cabinet and pack your toiletries in the bathroom. Once you inspect everything, make sure to do the following:
- Check for empty packs, bottles, and boxes; if you don’t need them for some other purpose, get rid of them
- Double-check the expiration date on every single pack of meds and dispose of the ones that have gone off
- Get rid of all the dried up lip balms, expired conditioners and shampoos, and empty tubes of toothpaste
- Make sure to keep one of everything, i.e. one bottle of shampoo, one conditioner, one bar of soap, one tube of paste, etc.
- If you have tiny hotel toiletries that you were collecting but didn’t use, see if you can donate them or give them away.
Frequent 15-minute Cleanups
Once a day, pick a single room in your home. It can be any room, at any point. Then, get yourself a handy kitchen timer (or use one on your phone) and set it for 15 minutes. During those 15 minutes, clean as much as you can from that room and that room alone. You can fill that time by playing a podcast or a video in the background, or by listening to music. That way, you will be getting rid of a little bit of clutter every single day. Not only will this method keep your home clean more often, but you won’t even feel particularly tired after doing it.
Get Digital, Now
Do you have a lot of bills piling up? We advise switching to paperless, digital billing. You can maintain your entire bill database on your phone, computer, or tablet. But more importantly, you will no longer have to stack papers upon papers of old bills, receipts, etc. In fact, you can even take photos of old bills and keep a digital archive.
But that’s not where it ends. If you collect old magazines for a single article or a single recipe, simply scan that page or take a high-quality photo of it with your phone. That way you can recycle the magazine itself but keep the recipe you like.
Decluttering Hacks: A Few Words at the End
All in all, the 9 hacks listed above are going to help you declutter your home in no time. But by no means should you stop there. Experts across the internet have covered various ways of home decluttering, so let this article be a good starting point. Feel free to research home decluttering hacks and add a few new ones to your existing list. They might just help you live a cleaner, healthier, and clutter-free life.
