People accumulate clutter. This is something we all know. But, what do you do with the clutter? Where should it go? These are difficult questions that need to be answered quickly so that you can make your life easier and more enjoyable. I will provide steps and tips to help with the process of ridding your home of everything that has not been used in a year, or needs to be thrown out because they have been worn out or broken down.
Although this may seem daunting at first, it can greatly improve your productivity and organization skills as well as allow you to find lost items amongst all the things you no longer use but don’t know where to dispose of them.
Before we begin, let’s define what clutter is and how you can tell if you have too much of it. Clutter is defined as the state of being very disordered or untidy; a messy pile of things strewn about. This fits perfectly with my own definition which states, “Clutter consists of anything that is not being used for its intended purpose and has been left in a location where it has no business being in”. If you’re asking yourself if you have clutter, there are simple ways to find out.
Go to each room in your house where there is any sort of floor space and make yourself walk back to the wall, pillar or corner with your head down. You should take notice if you bump into anything that is not a permanent fixture such as a table or chair. If you do so, the items that are in your way are cluttered. I would also say that if an item has been placed on the floor and has been there for more than 2 days (not including Saturdays, Sundays or Holidays) it is likely that it should be somewhere else.
Another good way to check how cluttered your home is comes from the Japanese culture known as Feng Shui. This is an ancient way of balancing the energy in a room to bring harmony and good fortune. This is done by placing items that have negative energy associated with them with items that create positive energy.
The signs of too much clutter are not easy to decipher, but they are there. There is no need to feel overwhelmed and hopeless though, as we can find any item necessary for our needs and put it in place where it belongs, making our home a more pleasant environment.
Let’s start out by taking a look at some tips for getting rid of clutter first before we go into the actual list of items to take away from your home. Tips to help when getting rid of the clutter are:
- Wear the most comfortable clothes you own, your body will thank you for it. The best time to do this is at night. Nobody likes doing chores during the day, wait until everyone is asleep, or just take a nap before you start. You will thank yourself later on in the day and night.
- Before you start packing up items to get rid of them, empty any trash cans that might be filled with objects that can be thrown out as well. This will not only help keep things clean, but it will also allow you to look in multiple places for specific items instead of limiting yourself to one spot.
- When going through closets and cabinets, either use a designated cutting board or a roll of paper towels to take out items that you don’t need and put them out of the way.
- Don’t send any item down the garbage disposal as it is not only against fire code, but it can cause problems for your house. This can include electrical items (e.g., keyboards, extension cords) and small electronics (e.g., cell phones). Items that can be recycled are fine so long as they do not contain anything hazardous such as X-ray equipment and chemicals.
Bottom line
Don’t feel like you have to hit the trash bin as soon as you walk in the door with several bags of things you no longer use or can’t find a home for. Instead, take your time and relax, take your time and really think about what you are doing.
This article is meant to help the reader identify the clutter that is currently in their home and where it belongs. Do not feel discouraged if there seems to be too much; this is common when moving into a new house or larger apartment and has nothing to do with whether or not it will work properly.