Greetings! Who needs to declutter? I certainly do. I wish I could say I decluttered once, years ago, and the excess stuff was gone for good. In reality, decluttering is an ongoing process. We pared down a lot before we moved here four years ago, but we still accumulated more items than we needed or had room for. Our garage quickly turned into a storage room.
Moving is a perfect opportunity to declutter, but it can be tricky because you’re transitioning into a different space. It’s easy to misjudge what will fit or what you’ll need, and moving itself is tiring. If you’re not starting fresh with all new furniture, it often takes time to figure out what works in a new home.
It isn’t only moves that create clutter. Busy schedules, delayed decisions, design indecision, and procrastination all add up. I write about these decluttering challenges and how I handle them in my books Simply Home and Make Room for What You Love.
Deadlines help motivate me, so with Courtney moving in this weekend we’re decluttering, rearranging, and making space for her in our lower level. Having a deadline finally pushed us to tackle the “out of sight, out of mind” areas like the basement and garage, and it feels great to make progress.
If you don’t have time for a big project, there are plenty of small things you can do right now to make your home feel less cluttered.
Here are six tips I use to make my house feel less cluttered:
1. Clear the floors.
When items are scattered across the floor or piled in corners, a room instantly looks cluttered. My husband taught me this when our kids were small: just spending a few minutes each day picking up items from the floor makes the whole house feel cleaner and more organized.
2. Empty the surfaces.
Look around and notice the surfaces covered in unnecessary items. Even clearing one table will make a room feel less overwhelming. Work surface by surface and, if it helps, set a 15-minute timer — you’ll be surprised how quickly surfaces clear when you’re focused.
3. Make some room.
Give your closets, drawers, and rooms some breathing space. Donate, discard, or store even a portion of the items in a closet or half of the accessories in a room and you’ll notice a big difference. Less really can feel like more.
4. Close the drawers and cabinets.
Open drawers and cabinet doors make a room read as messy, even when things inside are in order. Walk through your home and shut every door and drawer to create a tidier, more streamlined appearance.
5. Straighten the dining chairs.
It’s a small detail, but when chairs are pulled out at odd angles the room looks haphazard. Take a moment to push chairs in and straighten them — the dining area will instantly feel neater.
6. Clean the kitchen sink.
A sink full of dishes makes the entire kitchen feel cluttered. Make it a habit to wash the dishes and rinse the sink daily so the space looks cleaner and more inviting.
I’ve shared many organizing posts that feature tips I use and ideas that inspire me at home.
Always start with decluttering, and then tackle organizing — it feels wonderful to get both in order.
Here’s a round-up of some helpful decluttering and organizing posts I’ve written:
The Secret to Getting Organized
10 Minute Household Tasks to Organize Your Life
Kick Excuses to the Curb: Confessions on Organizing & Decluttering
A Bag A Day Keeps the Clutter Away
9 Clever Organizers to Tidy Your House
How to Get Organized in a Small House
How to Organize Papers You Don’t Want to Lose
Pretty and Functional Bathroom Storage Ideas
Happy Drawers: Simple Organizing Ideas
10 Habits of People with Organized Houses
How to Set Daily Routines that will Transform Your Life
5 Takeaway Tips from a Small Office
My Kitchen Pantry and Tips for Pantry Organization
MY DIY Organized Free-Standing Command Center
How to Clean Your House When You’re Busy
How to Eliminate Paper Clutter Forever
Habits for an Organized Home
How to Organize a Small Kitchen
9 Ways to Get Organized Now
5 Minute Baking Drawer Organization: Using What You Have
Find inspiration and the strategies that inspire me to declutter and simplify in my book Make Room for What You Love.
More books by The Inspired Room include:
Simply Home (a two-in-one book that combines Simple Decorating and Simple Organizing)
Love the Home You Have (NY Times Bestseller)
All books
Room and kitchen sources are available from my shop.
