You have just one goal in mind for Spring Break – time to tackle the mess! We all know that feeling of overwhelm – you realize you just need to start decluttering your house but there’s never enough time, and it’s starting to really make you…angry/frustrated/sad/etc. Well, Spring Break is the perfect excuse to start the process and you can even get your kids involved. It really doesn’t have to be as scary or daunting as it seems. Here are some staggering facts that will help put into perspective why decluttering your house is super important. Find the full article here.

The average American home has 300,000 items. (LA Times)

Twenty-three percent of adults pay late fees on bills because they lose them. (Harris Interactive)

One out of four houses with two-car garages keeps so much stuff in it they can’t even fit a car in the garage. (US Department of Energy)

On average, every American throws away over 68 pounds of clothing. Per year! (The Huffington Post)

Americans spend about $1.2 trillion a year on non-essential items. (The Wall Street Journal

The average woman has a lot of clothes, but what’s even crazier is the amount the average woman actually wears. As Rebecca Keane said, “According to a new study by ClosetMaid, the average American woman has 103 items of clothing in her wardrobe. But she considers 21% to be ‘unwearable,’ 33% too tight and 24% too loose, according to a survey of 1,000 women. A further 12% of the wardrobe is occupied by new, unworn clothing, leaving just 10% available.”

What the WHAT? As a veteran organizer and regular purger of all things, this was crazy to me…but I also wondered how much I am still contributing to some of these stats. It all goes to show that taking stock of all your stuff is a good idea. While you might not think clutter can cause you harm, check this out.

While accumulating a few extra possessions may not seem like a big deal, clutter can actually have a negative impact on your mental health. Clutter can increase stress levels, make it difficult to focus, take a toll on relationships, and more.

Yikes!

Don’t think all is lost – we are setting out some super helpful tips about how to organize and we hope this will help you in your quest to start decluttering your house. In reading this article, we found some very helpful reminders to go over before you start the actual organizing.

Use Containers to Sort Items

Before you start to declutter your home, have containers defined for the following purposes to sort items:

• Put away: Items that have crept out of their designated storage spaces.
• Fix/mend: Items that need something before they’re put away, such as a shirt with a missing button.
• Recycle: Items that consist of recyclable materials.
• Trash: Items to throw away in the household trash.
• Donate: Unwanted items that are still in good condition and can be donated to a charitable organization or another person.

Keep These Decluttering Rules in Mind

• 20/20 Rule: Get rid of items you can either replace for $20 and under 20 minutes.

• 80/20 Rule: According to this rule, we use 20% of our belongings 80% of the time. Either get rid of or store away the 80% that you don’t use regularly.

• Five Second Rule: Sorting through items, give yourself five seconds to remember the last time the item was used. If you can’t remember within five seconds, it’s time to get rid of it.

Other things to keep in mind as you go room by room:

• Does it make you happy?
• Can you remember the last time you used it/wore it?
• Decide whether you are going to declutter one room at a time OR for a certain amount of time in multiple areas
• Get rid of things that have expired (food, medications)
• Have adequate storage in each room, but don’t go overboard. If you have a place to store things, you will use it!
• Use organizing methods that will work for YOU. If you know you aren’t going to fold your clothes into perfectly contained pucks of cloth, don’t do this in the first place. They sure are pretty, but know your limits! If keeping your spices in alphabetical order is going to drive you crazy, don’t use that aesthetic, no matter how pretty it looks in your Instagram post. You get the drift!

In wrapping things up, remind yourself that life often “lifes.” If you don’t finish in the time you had set aside for yourself, it’s ok! Don’t get discouraged and don’t quit. Just adjust and keep up the good clutter fight! We also can’t reiterate enough – if you have less stuff, you’ll have less to clean up, deal with, see, etc. Purge, purge, purge! Once you do complete the project, you’ll feel like a weight has been lifted. Ask us how we know! Free your mind up for better pursuits and maybe even your next house project. We are always happy to help beautify your spaces once you’re ready!

Happy decluttering!

Decluttering Your House – Image by user15285612 on Freepik