5 Easy Steps To Declutter Your Home

During the bathroom renovations we had to pack up lots of our stuff to make space for the contractors to work. As most people do when they need to box stuff up, we used everyday cardboard boxes and lots of tape. Afterwards we tossed the worn out boxes. It’s amazing how much you find out you use something once you put it in a sealed box.

Thankfully next time we won’t have the same issue because we have PackAways tucked in the closet. They are reusable, durable and—the best part—collapsible so you can store them out of sight when not in use. With multiple sizes, styles, and colors, organization just got easier. Follow PackAways on Facebook and find other things to do with them.

Here’s five easy steps to declutter your home.

Step 1: Gather The Supplies

What you’ll need—

• 3 – 5 large containers such as classic PackAways or totes
• trash bags
• broom and dustpan
• 1 permanent marker or a Vis-A-Vis marker if using PackAways

Step 2: Label The Containers

Label three containers trash, donate and keep. Place a trash bag in the trash and donate container. Optionally you can have two more containers labeled for elsewhere and storage.

Step 3: Remove It All

Remove all items from the space placing items into one large pile either on a table or on the floor. Wipe down any shelves.

Step 4: Sort Quickly & Efficiently

Set a timer for 15 minutes.

Place items in the appropriate containers.

• Trash – Duh! This includes broken items unable to be fixed
• Donate – Anything you can donate to your favorite charity
• Keep – Things that belong in your home even if they need a minor fix
• Elsewhere – Things that belong in your home but not in the space you’re decluttering
• Storage – Things you use but not regularly such as seasonal items or the next size clothes for children

This can be as easy or hard as you make it. If the item is broken and not easily fixed, trash it. If you don’t use it, donate it. If you use it, keep it. If it fits, keep it. If it doesn’t fit, donate it. If it’s kids clothes and you have a child who can use it within a year, keep it. Be logical and swift. If you live in the desert and own 20 umbrellas, keep a few but donate the others. If you haven’t used it in a year, donate it. If it’s memorabilia, keep it if you have space to display it but donate it if you don’t.

Step 5: Finish Up

Anything that didn’t make it into a container needs to be scrutinized. Ask yourself:

Do you love it? Do you use it? Will you miss it?

If you said no to two of the three questions, put the item in the donate container otherwise put the item in the keep container.

Put away the items in the keep container, fixing those minor things as you go. Dump the trash. Remove the trash bag from the donation container and put it in your vehicle so you can drop if off the next time your out and about.

You can repeat these steps for an additional area in your home but do not tackle more than two spaces in a day or you’ll die! So you won’t actually die but you can overdo yourself and start making decision you might regret.

Step 6: Reward Yourself

I know I said five steps but after all that work, you certainly should reward yourself for a job well done. And don’t forget to wipe off the labels if you used the PackAways and put them away for the next declutter session.

I hear decluttering is addictive so if you find your home declutter and are itching to declutter, my home is available! I even have the containers ready to go.

Disclosure: This post brought to you by Tomoson. Our family received product for free in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. This post may contain affiliate links. All opinions are 100% mine.