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4 Easy Steps for a Clutter Free Space {With FREE Printable!}

05/01/2019

I’m Holly
My mission is to help you create a timeless home that you love through interior design, DIY, and organization!
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A clutter free home makes for a happier home! There are small steps we can take everyday to help keep our spaces clutter free and happy. Check out my 4 easy steps to declutter any room in your home!

How to Declutter Your Home

Let’s be honest, at least for this girl, nothing feels better than having a clutter free home that makes you feel relaxed instead of making you stressed out! Am I right? I’ve always felt there is something therapeutic about coming home to a clean and tidy home that makes everything feel calm and stress free. So let’s talk about 4 easy ways to declutter any room in your home!

I like to think of myself as organized, clean, and tidy but to say that at any moment if you came into my home that everything would be perfect would be a major stretch! I constantly have some project going on, my son’s toys are scattered all over the place, and there’s always a load of laundry that needs to be put away (or two)!

I am a true believer that before you can organize you have to declutter. The key to decluttering your home is to take it one room or space at a time and not to expect to get it all done in one day or even over a weekend. When it comes time to tackle that clutter there are a few things you should do to ensure you get clutter free and stay clutter free. I am going to share my 4 easy steps for a clutter free space plus a free printable for you to snag to help along the way!

Steps for Decluttering Your Home

Step 1: Plan & Clear Out

Before you start tossing and sorting you need to have a vision and plan for the space. How are you wanting this space to function? Picture in your mind how this space would work if it was exactly the way you wanted and it worked perfectly – what does that look like and what will it take to get there?

After you have your vision for this space in your head, now you need to schedule time to declutter. Like I said, decluttering is not something you can do all at once and I honestly recommend tackling one area every day or even one a week depending on the size of space. You can burn out quick if you try to do to much at one time. The key here is to focus on only one space at a time, not try to handle several spaces all at once – finish one area before you move onto the next. I recommend taking anywhere from 15-30 min a day for decluttering until you have every space on your list completed. If you struggle with feeling motivated to do this, block the time off in your calendar. Having it blocked out in my calendar makes me feel more committed to the task.

So you’ve got your inspiration on how you want the space to work and you’ve scheduled your 15-30 min to tackle the space, start clearing everything out. And when I say everything…I mean everything! You want to start with a blank slate.

Step 2: Sort it Out

After everything is cleared out, next comes the sorting. This is where it starts to get fun (am I the only one that thinks this is fun?)! You will be sorting all the items into these 4 categories:

  • Toss
  • Recycle
  • Donate
  • Sell

If you’re struggling on what to do with something ask yourself a few questions:

  • Do I love it?
  • Is it in good condition?
  • Would I buy this again?
  • Have I used it in the last year?
  • Do I have somewhere to put this in my home?

Toss: If it is broken, worn, or ripped – toss it!

Recycle: If it is old papers, plastic, or glass instead of throwing them out, recycle them. If you’re unsure of what you can and can’t recycle, check with your local city recycling company to see where you can take these items and what you can recycle.

Donate: My donate pile is usually pretty random and can range from anything like clothes & books to larger household items. I usually tend to donate items that I don’t plan on making money off of. Sometimes it is just easier for me to take a pile of clothes to Goodwill then it is to price and sell online. It all just depends on how quickly you’re wanting to get rid of something. This is your call here…if you’re really wanting to get rid of a lot of stuff quickly and pain free, donation is the way to go. Plus you are giving to a good cause!

Click here to get access to my FREE donations tracker!

Printables - Donation Tracker FREE Printable, Donation Tracker, Yearly Donation Tracker, Free Printable

Sell: After your sorting, if you end up with items that are of value and are in good condition, it might be worth selling it. What’s better than decluttering and making money at the same time?! Here are a few of my favorite ways to do this:

  • Ebay – this is a good option if you are selling smaller items with higher values. You need to keep in mind that you will have to pay shipping or include shipping in the cost of your item as well as pay a fee to Ebay for selling your item on their site. Ebay is probably not worth it if you’re selling a lot of lower value items or large bulky items.
  • Craigslist – I used to think the days of people buying on craigslist was over, but trust me it’s still hot! This is really great for bigger items that you would rather sell locally and not have to pay shipping for. A few things to watch out for on Ebay is spammers. I highly recommend never giving out your phone number and creating a separate email account for all craigslist business. Also, never go meet anyone or have anyone come over to your home when you are by yourself. I would even advise that you meet them at a public place instead of ever having anyone come to your home. Just be safe!
  • Local Facebook resale groups – this has become one of my favorite ways to sell my used, but in good condition items. All you have to do is perform a search on your Facebook account for local Facebook resale groups or Facebook Online Garage sale groups. Same rules apply when selling on Facebook, always meet in a public place and keep communication through Facebook messenger.
  • Yard/Garage sale – if you have a ton of stuff you want to sell, a yard sale may be a good idea. I am planning one of these in the next week (a post to come on that soon). Garage sales are great this time of year and can move a lot of your items quickly. My yard sale motto is price-to-go!

Step 3: Put Things Back

Now you should be left only with the items that you want to keep and will use. This is where you put everything back in an organized way. I like to use cute bins and baskets to group like items together. You can also just make sure to keep like items together without using baskets or bins, but in my opinion things can easily get cluttered again without some sort of organization and grouping!

Step 4: Maintenance

Now that you’ve got your space cleared, sorted, and items discarded (in which ever way above you choose), and only the things you “need” put back into place – it’s time to maintain your clutter free space. I know this is easier said than done. Something I have started to do that has really helped is to dedicate 15 minutes a day to having a 15 min pick-up before I go to bed. Adding 15 min of pick-up to your daily tasks can help keep those clutter piles from slowly creeping back into our space!

No matter how many systems we put into place or how many spaces we clear out, the clutter sometimes tends to come back in. Either we just have days where we tend to get lazy or we cling to systems that just aren’t working. Decluttering and organizing requires sometimes reevaluating a system and not clinging to what is not working and come up with a better system. The process of decluttering and organizing is a marathon not a sprint so take your time and before you know if you will be on your way to a clutter free (well most of the time) home!

 

4 Easy Steps for Clutter Free Space

 

 

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  1. Kim says:

    Thanks for the tips! I have to ditto the Facebook groups for selling things- especially kid stuff! I have gotten steals from those sites and happily passed on my items I no longer needed! Don’t be afraid to join more than one!

    I like the idea of doing just 15-30 minutes a day too. It can get overwhelming when I see how big my to do list. I can manage a short time every day. Now off to start my 15 minutes!

    • Holly @ Life on Southpointe Drive says:

      Yes, Facebook groups are awesome!! I need to join a few more!

  2. Having a clutter-free home helps me relax and enjoy my home so much more. I’m anxious to go back and read the rest of this series!

  3. When we sold our first house the relator recommended that I declutter. I was really interested in selling our house fast so I got rid of everything that wasn’t being used. I couldn’t believe how much I like not being surrounded by all that stuff. We’ve been in our new house for quite and while and I still haven’t unpacked all the knick knacks, not sure I ever will.

    • Holly @ Life on Southpointe Drive says:

      I know, I feel the same way! When I moved I refused to bring all the stuff I wasn’t using to the new house. Starting out clutter free in a new home feels so good! Have a great day!

  4. ErYn says:

    I can’t leave the house if my bed isn’t made either! I just feel undone if I don’t leave the house semi clean! Glad I’m not alone. 😉 Such good tips here! I declutter often but things accumulate so fast! I need to do it again soon!

    • Holly @ Life on Southpointe Drive says:

      So glad I’m not alone on the whole bed making thing! 😉

  5. Ashley says:

    Holly, I cannot tell you how badly I needed this! Our house seems like every area needs to be organized and this was just the push I needed to get it done!

    • Holly @ Life on Southpointe Drive says:

      Thanks girl! I need to do a little more of it myself this weekend!

  6. I totally wish I could get our house looking better. I feel like most days everything I do gets wiped out in a second, between my two sons and my husband. I think I spend more time cleaning up new messes, then getting to work on the old ones!

    • Holly @ Life on Southpointe Drive says:

      I know exactly how you feel! It is a never ending battle for sure! ha.

  7. Good ideas… it is an ongoing task to keep things organized… so easy to bring things in… need to take them out in some form also. 🙂

    • Holly @ Life on Southpointe Drive says:

      I know…I have learned it never ends! 🙂

  8. Holly, I don’t have the patience for selling stuff, so I donate what I can’t give away to friends. I take the really good stuff to my favorite local charity shop and the rest to Goodwill. My number one way of staying clutter-free is the one-in/at-least-one-out rule. For example, a friend contacted me last month to say she’s coming to town and would like to give me a tea set she no longer uses (and that I always loved!) IF I would be interested. Well, I was! But only if I could get rid of something else to make room for it. So I got out a box and selected a teapot and some other dishes and off it went! She’ll be here with my new tea set tomorrow.

    • Holly @ Life on Southpointe Drive says:

      That is such a really good idea! I have a friend that does the same thing with clothes. She will only buy a new shirt if she gets rid of one first. I may have to give that a try! Thanks for sharing! Enjoy your new tea set…I heart tea sets for sure!

  9. I think the daily maintenance is important once you’ve actually decluttered. It makes it easier to keep clutter free and on top of things. Thanks for sharing with us at #overthemoon link party. I’m sharing on social media.

    • Holly @ Life on Southpointe Drive says:

      Thank you Sue!! I always love coming over and sharing with you! Daily maintenance is the key! 😉

  10. These are such great tips for decluttering, and I’m glad you included several approaches to conquering the problem. I think starting with a plan or vision for the finished project and how the space will function is so important — and, that vision can serve as a motivation for decluttering.

    • Holly @ Life on Southpointe Drive says:

      Thank you for the kind words! Have a great weekend!

  11. Amy says:

    Thank you for sharing this information on the Pin Junkie link party. There are some really good tips here. I pinned your post and I copied and pasted and printed the information, as I could not figure out another way to print it. I have been working on decluttering and I am going to use your information to finish it! I must admit that it bothered me a bit that I could not X out of the subscribe, which covered part of your content.

    • Holly @ Life on Southpointe Drive says:

      Thank you Amy! I’m sorry you were having issues, I will have to check it out. It shouldn’t be popping up on mobile devices so I will have to check. Have a great weekend!

  12. Melissa says:

    I feel like I could’ve written this post Holly! I’m a bed maker too and I like things organized and in their places. You had some amazing ideas for decluttering and what to keep/get rid of. Thanks so much for sharing for #HomeMattersParty ! Have a great day!

    • Holly @ Life on Southpointe Drive says:

      Thanks, Melissa! So glad to know I’m not the only one out there! 😉 Have a great weekend!

  13. Laura says:

    I just did a post on this tonight on IG. Too much stuff can drive me insane! and thanks so much for linking up for I DIYed that! Hope to see you again next week!
    http://www.junquecottage.com

    • Holly @ Life on Southpointe Drive says:

      Thanks, Laura! I always love linking up! I am gonna pop over and check out your post! 😉

  14. Thanks for this informative and step by step guide- I think you broke it down to manageable strategies that work. Pinning this for my next project

  15. Beverly says:

    These are all great tips. Daily maintenance is key for me. I do have a lot of keepsakes, memorabilia, etc, but everything has its place. I can’t be at ease if there is clutter! Thanks for sharing your tips at Snickerdoodle. Pinning.

    • Holly @ Life on Southpointe Drive says:

      Thank you Beverly! I agree…hard to sit down if there is clutter!

  16. I really enjoyed this post. Selling on Facebook groups is a fantastic idea, I love it. One of my favorite tricks for decluttering is to create an unsure box. for those Items I am unsure if I should keep or get rid of. My secret to this working is to mark the date on the box. If I have not needed anything from the box for the past 3 months, I just donate the entire box. The trick is not to open the box, because as soon as you do, you will start questioning your decision all over again 😉

    • Holly @ Life on Southpointe Drive says:

      I love that idea! Such a great idea especially with kids since as soon as they see something of theirs you’re getting rid of they have to have it! Hope you have a great weekend!

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