Last year I started having anxiety when I saw unorganized drawers and closets in my house and I kept thinking that I should do something about it.
I realized that every time I opened one of my messy drawers I couldn’t find anything and half of it was useless stuff anyway. I was walking around the library one day and I found a book about organizing your home that inspired me to start decluttering those drawers and closets. What I really needed was some motivation to start with the process.
I set myself a goal: I would clean one drawer or closet every day. If you have multiple drawers and closets around the house, this decluttering can take you weeks to finish, but it’s so worth it! I started with my kitchen, office/guest room and then master bedroom. Thanks to just doing one a day, the process wasn’t overwhelming.
Step 1:
This is the most essential step; organize the declutter process. I divided the work in two parts: closets with clothes and linens, and drawers or cabinets with miscellaneous stuff. You can make a list of the ones you want to declutter most/first. You just need 2 trash bags or boxes: one for trash and one for items to donate. I donated most of the clothes and it was great to see more space in my closet.
Step 2:
The hard part is to decide if you want to keep or get rid of the stuff. I got rid of all of the “I may use it in the future”, or the “just in case” items. I realized those items were cluttering my house.
These are the questions I was asking myself when getting rid of the stuff:
Do I use it regularly?
Is this a just in case item?
Do I have more than one of the same item?
Could someone else use this item?
Step 3:
Once you get rid of the unwanted stuff, it will be easy to recognize if you need an organization system. I was needing some drawer organizers and some baskets. For my crafts closet, I bought boxes and labels. For my miscellaneous closets, I used some cute baskets and now it looks so nice and clean. My favorite place for boxes and baskets is Ross, they have cute and low cost stuff!
Step 4:
Get rid of everything you decluttered! After a couple of days decluttering you will need to make runs to the dump or to donate items. I drove to Goodwill (because they have drive-thru and they help you out) and donated everything that was useful. You can always donate the clothes to a church or wait until they have a swap meet.
I am sure this decluttering process will give you peace of mind. There is nothing better than a nice and organized house.
