Which Room Should I declutter First?
Trying to decide on which room you should declutter first can definitely be a head scratching and frustrating question for most people. I’ve read different articles, books and opinions about what the “experts” say, but to tell you the truth, they are strictly opinions and there really isn’t a right or wrong answer to that question.
When my clients ask me that question, I always ask them which room makes them the happiest. Which room would they like to make their ‘zen room’? Is it their bedroom? The room where they wake up and go to bed in every day. Some might say that a clutter free and organized bedroom helps set their mood for the day. Is it the kitchen? The place where their family gathers for meals, the kids do their homework and where most of their friends and relatives celebrate special occasions. Is it their home office or craft room? The room where they go to work, pay their bills or let their creative juices flow. Or is it their bathroom? The place where they get ready for the day or take their relaxing bath and wind down before bed. Over the years, I have found that each client is different and has varying daily routines and habits so they have to tailor that question to their own desires.
Tips On Organizing Your Bedroom
If your bedroom is your place of solace, then start there. Start small. Take one section of that room or one chest of drawers and start decluttering. Make sure you have a trash bag and donation box with you. Get rid of the obvious trash first, then move on to the damaged or stained clothing, broken items and things you planned on repairing but haven’t actually fixed yet. Let go of anything you haven’t worn or doesn’t fit you any longer. Yes, you can hope that some day it may, but let’s be honest, styles change and by the time you might get around to being that size, will it still be in style? Fold like items and put them away neatly in your drawers. If your clothes don’t all fit in the drawers or closet, then it is definitely time to downsize. Set a daily or weekly goal and follow it. Most importantly, be realistic and don’t set your goals too high. You’ll only disappoint yourself if you don’t meet them and that could lead to you giving up on decluttering all together. Take your donations immediately out to your car so you are forced to donate them in a timely manner. If you let the boxes sit in your house, there is a high probability that they will never leave.
helpful tips on organizing your kitchen
If your kitchen is your happy place and the center of your family’s daily routines, start with that room. Again, start small. Take one section of cabinets and drawers and start there. Throw out any broken or damaged items. Donate any duplicate items, which I’m sure you have. Everyone does. Pick out your favorite and let go of the rest. When was the last time you used that ice cream maker? If you haven’t, be honest with yourself and let it go. Don’t let unused or hardly used items take up prime space in your kitchen? Throw out expired foods. You’d be surprised how quickly things can expire. You may have thought that you ‘just bought it’, but time moves quickly and so do those expiration dates. Once again, take your donation box immediately out to the car.
Tips On Decluttering Your Bathroom
Some people might say the bathroom is the first room to declutter, because it’s the easiest. There aren’t as many emotional attachments in your bathroom, so if that is the room that sounds the quickest to declutter, then start there. If you’d like to knock out a goal in one day, then the bathroom would definitely be the place where you would probably like to start. Let go of anything you don’t use. Medications and makeup have expiration dates so if they are past their dates, then toss them. I know a lot of people collect beauty product samples from internet sites that send you monthly samples of various products. That can be a dangerous situation to get into and lead to a lot of unused products laying around in your bathroom. The common thing I hear a lot is “but it was expensive”. Well if it was expensive, you should’ve used it. It’s now just clutter. It’s ok to let it go. If you have unopened beauty products and cleansers that have not passed their expiration dates, you might want to consider donating them to a women’s shelter. They are always in need of bathroom essentials and would greatly appreciate any unused items you would like to pass on to them.
