Tips To Declutter And Organize Your Home

Sometimes it can be overwhelming to look at the stacks of papers and piles of clutter in your home and think about getting organized. And that’s the problem, home organizers suggest. Don’t let yourself be overwhelmed:

• Start small – Don’t plan to organize the whole house in a day. Start with one closet, one drawer, or one small area you really want to re-purpose.
• Schedule the time – Put aside a block of time every day or once or twice a week – and reward yourself however you wish for sticking to your schedule.
• Decide how you want to use the space – Before you tackle each area, know how you wish to use the space.
• Get prepped – Have a whisk broom, some rags and a vacuum cleaner handy to clean the newly uncluttered space before you fill it. Also have handy at least three cardboard cartons; one for trash, one for donations or garage sale items, and one for the items, such as books or stationery supplies, that you plan to put back in that space.
• Dump, sort and shovel – It’s encouraging to see the top of your desk again or to see empty space in a closet. So remove every stack of paper from the desktop or take all unwanted clothing out of the closet. If it’s a drawer you’re organizing, dump everything out of it. Then sort through each pile of stuff or stack of paperwork to decide what you really need to keep and where you plan to keep it.
• Shine it up – A space that’s been cluttered may not have been cleaned since you first started dumping stuff into it. Clean and vacuum the space thoroughly before you start putting things back.
• Save what you want where it should be – Once you’ve sorted through the stuff in any given place, decide where it really should go – and get up and put it there, even if it’s in another room, before you start putting stuff back.
• Put tools and cartons where they need to be – Throw out the trash, call for donation pick-up or deliver to the nearest thrift shop – and unless you really plan to have a garage sale, be ruthless about what goes! Then look around and smile – and schedule time to tackle another area.

By Barbara Pronin

Shauna Quick

Realtor

Exit Realty Success

www.shaunaqsellshomes.com

shaunaqsellshomes@gmail.com