Funny that I am doing this post because a good – and very old – friend has just asked me if I could “declutter” her home as she cannot do it anymore – for sentimental reasons and physical ones too. Of course it is okay with me as she is a dear friend and I’ve been trying to tell her a dozen times already that her home needs some clearing up. Although her house is really nice, it became quite stuffy inside that you can no longer appreciate the house’s own beauty. Think two sets of sofa in the living room facing each other like they are hopelessly locked in a staring contest for ages and you sure are on the right track!
To be honest, I think having someone else you trust to declutter your house is a good idea. I might try that myself some other time. Surely this “someone else” will see everything in black and white and will be able to judge your things at face value – if it’s good to go or not. Actually, I have watched a program on TV that did exactly that – raided cluttered houses, sold their stuff and bought them new and useful ones.
While I am not your most organized person in the world, I do know how to put a house in order. Here are my favorite strategies in decluttering a house:
* Raid rooms one by one, starting with the most obvious. Start by putting everything in their rightful places. This shouldn’t be too hard since we haven’t started with the process of elimination yet. We are just putting things where they belong so it will be easier for us to determine which ones should go and which ones are worth keeping.
* Check your closet. If there is one place where clutter tends to pile up, it is definitely the closet. However, this is the easiest to declutter too since it will be just a matter of “are you still wearing this or not?” Rule of thumb applies; if you are nowhere near it in six months then it is time for it to go unless they are seasonal clothing, then you might want to box them up nicely and tuck away in some corner of your closet.
* Take out a few of your kitchen tools. Consider your age, you must have, by now, not been cooking a lot. And if you do, surely it won’t require too much preparations now so it would be best if you give away those humongous, state-of-the-art food machines and settle with less complicated ones that will require lesser kitchen space.
* Take your time. It doesn’t have to be a sprint especially if you have already grown attached to your clutter. Do it once or twice a day until a habit is formed.
* Get some help. Sometimes, decluttering your home may feel like a herculean task so go get some help and be done with it the soonest possible time or at the very least, you lessen the clutter you need to deal with yourself.
