TIPS FOR A CLUTTER FREE HOME
Conquering clutter once and for all is not an easy thing. Mostly clutter is formed by our habits such as throwing jackets on the sofa and briefcases after work and failing to use launch pads. Clearing clutter once is a good start, but maintaining a clutter free environment is even more important.
GIVE EVERYTHING A HOME
What causes clutter in the first place? Those items in the home do that not have a home. Mail, toys, newspapers, clutch bags, first aid kit or books that are homeless and lie just about anywhere meet up with other lost companions and transit into clutter. Come up with good homes for your household items and make it a routine so that everyone knows where to find and keep what. Give each family member a launch to make home for their purses, backpacks, school papers and briefcases. It will solve the problem of having good stuff look like bad clutter.
CONSIDER HAVING CLUTTER PRESERVES
Even for perfectionists, there is no such thing as clutter-free living. Once in a while you will toss clothing on floors and that is perfectly alright. What you may need to do is have preserves that are just dedicated for clutter. In these clutter preserves, the clutter can live freely as long as it is confined to its zones. For instance, in the kitchen you can have a junk drawer where that can be home to rubber bands, clipped recipes, shopping receipts and vitamin bottles. For children, come up with a flat-bottomed plastic laundry basket that can house playthings in the family room or bedroom. Do this for all magazines and catalogs that are part of clutter.
ONE IN, ONE OUT RULE
Instead of buying new things and filling up the house, if it is your plan to replace a household stuff, dispose what you are replacing first. If it is old toys that you need to replace with new ones, dispose the old ones first. You can give out or sell during a garage sale. This will not only help you de-clutter, it also saves money while avoiding wastage. In fact, you can even go further and adopt one in, two out!
OUTSOURCE
Consider outsourcing some resources instead of buying them for your household. We all love ownership and assets, but sometimes buying things that will only be used once in a blue moon build clutter in the home so first. Don’t buy paint sprayers and specialty tools for house mending projects, rent them. Exchange garden tools or hobby equipment with a neighbor. Borrow CDs, books, or videos from a video store or library.
A clutter free home begins with forming the right habits. Even with all the rules, you need discipline to stick everything where it is supposed to be.
