With Spring quickly approaching, it’s time to tidy up and refresh your space! These home tips will help you successfully declutter your space for a clean slate into the new season
Tip #1: Clothing and Toy Rotations
One easy way to declutter is to minimize the number of items out and in use at any given time. We recommend using under-bed bins to keep off-season clothes tucked away. This will provide more space in your closet and drawers. Similarly, consider a toy rotation for the kids. Have one container that holds a portion of toys while leaving out only what fits in the play spaces. Every few months, swap the groups of toys; not only will your kids find renewed interest in old items, but it’ll be easier for them to help clean and put things away when there are fewer toys out.
Tip #2: Purge Unused Items
We all have things we hold onto just in case we want them in the future, but often that day never comes. Start the new season by turning your hangers backward on the closet rod; when you wear something, put the hanger back the right way for the rest of the season. At the end of the season, purge any clothes that are still on backward hangers. For toys, use a “maybe” bin to store less popular items out of sight for a while – if the kids don’t notice the toy is gone for a couple of months, go ahead and donate.
Tip #3: View your home as a first-time visitor.
It’s easy to “forget” what your home looks like to a new visitor. Enter your home as if you’re visiting the home of a friend. Write down your first impression of how clean and organized the home is and make changes.
Tip #4: Find expiration dates
A lot of what we use and consume has an expiration date. Go through one space at a time and search for dates. Throw out anything that has already expired and in a separate pile have items that will be expiring soon. If you still use these items, highlight them by putting them in an easily accessible location. If you can’t see yourself using them by the date given, throw them away.
Tip #5: Remember what you gain by letting go
Decluttering opens the door for some pretty great things. You gain space, time, and energy, among other things. Keep your eye on the prize and use the motivation to redouble your decluttering verve.