There’s no way around it, mess = stress. The more clutter you have around your home, the higher the chances you are stressed out. This post is not meant to inspire you to declutter your house in one day. I honestly don’t think that’s possible. This post is meant to encourage you to take steps to declutter your home and your life. I guarantee you’ll feel better too. You’re welcome. 😉
Before we get into the “how” let’s talk about the “why.” Why should you declutter your home?
- Researchers discovered a link between high stress hormones (cortisol) levels in female homeowners and a high density of household objects.
Basically, women get stressed or anxious the more the junk piles up. Interestingly (or not) men didn’t seem bothered by the mess. I got annoyed just reading that.
- Getting rid of your clutter means less cleaning time. Some studies suggest the elimination of clutter would get rid of about 40% of time spent cleaning the home.
What?! Yep, you read that right. You can get back 40% of the time you spend cleaning now. What could you do with all that extra time? Baths….mediation…self-care…Or binge watch Bates Motel…Whatever, I’m not judging.
- A Princeton University Neuroscience Institute study found that people with a cluttered home experienced increased exhaustion as a result of expanding mental energy on stress that’s caused by your messy environment.
Feeling tired already? Blame it on the mess! And feeling tired is not a good thing, I know all the moms up in here agree with this point. Feeling tired throws us off our mom game, our work life, everything. I hate feeling tired because I have less patience with my kids, my husband and less self control. Pass the wine and Trader Joe’s Potato Chips, please!
How to Declutter your home and your life
Begin with the end in mind. Think about your “why.” By getting rid of the clutter what will change?
- Will your kids finally find clothes to wear?
- Will you stop being late?
- Will you stop buying so much ____ because you’ll be able to find the ___ you already have?
Start with the kids.
Start with one kid at at time. Together (if they’re older) go through all the clothes. What doesn’t fit? What’s stained? What’s set aside for you to sew that you never did? Get rid of it.
I put all the clothes that didn’t fit my kids in bag and placed it right into my van. Otherwise, it may have taken months for that bag to make it out of the house. I gave jeans away to a friend at work. The rest I donated.
I actually had fun helping my oldest daughter put together outfits with clothes that actually fit her and wasn’t stained or torn anywhere.
I even got rid of all the socks that didn’t match—all of them! And I bought each kid a pack of black socks. I figured black socks would last longer (less visible stains) and be the easiest to keep track of.
The kids now have to hang up all their outfits after they do their laundry. I got rid of dressers when we moved because the kids’ rooms are smaller now, and I was sick of all the junk they piled in their drawers.
My life is easier now because:
- My kids always have something nice to wear that fits.
- No more being late because everybody and their mama can’t find socks. (Just to be clear though, we’re still late for other reasons.)
- My kids are not overwhelmed with clothes = no clothes on the floor, less laundry, more time for fun!
Next step: Move on to toys and books
This is the tricky one, moms. It’s rare that our kids will be up for parting with their toys. But, we have to think about this…..if as moms we get overwhelmed with too much clutter, are we setting our kids up for failure by giving too much, letting them have too many toys, books, etc.?
Don’t get me wrong, I love books, and some toys.
Full disclosure: I threw away 95% of my 4 year olds toys before we moved. She doesn’t know. Doesn’t miss them. And if you ever meet her in person you better not mention it!
You can try going through the toys when the kids aren’t home. Place the toys/books in a box or bag and put somewhere out of sight.
If you notice your child really misses a few of the things you could give those back but keep the rest in the bag. After a few days get rid of anything that wasn’t asked for or missed. It’s not needed!
Use storage cubes to organize toys for little ones
Grab a desk for tweens and teens
I kept my kids’ room simple: a bed, desk or night stand. Small plastic cart organizer in their closets for undies, socks and tiny amount of miscellaneous items (since we got rid of dressers).
This is the look we’re going for. Simple. Not cluttered and cute. Right!? Isn’t this super cute?
DECLUTTER THE SPACE YOU SPEND THE MOST TIME IN
Now that the your kids’ rooms are decluttered, let’s move on.
You should work on the space you spend a lot of time in. This is probably your kitchen. Or, it may be your home office, your bedroom or your living room.
There is a simple basic idea to get started in any room: set a timer for 15 minutes, grab a laundry basket and take out everything that doesn’t belong in that room.
- Now look at the basket of miscellaneous items. Do they belong in another room? Do some items need to be thrown away? Can you donate anything? Spend another 15 minutes going through these items.
- Take a well-deserved 5-10 minute break. Reward yourself with social media time or grab a quick snack and drink.
- Set the timer another 15 minutes. If you have MORE clutter repeat the steps above. Spend this time removing more items that don’t belong in the room you are working in. If you don’t have any clutter left you can start with a quick clean up: Wipe down surface areas.Sweep/mop or vacuum.
- Move on to the next room and start all over again. Get that clutter out of your home.
Don’t get discouraged if you have a lot of clutter. You probably won’t finish today. And you might even think starting with 15 minutes is a waste of time. Just trust me, it’s not.
Setting a timer for 15 minutes gets you started. And once you get started you’ll probably be motivated to keep on going.
You can do this. And a clean and beautiful home is worth it!
THE TRICKY PART
Ha ha! The tricky part of clearing your home from clutter is that sometimes the clutter can hang out in your garage or the trunk of your van forever.
Don’t do this! 🙂
Schedule a day to donate everything!
Decluttering Resources
This lady is awesome! Her website is geared towards getting your WHOLE house decluttered and keeping it clean. My #1 favorite tip (and one I’ve been following) is keeping the kitchen sink clean and shiny every night!
What I love about FlyLady is how easy it is to jump into her FREE cleaning plans. Even if you’re overwhelmed with clutter you can go on the site and jump in to that day’s cleaning plan.
This girl’s got a family of 8….and is rocking the minimalist kitchen! I stumbled upon her kitchen tour post a few months ago.
That’s when I realized I had WAY too many kitchen gadgets, tools and pretty much everything.
I sifted through my favorite kitchen items, put “extras” in a giveaway pile and kept: Instant pot, slowcooker, Airpopper, a George Foreman grill and a personal blender.
What are a few things in your kitchen you have used in a bit?
I even got rid of extra spatulas and servings spoons. I have less to clean now.
So go on, start your timer and get to decluttering! If you want more tips and tricks sign up for The Resource Page, it’s a free newsletter with ideas on parenting, positivity and family life.
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De-cluttering is such a potent stress reliever, even for men. Thank you for all of these wonderful tips and information on how to get decluttering right.
Hi Crystal,
From my personal experience, I have learned that we are often overwhelmed by the enormity of the task when it comes to decluttering, there is always so much to do that you start dreading the task. To overcome this I always tackle one room or one category of items at a time or use the “one in, one out” rule to keep clutter from accumulating.
Seth Parent recently posted…How to Fix Your Toronto Home’s Leaky Roof When It’s Raining