Many people tend to store and accumulate a great deal of stuff that they do not use, because they think it might come in handy in the future. Others find it difficult to part with useless and unnecessary items due to their sentimental value. If your home is accumulated with tiny or old decorations, if your storage room and drawers are stuffed with trash, if you open your closets and come across with clothes, shoes and bags that have not been worn – and probably never will – then it is about time to declutter. Decluttering is not just about throwing items away; – it is about looking for opportunities to organize and store away everything you want to keep, which facilitates your life.
Benefits of decluttering
To some people, the idea of decluttering may seem overwhelming, boring or pointless, but decluttering can have a positive impact on mental health and make your life easier:
Less cleaning: Decluttering is a tedious task, but constantly cleaning out things that are not useful is even more time-consuming and pointless.
Less stress: Decluttering may sound like a simple cleanup, but deep down, it has beneficial psychological properties. By organizing the space where you live or spend a significant part of your daily life, it is like putting your life and personality in order. Clutter plays a significant role in how we feel and affects our mood, as a messy home can create feelings of anxiety, stress or irritation. Wouldn’t it be better to be surrounded by spaces that exude calm, thus making you feel good?
Feelings of joy: By keeping only the stuff that you love or that is truly useful, you will gradually begin to appreciate more of what you have and rejoice a little more in the simple, small pleasures of daily life. Furthermore, instead of throwing your things away, you can donate them to someone who will find them of great value. Be sure that this gesture will make you feel proud and happy.
In summary, decluttering will help you reduce daily stress, become more productive, and make space and time for things that are truly meaningful and valuable to you.
Tips for easy and effective decluttering
Many decluttering experts recommend organizing your stuff by creating 3 baskets:
- one for the things you will donate
- one for those you will throw away
- one for what you can recycle
Now, let’s look at some categories of clutter that are more usually stuffed in spaces:
Living room
- Furniture as well as decorative objects that are broken or vanished, things that no longer match your taste or the decoration
- Extra cords and chargers that you do not use
- Plants that cannot be revived
Kitchen
- Duplicate kitchen tools (e.g., vegetable peelers, bottle openers, etc.)
- Expired spices and foods
- Mismatched and unnecessary coffee cups
- Plastic food or liquid containers without lids
- Recipe books that you do not find useful
Bathroom
- Cosmetics, make-up products or medicines that have expired
- Samples of toiletries you probably never used (and will never use)
- Old, dusty brushes and accessories, or hair care appliances
- Old and discolored nail polishes
Wardrobe
- Clothes that do not fit, you do not like anymore, or have not been worn in the last one or two seasons
- Holey socks and tights
- Uncomfortable shoes
- Clothes you have not mended in a year
- Expensive clothes that you have never worn
- Old purses and overused bags
Children’s room
- Old clothes and shoes
- Toys that are broken, have missing parts (e.g., puzzles), or do not match children’s age
- Worn out stuffed toys
- Books aimed at younger ages
- School books from previous years
- Old school notebooks and stationery
General purpose items
- Old electronic devices such as mobile phones, laptops and digital cameras, as well as cables and chargers
- Wastepaper (e.g., receipts, old bills, old insurance documents, user manuals, expired gift cards and vouchers, holiday cart postal and birthday cards, etc.)
- Old photos (keep only your favorites)
- Books that you do not aim to read again
- Things related to hobbies that are no longer used (e.g., musical instruments, camping equipment, etc.)
- Unused exercise equipment
We think it is the ideal time for general decluttering. What do you think?
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