8 Best tips to declutter and have an organized home in 2023
Discover how to arrange every room in your home using a single, tried-and-true method to keep everything neat and tidy - best tips to declutter and have an organized home.
While none of us can claim to be expert organizers, we can all improve the way our homes are set up. But where to begin?
Decluttering is advised as a good initial step by several home organization specialists, including Marie Kondo.
According to Marie Kondo - certified master organizer, the act of decluttering involves choosing what you enjoy, what you [don't] like, and what you want to preserve. Michele is also the founder of Neat Little Nest and the author of The Holistic Guide to Decluttering.
"First declutter, then arrange." Making lasting solutions for a clutter-free house will be simpler once you've got rid of stuff that no longer brings you joy.
Enjoy an organized home in 8 simple steps
Use these stress-saving home organization hacks and techniques when you're ready to get down to business.
The majority may be completed for free using tools you already have at home, or they can be completed using a few reasonably priced organizing goods that will upgrade your closets, bedrooms, bathrooms, and more.
Just keep in mind that even if it seems overwhelming to declutter and organize, the greatest thing you can do is just start. You'll soon start enjoying the advantages of a more organized existence once you begin clearing away all that clutter.
1. Take everything out of the space
You've heard it before: sometimes things have to become worse before they get better! This is frequently true when organizing. We've found that starting cleanly is beneficial.
You can always see what you have after organizing the entire area. Then you can evaluate your storage requirements and make the best use of the available space.
What if my room has too much stuff to take everything out?
Taking everything out at once might not be practical if you’re organizing a full room. In that situation, you can divide the room into smaller halves and work on each section separately.
For instance, in the kitchen, you may divide the project into arranging the pantry, then organizing the cabinets, and so on.
Alternatively, you may divide it into arranging your clothing, organizing your night stands, and then organizing the floor and/or other surfaces in the bedroom.
Break down the amount of objects that need to be eliminated from a place into smaller chunks if you're feeling overwhelmed and work on it gradually.
2. Declutter like crazy
During the decluttering process, make an effort to be as brutal as possible. It's a pretty good sign that you can get rid of anything if you haven't used it in a while. Put broken items in a discard pile. And you can tell it's time to throw something away if it's soiled or worn out.
Your space will feel less congested the more you can get rid of. You can either have the space or the possessions, but not both.
Most of us have a tendency to hold on to things because we think we might need them “someday.” But in reality we use a lot less of our stuff than we realize. And if in this case you’re not using it, it needs to go!
Does the item need to be relocated?
Along with selling or donating items, decluttering a space can also mean relocating items to a more appropriate spot.
If you find decor items in your kitchen cabinets, for example, maybe those could be moved to a storage space instead.
Or if you get rid of items and your closet is still full, maybe you could relocate blazers to your coat closet or off-season items to under bed bins.
3. Put similar items together
You can start grouping like items into categories as you start to remove stuff from the space and clean it.
For instance, while you are organizing your pantry, gather all of your spices, canned goods, baking supplies, etc. into one area.
When items are divided up by type, it’s easier to see exactly what you have. If you have doubles or triples of items, you can declutter some of the extras.
Maybe you discover that some categories of items that were in the space would actually be better stored somewhere else, and you can move them.
Separating items into categories also makes it easy to see what you’re working with, so you can choose appropriate bins to corral each category.
4. Begin the organizing process by storing similar items together
Finding a means to neatly and conveniently store each category of your classify goods is the next step in the organizing process.
This does not require you to go out and purchase many expensive bins. Always try to get creative and start with what you already have at home.
5. Label everything!
Labelling not only makes it easier to find things quickly and easily, but it also looks nice!
Feel free to label in a variety of ways.
6. Create a system
Now that like things have been grouped together and labelled, congratulations! You are well on your way to a more organized and decluttered home.
Next is to create a system. What do we mean? If you place things that you need to reach frequently far away what will happen to your newly organized space?
If you happen to place things that are needed frequently far out of reach what will happen?
See our point? Think about the use of each of the items and place them away according to how frequently you’ll need to access them and how easily you can put everything back. It has to be easy and convenient, otherwise, it won't stick.
7. The two-minute rule
The two-minute rule was first established by David Allen in his book, Getting Things Done. The two-minute rule aims to banish procrastination and help people accomplish small tasks.
To keep your space neat and organized you’ll need to train yourself on the two-minute rule. If it takes you less than two minutes then you have to do it on the spot.
Take it as literally as you would like as long as it works. Set a timer on your phone and use the two minutes to put things neatly in their space. This is a huge part of making the decluttered and organized look last for good.
8. Don't be afraid to switch things up
Your space might be organized now but your needs will change and evolve. Perhaps at the moment you live by yourself and decide to share your space with someone else, or perhaps you pick up a new hobby, or a pet.
Don’t be afraid to switch things up. As long as you keep these tips in mind, your home will remain organized even as you evolve.
Final thoughts
Although different types of bins, dividers, and shelving may be needed in various rooms of the house, this is the organizing method for the job.
It might be completely daunting to try to restore order when you believe everything is disorganized. But if you apply these tips to declutter and have an organized home, you’ll start to make improvement much sooner than you anticipate!