Whether you’re interested in making your home feel more spacious or simply want to be a little more organised, there are many benefits tied to decluttering your home. After all, not only does clutter look unsightly, but it's also a scientifically proven trigger for both stress and anxiety. For example, a recent study found that individuals living in a cluttered home had higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their bodies than those living a clutter-free life. However, if it has been several years since you last decluttered your home, it can be hard to know where even to start. After all, you’re likely reading this article while staring at a mountain of clutter.
By Team Savant
Image: Alesia Kazantceva
Fortunately, there are numerous steps you can take to address your clutter problem and banish it for good!
Admit That You Have a Problem
Many people who live in cluttered homes are not willing to admit that this is the case. For example, you may find yourself making the excuse that you’ll put things away later or that the issue isn’t really that big of a deal. However, there’s a reason you clicked on this article! Admitting that you have a problem that you need to address means that you’re more likely to hold yourself accountable moving forward. Not only does this mean that you can start to remove the clutter from your home, but you’re also less likely to find yourself in a similar situation again in the future.
Go Through One Room At a Time
As mentioned above, a top-to-bottom decluttering of your home is a task that will take a considerable amount of time and energy. However, you can make this feel a lot more manageable by tackling one room at a time. Remember, this is not a task you need to complete in a single day, either.
Stop Being Sentimental
While you do not have to part ways with items that genuinely mean something to you, you cannot afford to be overly sentimental when decluttering your home. After all, items that you no longer need or use are doing nothing but taking up valuable space within your home. As such, it's important that you are somewhat ruthless when sorting through your things.
Invest In a Storage Unit
Sometimes, the reason we allow clutter to build up in our homes is because we simply do not have enough space to store all our belongings. However, this does not mean that you have to throw everything you own away (contrary to the step above). For example, you could resolve this issue relatively quickly by investing in container storage.
Donate or Sell What You No Longer Need
If you’re worried about generating waste, you may find that you are more likely to hold onto things, creating clutter within your home. However, there are many ways in which you can remedy this. For example, if your belongings are still in good condition, you can donate them to a local charity instead of throwing them away. If you are in need of some extra cash, you could even sell them!