Benefits of Organizing and Decluttering Your Home
Spring cleaning is a very common practice where families will systematically clean through their homes by getting rid of things they no longer use. However, you can (and should) take any opportunity you have to rid your house of unnecessary belongings in favor of the ones you use often. Looking for tips to get started? This guide from the experts at Advantage Storage explores the benefits of decluttering your space and provides tips on how to better organize your home with the help of personal self storage.
1. Reduce Stress and Encourage Peaceful Living
Clutter in homes can create a more stressful way of moving through life. Decluttering and organizing your home can help you feel more in harmony with your living space and make doing tasks easier. Not being able to find that one item you need can be frustrating. When your house is organized, you will be able to produce an item you need more readily. Plus, lots of clutter can make it difficult for you to perform basic daily functions as it often covers spaces and items you use often.
2. Increase Self-Esteem
You may be hesitant to invite people over to your house if there is lots of clutter around as the idea of organizing everything seems insurmountable or you are ashamed of the number of things you have laying around. Home decluttering doesn’t have to be a one-day, one-week, or even one-month process. Take decluttering your home at a pace that is suitable to you and you will begin to feel more confident with the way your home looks and be more inclined to host the next family or friend gathering to show off your newly organized space.
3. Increase Sleep, Productivity, and Creativity
Your eyes may be closed when you sleep, but that doesn’t mean your home’s clutter disappears from existence. The things humans see before going to sleep often have an impression on the sleep they have. Looking at an over-full bathroom counter or a pile of clothes on the floor before falling asleep may negatively impact your sleep. This tired feeling often leads to less productivity and creativity during the day.
Even if you are sleeping well, you may still find it difficult to get your day-to-day tasks done in a cluttered house. When more items surround humans, they tend to be more distractible. If you find yourself working from home or trying to complete a chore and can’t seem to get anything done, it may be because the clutter is calling your name.
4. Reduce the Number of Accidents
The worst thing that can happen to people who work from home or who bring their work home with them is to misplace or destroy an important document. For those who don’t bring their work home, it can be embarrassing to explain to guests how you spilled coffee on a rug or nice furniture. With less clutter in your home, items on counters and tables will be more stable. You also will be less likely to reach or move awkwardly and knock something over your delicate surfaces. More spaces to place spillable items will also become available once you have cleaned your home.
5. Save Money and Time for Fun
Getting into the minimalist mindset will prevent you from making unnecessary purchases the next time you are at a store. Instead of buying a knick-knack item or something to place in your house, your brain will start to ask if you really need it once you have decluttered your house. Plus, you will become more efficient at cleaning by learning tips to keep your house less cluttered in between deep cleanings. This allows for more time and money to do fun things with your friends and family instead of cleaning your home.
Simple Decluttering Tips for Your Home
While all the reasons listed above sound great, it can still be difficult to motivate yourself to declutter and clean your house. The hardest part is getting started. Once you dip your toes into the decluttering world, you will put practices in place to make the next decluttering time easier.
Start Small and in Busy Places
If you have let items pile up for a few weeks, months, or years, you may find yourself wading through ankle-deep amounts of clutter. Keep in mind that you can do this on your schedule. If you are working a Monday-to-Friday, nine-to-five job, it is difficult to do too much during the week. Start by clearing out a side table or counter and work your way to bigger projects like offices, closets, or junk drawers. You should also start in places where the most people would be (like a living room) as this will make it easier to invite guests over sooner. Your friends and family members probably won’t be rifling through your closet or drawers, so save those for last.
Designate Boxes
The three things you should be looking to do when you declutter your home are to keep and reorganize items, donate items, and trash items. Label three boxes or bags and start placing items into them as you move around your house. For items you want to keep, you will likely reorganize them in your house once it’s decluttered. For those you want to donate, you can take them to a donation facility like Goodwill or you can place them in an appropriately sized storage unit until you can find somewhere for them. Items you want to trash may also need to be stored if you don’t live close to a large trash pickup.
Make Decisive Choices
The best way to declutter your home is to take a moment with all the items in your home and ask yourself four questions before deciding what to do with an item. You need to ask, do I still use this item? Is it a keepsake or heirloom that I should keep? Is this item still in usable condition? Would someone else use this item if I don’t? Once you have all of them answered, you should be able to decide if you are keeping, donating, or trashing each item. Make sure that the decisions you make are final and decisive to declutter more efficiently.
Create Space With Self Storage at Advantage Storage
Decluttering your home is not an easy process but becomes easier once you start and has lots of benefits to your health and enjoyment of life. Utilizing self storage during the process can help get items out of your home and make it easier to work through each room. At Advantage Storage facilities, we have units available in a variety of sizes so you can store just a few boxes or the contents of your entire home. Find the storage solution you need, grab packing supplies, and get to decluttering your space today!