5 Weekly Habits of People Who Keep Their Homes Clutter-Free
Decluttering one’s home can be an overwhelming physical and mental nightmare. We all know how quickly our homes are filled with things we don’t need, don’t use, and don’t want. But with careful planning and an efficient routine, we can help maintain a clutter-free home with some quick and easy weekly habits.
Why Decluttering is Important
An overly cluttered home—even those far removed from “hoarding” status—can pose many issues for day-to-day living. Kids, pets, and adults step over piles of household and personal items, never packing them away and increasing the chances of someone falling flat on their face. Additionally, too much clutter can attract vermin, insects, and other creepy crawlies that pose threats to your home, especially to children and animals.
Clutter and Mental Health
Clutter can lead to feelings of stress and overwhelm if it gets in the way of daily life. When clutter becomes overwhelming, studies have found that it affects one’s ability to concentrate, leads to increased procrastination, and negatively impacts relationships within the household. Therefore, decluttering one’s home is an act of self-care—preserving one’s sanity, relationships, ability to function, and physical space.
1. Spotlight Decluttering
The spotlight decluttering routine requires setting time aside each week to address a specific area, like a closet, drawer, corner of a room, or one piece of overloaded furniture. The central idea is to take everything out, assess what’s there, and decide what to do with each item. Items can be put in their rightful place, donated, or discarded for lack of use. This decluttering method aims to prevent overwhelming feelings and help maintain a minimalist lifestyle.
2. Pantry Purge
Once a week, take a look at your pantry and refrigerator. Are there expired, spoiled items or not being eaten? If so, out they go. Not only is this essential for your diet—no one wants to eat food made with expired ingredients, but it helps maintain the space, prevents food waste, and allows you to organize things to easily find them.
3. One-In-One-Out Rule
This decluttering technique is fairly simple: for every item you bring into the house, another must be let go. For example, you buy a lovely decorative item for the coffee table or a new pair of linen pants. When you get home, replace the old, dusty candles on your coffee table with the new purchase or donate that old pair of jeans you no longer wear to make room for your new linen pants. This method helps maintain balance and avoids accumulating too much stuff over time.
4. The Paperwork Mill
Despite our evolution to a more digitally inclined age, paperwork still piles up, be it mail, magazines, or shopping receipts. Creating an ongoing “paper mill” to organize or discard paperwork is a daily routine that can easily be implemented. Whenever you handle paperwork, instead of leaving it on the kitchen counter or desk for later, sort and file important documents, recycle unwanted receipts, and regularly donate or recycle magazines and newspapers you have finished reading.
5. Everyday Tidying
Everyday tidying involves packing things away rather than putting them down. Have you finished your laundry? Pack it away immediately. Are you no longer using the sandwich press? Put it back in the cupboard. The list goes on, but packing things away as soon as you are finished using them, which takes mere seconds, can help eliminate cluttered surfaces, leaving things looking neater.
Other Decluttering Tips
There is no shortage of decluttering tips, as everyone has their own way of thinking and addressing clutter, and we all like to share what works for us. Many people find it helpful to designate a place for everything and get into the habit of sticking to that organizational hierarchy. A good way to declutter on a larger scale is to regularly sort through things to see what can be donated or recycled.
Decluttered Living
Decluttering is a process that varies in each household, but as life gets busier and busier, employing more than one technique might be exactly what the doctor ordered. A tidy home means less stress, feelings of overwhelm, and better relationships, but it can also become your own personal decorative and organizational style that leaves you feeling relaxed and content.
Sources
How Clutter and Mental Health Are Connected
Weekly Decluttering Tasks to Maintain a Minimalist and Clutter-Free Home
Experts share 9 easy habits to keep your home clutter-free
