7 Tips To Help With Organizing & Decluttering The House

Let's face it. Sometimes the sheer amount of clutter around one's home just builds up to a level that homeowners can no longer stand. While organizing all those areas around the house may seem like a daunting task, one can take small steps to attack the chore. Yes, decluttering isn't exactly fun to do, but it can be productive and even profitable. Here's a look at seven minor ways to attack that decluttering task.

These can be used on a regular basis to attack the overall chore of making a house look more presentable.

1. Make a plan

A plan of attack for straightening up one's home is the way to go. Assess what needs to be organized and create a list. Prioritize which rooms or areas need the least to the most effort. Additionally, residents in the home can decide on a date they're all available to work on decluttering.

Another option is to create a list or checklist of all the areas that need to be organized. There are great mobile apps out there to create lists too. Once a plan of attack is created, you can determine somewhere to start in terms of cleaning or decluttering.

2. Choose one shelf or cabinet

It all starts with a single step to begin the overall decluttering task. Select a particular cabinet or shelf that really needs to be organized. By attacking just this one spot, a homeowner may find that they have momentum on their side. Once that cabinet or shelf is cleaned, it could lead to another, and another. Or it could be checked off on the checklist created in the first step.

3. Dump out a drawer

Select a drawer from somewhere. It could be a cluttered drawer in the kitchen, a basement or garage cabinet, or dresser drawer in a bedroom. If that drawer is in need of organization, dump it out (unless there are breakables). Starting simply is the way to go when it comes to attacking the overall concept of organizing that clutter.

4. Grab 5 objects & find a spot for them

It's very minor but can go a long way if done over an extended period of time. Even if a homeowner grabs just five objects each day and finds a good place for each of them to be, that can start to build towards a more organized home.

5. Create file folders

Mail, bills, and other paperwork is among the biggest issues, with regards to decluttering, in many homes. It may be a smart idea to create some file folders to store specific information in. These folders will allow one to better organize their paper clutter. If it's non-essential, then it can be thrown away. Examples of folders may be for automobile, medical/health, and financial information storage.

6. Create specific boxes

If one is decluttering the home, it could end up producing a lot of different objects. Some may be sellable on a website, such as eBay or Craigslist, to generate some extra money. Other items could be donated. There are also those items that will end up as "junk." Label specific boxes for these purposes and put items in them based on the level of attachment. Decide if that object is truly worthy of remaining amongst the house, or needs to go.

7. Use a specialized service

A good way to get rid of some clutter is by use of a specialized service. There are certain services available now that can help with scanning in physical photos from back when people still used cameras with developed film.

These may be local businesses or even online services where one ships their photos too.

There are also services that can help one scan important documents to be stored as files saved on a USB drive or computer, or even in the cloud. For some people that are more technology-savvy, simply purchasing and using an all-in-one printer with a built-in scanner can help with this too.

In addition, if there are old video cassettes around the home or even compact discs, these can be converted to digital form, eliminating those from the clutter.

It starts with simple steps

The ideas above are just a few suggestions for how to start getting one's messy home in order. However, they are all productive ideas that when applied together will get that house decluttered over time.

Just get started and keep checking off that list of tasks. Also remember to enjoy the fact that you have decluttered parts of the home, as it should be appreciated. That feeling will inspire one to continue organizing until the list is completed!