Declutter and organize your home like a boss with these time-tested decluttering tips from professional organizers.
Riddle: Most of us have it, but none of us want it. Yes, that’s right, clutter! We know that we all strive to be better in living our lives, however, sometimes, things don’t go just like our plans, and it all starts in our homes. We all dream of a more efficient and more organized home, but just the thought of decluttering and getting organized can be absolutely overwhelming.
Marie Kondo makes it look easy, but decluttering your home is absolutely not an easy task. There are a LOT of distractions during the process. Plus, let’s be honest, most of us are a little bit of a hoarder deep inside, so it’s not easy to let go of things. You would say to yourself that you will need it someday, then three years have passed, and you totally forgot about it. You know we’re right.
However, decluttering and organizing your home has a lot of benefits. Imagine going to sleep every night and waking up each morning with a clean and organized bathroom and closet, an empty kitchen sink, a clutter-free home office desk, and no stacked mails in your entryway. It can definitely and instantly boost your productivity levels and brighten up your mood.
So if you’re ready to get started on your decluttering journey, we’ve compiled a list of the best decluttering tips from professional organizers for getting every room of your home in tip-top shape.
Before Decluttering and Organizing Your Home
Ask Yourself if You Love It: We are all familiar with Marie Kondo’s decluttering and organizing process on letting go of items that are not needed anymore, but if you’re unsure of an item, ask yourself if you love it. If yes, are you going to use it? If the answer is no, let it go. The only exception to this rule is if the item has sentimental value. However, you must be firm and logical during the process because you might think that ALL items have sentimental value, which will make the whole process pointless and unsuccessful.
Donate: It’s best to donate items that can still be used by people who need it the most. Trust us, your home may look empty from getting rid of clutter, but your heart is full from helping charities and people.
Everything Has to Have a Home: Decluttering and organizing your belongings means each and every piece has a designated storage spot.
Look at Everything: Similar to the first process, look at ALL of your belongings so you can decide what you should keep and what you should let go and donate.
Make a Plan: No one dives on this task without a plan because it’s overwhelming, and it takes a lot of time to finish. Plus, you need to be systematic. You can’t declutter and organize all rooms in your home at the same time. Professional organizers recommend making a plan, such as creating a list of what you should prioritize first, then tackle one room at a time.
Make Definite Yes and No Piles: When sorting through your belongings, separate each and every item in yes and no piles. Be sure that you avoid hoarding items you don’t need anymore.
Recognize When It’s Time to Declutter: Well, this should be the first on the list. It’s time to declutter when you come home to a “clean” space, but you don’t feel relaxed at all. That’s what most people say. If that’s how you feel, then it’s probably time to declutter and organize your home.
Decluttering Tips From Professional Organizers for Your Entryway
A clean and organized entryway will be much more inviting, and it will give a positive image to you and your home. Plus, it would save you so much time from finding your keys. Use these decluttering tips from professional organizers in your entryway:
Decide on the Purpose: What is the function of your entryway? Create a list of the things you must have in your entryway that will fulfill its purpose. Plus, it’s important to measure the space before you buy anything.
Declutter Your Entryway: Throw out any trash and organize your bags, shoes, and coats. Do a quick wipe down and sweep.
Organize It: Empty your entryway space, then organize it. When organizing and decluttering your entryway, it’s important to have a place for every stuff like your umbrella, coats, hats, shoes, and bags. Add a mail organizer and storage baskets for your kid’s stuff or transform an old bookshelf into a storage space. Don’t forget to place a key bowl or hook to hang your keys.
Trash: Placing a trash can in your entryway is a great idea to empty your pockets or purse.
Decluttering Tips From Professional Organizers for Your Living Room
It’s everyone’s goal to create a chic, functional, and organized living room, but it’s never easy to achieve since your living room is likely the busiest and shared space in your home. However, don’t fret because we have effective decluttering tips from professional organizers that will keep your living room spick and span once and for all.
Determine How You Do and Don’t Want to Use Your Living Space: OK, similar to your entryway, you should define the purpose of your living room, and what are the items you need that will fulfill that purpose.
Sort Items: We mentioned having a yes, no, and donate categories to help you decide if you should keep an item and relocate it, put an item away, or donate items that are still in good condition to charities.
Declutter: 80% of the clutter in your home is a result of disorganization, not a lack of space. Focus on removing items that don’t meet your goal or the purpose of the living space. Check out the checklist below from Show Me Suburban to guide you in the decluttering process.
- Books you no longer use, need, or love; books you want to keep but that don’t need to be displayed; store them elsewhere
- Chargers for devices you no longer use or own
- Décor you no longer love or that is out of season
- Electronics that are outdated or that you don’t regularly use
- Extra blankets
- Extra or worn coasters
- Family member’s personal belongings, such as shoes, backpacks, toys, etc; put them away or give each family member a basket to hold items they can put away themselves
- Fire tending tools you don’t use
- Firewood and wood storage racks you don’t use
- Games you no longer use or love, that are missing critical pieces, or that can be put into storage
- Home movies you don’t regularly watch
- Items temporarily there for storage that can be moved to a permanent storage location
- Magazines that are outdated or that you’ve read. If necessary, clip any articles that you’d like to save.
- Old potpourri, reed diffusers, or candles that you no longer use or love
- Random items that don’t belong
- Throw pillows you no longer use, need, or love
- Toys your kids no longer use or love
Opt for Stylish Storage: It’s important to create a living room that is both functional and stylish, and you can achieve this by adding stylish storages like baskets & crates, built-in shelves, or double-duty furniture.
Decluttering Tips From Professional Organizers for Your Dining Room
Since we are getting nearer the busy holiday season, it’s best to start as early as now in decluttering and organizing your dining room. Follow these decluttering tips from professional organizers to make sure it’s in tip-top shape for dinner parties!
Gather Up All of the Items From the Day’s Category: According to Just A Girl and Her Blog, make it a habit to check your cabinets and drawers, like buffets and china cabinets, and go through each and every one to make sure you have everything all in one place. This will tell if you have way too many of something and can quickly decide what to get rid of.
Purge Like Crazy: Stash away or throw out things like decorative items that you don’t need or that doesn’t serve a purpose in your dining room. Think, these items are taking up valuable space that you could be using to hold the items we actually use and love.
Put Items Back in an Organized Way: Of course, after purging your dining room, it’s a must to put everything that’s left in storages like baskets or bins.
Maintain Your Beautifully Decluttered Dining Room: OK, we think this is one of the biggest problems in decluttering and organizing your dining room. It’s so easy to fill the space right back up with more clutter, such as walking in the house and throwing things right onto the dining room table. Discipline yourself and always check if the dining table is free of clutter.
Decluttering Tips From Professional Organizers for Your Kitchen
It’s really a challenge to keep your kitchen functional, organized, and well-designed. However, decluttering and organizing your kitchen can take you forever, so here are easy and simple decluttering tips from professional organizers to help you clean your kitchen in no time!
Check All of Your Cupboards, Drawers, and Surfaces: Similar to decluttering and organizing your dining room, Clean and Scentsible also advised that you must quickly go through all of your cupboards, drawers, and surfaces to see what you can get rid of. Yes, quickly, because it gives you a little bit of urgency and helps you make a gut decision rather than going back and forth about whether or not you really need the item.
Ask Yourself: If you’re feeling a bit stuck, try asking yourself, “Do I use this?” Is this item extra?” “Would I buy this today? (for decorative items),” and “Does this help to make my life easier?“
Clean Your Counter: Countertop accessories are nice, but its best to save the space for items that are also useful. Avoid placing your household items, mail, and paperwork on your counter simply because it doesn’t belong there, and it turns into stacks of clutter.
Clean Your Pantry: Take everything out, eliminate any expired items, and wipe down shelves. Then take the time to group similar items by type, then according to usage.
Opt for Clear Storage: This will help you see when items need to be replenished.
Decluttering Tips From Professional Organizers for Your Bedroom
It’s common for your bedroom to become a dumping ground for laundry, miscellaneous items, and unpacked bags. And since visitors don’t really see your bedroom, it may be the last place you clean and organize. Use these decluttering tips from professional organizers for your bedroom to be a peaceful retreat.
Declutter Your Bedroom Every Week: Spend at least 30 minutes to declutter and organize your bedroom starting at your night table. Recycle or items that you no longer need, put dirty clothes and linens in the hamper, and check the drawers and dressers for items that need to be donated or thrown away.
Use Bowls and Trays to Contain Clutter: Store your accessories, books, glasses, and other knickknacks in cute bowls or trays.
Remove Any Unnecessary Furniture: Free up floor space by removing any unnecessary furniture. This will make your bedroom look as clutter-free as possible, and it’s also a great way to make your room look more spacious.
Make Your Bed: It only takes a bit of effort to make your bed. Just by fluffing your pillows and pulling your covers can make your bedroom look polished and more pulled together.
Decluttering Tips From Professional Organizers for Your Bathroom
A clutter-free and organized bathroom, no matter what size, will always look pleasant, more relaxing, and more sanitary. Check these decluttering tips from professional organizers to create a functional and attractive bathroom space.
Add Storage Containers: If your bathroom is lacking in storage, add floating shelves or built-in storage units to keep your bathroom items, like towels, toiletries, and cleaning products.
- Clean Your Drawers and Medicine Cabinet: Take everything out, sort through everything you always use, then separate them into categories, such as:
- Cleaning supplies
- First-aid supplies
- Grooming tools like nail files and razors
- Haircare products
- Hair tools like brushes and clips
- Makeup
- Over the counter creams and pills
- Paper goods like tissues and toilet paper
- Prescription medications
- Q-tips, cotton pads, etc.
- Skincare products
- Towels and mats
Put the sorted items in stylish storage boxes or containers. Throw away or recycle old items that you don’t use or need anymore.
Get Rid of Old and Unused Items: Especially if it’s expired medicine. However, it’s not advised to flush old prescriptions down the toilet or sink drain. You may consult the FDA website for information on how to properly dispose these items or consult local authorities.
Deep-Clean the Bathroom: It’s important to keep your bathroom clean and organized. Check your bathroom closet and drawers if there are items you can donate, you should get rid of, or misplaced items. Organize your towels and bathroom products. Make sure that everything is in its proper place.
Organize the Sink and Counter Spaces: This little space in your bathroom is the messiest, so take everything out and wipe the surface. Then add storage boxes or trays to put your hand lotion, face cleanser, hand soap, and other items you use daily.
Maintain Your Organized Bathroom: Similar to decluttering and organizing your dining room, do your best to keep your bathroom clean by returning items in their proper places and avoiding things to accumulate in the bathroom.
Decluttering Tips From Professional Organizers for Your Closet
You don’t need a sign that indicates it’s time to organize your closet. It would all just fall on you once you open the doors. But seriously, part of a clean bedroom is having an organized closet. These tried and true decluttering tips from professional organizers will help you clean up your closet once and for all.
Ask Yourself These Closet Decluttering Questions:
- Are the heels too high or comfortable to walk in?
- Do I love it?
- Do I wear it?
- Does it itch or scratch?
- Does it still fit?
Organize Your Closet by Season: This will give you a chance to think about what you’ve worn and the clothes you’ve ignored that season. Plus, it will help you decide on the clothes you should keep from the clothes you should donate or sell.
Organize Your Closet by Category: Organize your clothes into categories like tops, pants, dresses, undergarments, and accessories. Doing this will help you compare similar clothes and get rid of the things you don’t want or have too much.
Donate or Sell Your Clothes: If you have a lot of clothes you don’t want anymore, you can either donate it to charities or sell them online.
Your Closet Should Reflect Your Life: If you often change your fashion style, then there’s a higher chance that your closet is overstuffed with items you rarely or never wear anymore. Choose the clothes that you are most likely to wear at events, gym, or work. It should perfectly fit and flatter your current body. Then donate the rest of your clothes or sell them.
Decluttering Tips From Professional Organizers for Your Home Office
It’s impossible to feel inspired and productive in a cluttered space. Aside from you feel distracted, you also waste time looking for the things you need. So start organizing your home office today with these decluttering tips from professional organizers.
Take One Section at a Time: If you have a small home office space, then it will easy to clean and organize the area. However, if your home office is taking up an entire room, then it’s best to take one section at a time so that the task won’t be overwhelming. Start by organizing your desk, then your cabinets and drawers.
Remove Items That Don’t Belong: Check your cabinets, drawers, and desk for items that don’t belong in your home office space.
Invest in Stylish Storages: Keep your home office desk neat and organized by using drawer dividers. You can use any acrylic organizers to keep flash drives, pens, business cards, sticky notes, and other office equipment in one place. You can also add trays to keep papers, files, and books organized.
Clean and Dust Everything: Now is the perfect time to dust, sweep, and generally clean your desk and top of the cabinet. Even a quick wipe will be enough.
Create Labels for Documents: Labeling documents and important items in your home office makes it much easier to find things while you’re working.
Decluttering Tips From Professional Organizers for Your Laundry Room
Finally, the laundry room! A typical laundry room always lacks storage that’s why it’s important to keep this area clean, functional, and organized. Make the most of your laundry room’s small space with these decluttering tips from professional organizers.
Give Your Laundry Room a Good Cleaning: Remove or toss items you no longer need to make space for useful items.
Take Advantage of Blank Walls: Use this space to create storage for your laundry essentials. Install cabinets or shelves to keep your bleach, fabric softener, clothespins, laundry detergent, stain removers, iron, starch, and other cleaning supplies. You can also install hooks for jackets and a rod to hold hangers.
Group Similar Items: Place similar items in a storage basket. You can place powdered detergent into clear jars with scoops so you can see when you’re running low. For stain removers and liquid soap, pour them into olive oil jars with spouts.
Pre-sort Your Clothes: Pre-sorting darks and whites will save you so much time. You can also add baskets or hamper for dry cleaning, clothes that need to be repaired, and unmatched socks.
Strive to be better, starting with a clutter-free and organized home. Apart from it’s good for your health, it can boost your mood and productivity too! Plus, decluttering and organizing your home can reduce your environmental footprint. We hope that these decluttering tips from professional organizers will help you create space for what you truly care about and help you live your best life!
Learn more interior design tips and ideas on Omysa’s Design blog. Happy cleaning!
