10 Decluttering Tips That Take Less Than 5 Minutes

Humans are a busy breed. From climbing the corporate ladder, taking care of kids, hitting the gym, and now thanks to the pandemic most of us are doing all of this from our homes. We’re home now more than ever before, even as offices begin to reopen and recall folks back to in-person meetings not all of us are so apt to crawl out of our comfy home hole we’ve create for ourselves. So, we’ve got some tips for you to help keep your hybrid home/workspace tidy and organized. And the best part is that you can totally stay in your pajamas to do it.

  • Clear One Counter

    – Slow and steady always wins the race! Start with just one countertop space, removing all the unnecessary clutter. You can keep the appliances or décor but junk mail, keys, broken toys, dirty dishes all need to go! Consider getting a mail basket if you have that much to organize. You can easily place a hook near your front door to hang your keys and if you’ve got pictures that are taking up valuable counterspace consider hanging them up on the wall!
  • No Floating Objects

    – Unless you’ve got a magic wand and spells that you’ve kept a secret then there should be no reason to have ‘floating objects’ in your home. Now I don’t mean that objects are literally levitating, I’m referring to the random objects and things that always seem to be moved around with no permanent spot. Common ‘floaters’ are mail, keys, shoes, backpacks etc. Everything has its place. Take a moment to really solidify and designate areas where these random floaters should be kept.
  • Wait, Wait, Wait

    – Even if you’ve just finished decluttering your whole house, there will be immediate tendency to fill it back up! Thwart any purchases (as best you can) for 30 days. Add items to a wishlist and record the date. Wait for 30 days, or 1 month, and see if that object has earned a spot in your home. You may surprise yourself even by no longer having the desire to purchase said object.
  • Fight Back Clutter Osmosis

    – Once you’ve got your place decluttered and you can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel, don’t slack off! Keep the momentum by implementing small, daily habits to maintain your newfound order and relief. These habits could be anything from doing a small load of laundry daily, loading and unloading the dishes each night rather than letting them pile up. Throw away all the trash right away and clean up messes as soon as they happen.
  • Create an ‘Action’ folder

    – To combat the constant flow of incoming paperwork, create an ‘Action’ folder in a high traffic area so it gets seen multiple times a day. This paperwork could include bills, permission slips, birthday invites and RSVP’s etc. Make it a point to clean out this folder each evening.
  • The Medicine Cabinet

    – Whether you keep your meds behind the bathroom mirror, under the sink or the top shelf cabinet in the kitchen, it is likely time for a purge and refresh. Get rid of all expired meds and only restock with the basics.
  • Strip Down to Your Drawers!

    – Please, keep your britches on for this. I’m talking about your house drawers. Your kitchen drawers, bedroom drawers, closets etc. Go one by one, room by room and empty the drawer completely only replacing the completely necessary items. Get rid of the all the remaining clutter.
  • Bring on the Bins

    – One of the most famous decluttering tips is the ‘Toss-Donate-Keep’ concept. Grab yourself some grocery bags, boxes or other bins and sort through your trinkets, clothes, and misc. clutter. You don’t have to go crazy and purge every item, but if it’s just collecting dust is it really worth holding onto?
  • Set a Recurring Time

    – Set a reminder in your phone or email to remind you on the same day each week or month (your choice) to review each room for 5 mins and collect the clutter than may be creeped back in and get rid of it!
  • Get it on Camera

    – It’s difficult to see the trees from the forest. We can’t always recognize the clutter when we live in it every day. Get a quick snapshot of your room or bookshelf and show it to a friend or loved one to get their perspective. If you wouldn’t post the pic on social media, you have your answer.

Thanks so much for reading! If you have your own decluttering tips you’d like to share with us, drop them in the comments below. Once you have your home decluttered and want a hand giving it a good deep cleaning, give us a call.  We are Maids on a Mission and we LOVE cleaning. Find us on Facebook.

10 Decluttering Tips

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