De-clutter: 6 beginner's tips to clean your house

Enter your room and all you see are clothes scattered anywhere on the furniture, bed and floor, books and papers lying all around; random utility stuff thrown across the table and other places and then rummaging like a fanatic to actually find out that one pen you have been looking for. Is this your everyday scene? Then it is time for you to de-clutter and bring organisation into your life. It might look overwhelming but if you start small, you will be able to de-clutter the space and re-arrange everything according to your needs so that it will be easier for you to locate them in need. Like always, the first step is the most difficult and the rest falls into place.

Here are six things to keep in mind while you de-clutter your house

If you are starting out with the process to de-clutter your room for the first time, take a deep breath and follow these six steps which might make your life easier.

One step at a time

De-clutter is a process which takes a few days, especially if you are doing it for the first time. It is ideal to start with one drawer, one shelf or one cupboard at a time instead of trying to re-arrange everything together. Cleaning one tiny space at a time helps you to understand what is actually required of you, the time taken to clean and builds practice which gives you momentum and pace. So, you can start by cleaning your most important drawer or bedside table and then move on to the bigger storage points.

Time yourself

Often times what happens when you pull out drawers and storage units and bring out your stuff, you revel in nostalgia. While that does bring up old memories, it also unnecessarily lengthens the process which might in turn make you lose pace and interest after sometime. To avoid that, a good practice is to time yourself. For smaller storage or cleaning units a maximum of 10-20 minutes should be enough. You may use the timer on your mobile phones for this. After a while you will notice how you tend to start cleaning before time runs out which gives you the extra kick to continue further. 

In and out

Have you heard the elders of the house telling you that if you bring something new, you must discard something old? Apply the same formula here! If you bring anything new for your room / house, make sure something old is discarded. This makes space for the new item and does not make your room look too overbearing.

Sort your stuff

Whenever you see take out a new item from the drawer or storage, use the KDTR rule. Look at it , inspect it, think of its utility and then decide whether you will Keep it, Donate or Sell it, drop it into the Trash or Relocate it to some other room/storage unit in your home where it might be more useful. The makes it easier to de-clutter and you are in control of what to keep and what to do away with.

Goodbye stress

Sometimes, it is best to face the fear than keep it hidden for later. Before starting, look at the room and head straight over to the place which is most probably on the verge of giving you an anxiety attack. THAT should be the point of starting out.

Make a May-be box

If there are items you do not know what to do with, keep them in a box labeled – ‘May-be’. Give it a thought for 30 days. If you see life goes on completely normally without it, you might want to donate, sell or throw it away.