Bringing your home to shine often seems like an overwhelming task, and you give up before you even start cleaning. Meanwhile, this process can be exciting. You just need to use the right system for getting rid of unnecessary things and putting things in order.
Making your home as empty as possible is perhaps the most important thing when arranging it. A tidy room is comfortable, cozy, and pleasant to be in. There is space, you can find anything in a matter of seconds, and there is no shame in receiving unexpected guests.
Moreover, an uncluttered house is easy to put in order, even if a tornado in the form of three children passes through it. Conversely, it is impossible to clean an apartment while maneuvering between boxes on the floor, shirts hanging from doors, and magazines falling from shelves.
One hundred percent decluttered is convenient and beautiful. And most importantly, it is completely achievable, although many people think the opposite. Some are sure that they need to put money on the altar of an ideal home 24 hours a day, and, of course, they give in to such a prospect and do nothing at all. Others spend days moving things back and forth, making the first group’s nightmare come true. But there is a third category of people who, by some miracle, “have everything in order,” and still have time to live and work.
Preparing to declutter your apartment
At first, cleaning and maintaining cleanliness requires the same meaningful approach as other areas: the family budget or your professional activities. Here, too, you need a system, and if you have never thought about it, adopt other people’s ideas and practices, and then, from your own experience, build a cleaning style that suits you.
Basic components of the order:
- lack of unnecessary things,
- all things are in their places.
You can stumble over the first point because the concept of “ extra things ” is very vague. In addition, once you get excited about the idea of getting rid of them, you definitely won’t be able to empty the house in one fell swoop. And not because there are a lot of things, but because the thought: “I’ll give this jacket away since it hasn’t left the far corner of the closet since the moment of purchase,” may not immediately dawn on you.
Among home cleaning theorists, the term “decluttering” has taken root.
What does it mean to declutter?
This is not collecting trash around the apartment, no. Candy wrappers, apple cores, clothing tags, empty bottles, dried-out pens, and expired food do not count. This is obvious garbage that all sane people throw away.
To truly declutter means to throw away or donate things that:
- are duplicated
- in good condition, but not used,
- used but not liked
- very worn,
- broken.
At the same time, you did not part with them for a long time, because you thought that they would still be useful.
Even if there is no penny in the corners, but you like to stock up on fragrant creams for different parts of the body, clothes on sale, decorative figurines that seem to you an attribute of comfort – believe me, when you start decluttering and go into a frenzy, you will take things out in bags.
Realization helps a lot: surpluses stored on the principle of “what if they come in handy” will clutter up the house for another ten years, but can bring joy to someone right now.
Epicenters of trash:
- first aid kit,
- spices,
- socks, tights, underwear,
- cosmetics,
- fridge,
- drawers in tables.
Where to start decluttering things
The first thing to do if you decide to “reboot” your approach to storage is to set aside time for global decluttering. It is not necessary to vacate the entire apartment at once. Try doing this with one room first, then another, third, and so on.
If the amount of work is too much, you can write down on paper what exactly you don’t like in each area. It would be a good idea to also analyze the causes of the disorder. This is the only way you can prevent its occurrence in the future.
If the keys of all family members accumulate on the shoe rack in the hallway and mixed with them are brochures brought from the street, then it is obvious that there is not enough key holder on the wall by the door. And as soon as you put at least a couple of objects on an empty surface, it quickly fills with anything. Including garbage that asks to be thrown away. American Marla Seelly, who invented the “Fly Lady” house cleaning system, calls these hot spots – burning points.
Therefore, when decluttering, try to find a personal place for each item. Preferably not on an open shelf or windowsill, so that there is no temptation to throw a couple of gadgets and a stack of papers to the lonely TV remote control.
How does this relate to decluttering? Very simple. When every item needs to be put out of sight and neatly placed inside a closet or in a basket on a shelf, the question arises: where does everything go? But nowhere. Reject the excess and get rid of it.
The main principle is small steps
To transform an apartment, it is important not to overwork. Otherwise, there is a risk of getting tired and “burning out.” Marla Cilley recommends setting the timer for a short time, such as 15 minutes. And devote them only to your goal, act quickly, without being distracted by anything. It’s better to re-read old diary entries or look through school photographs in your spare time with a cup of tea, but not while cleaning. Here a timer will come in very handy: when its call in 15 minutes hangs over your soul, you involuntarily speed up.
When decluttering, work compactly. Don’t pull things out of all the mezzanines at once if you realize that you won’t be able to clear them out in 15 minutes. Move to the next shelf only when you are done with the previous one. And don’t spread yourself thin across zones: you started dismantling the bathroom, don’t touch the children’s room, even if the mountains of old toys are an unbearable eyesore. Otherwise, you will get bogged down and not finish anything.
Regularity is very important, so come back the next day and continue. Perhaps yesterday you honestly spent 15 minutes on decluttering, but today you have little free time. Take at least five minutes and you will already have taken a significant step!
In your free time (in transport or in line), write yourself a task for each day for each zone and stick to the plan.
Yes, all this may take a week or more. But you will do without the murderous spring cleaning that sucks weekends and free evenings into a black hole.
To avoid getting bogged down in decluttering forever, set yourself a deadline for when you want to complete the decluttering. It depends on the severity of the problem: for some, three days will be enough, and for others, even three weeks will not be enough.
For better motivation, you can find groups of like-minded people on social networks and share your results with them every day. If there are several thousand subscribers in a group, among them there will be regular readers of your diary who will “kick” you and take an example from you. The latter, by the way, inspires more than any “whip.”
Dividing things into boxes
Not all things can be removed from the house immediately. Some have to wait in the wings until they are taken to those in need, given to girlfriends, or sold. Prepare boxes for such purposes, label them, and fill them as you declutter. When the boxes are completed, do not delay and give them to their intended destination on the next weekend or post an ad on the Internet. But throw away what can be thrown in the trash immediately.
One box can be given away for things whose future is not yet determined. For example, the husband promises to take apart an incomprehensible tangle of wires that may not be needed but cannot be thrown away without his permission. Or you understand in your mind that you are unlikely to return to a mini, but you suffer at the thought of saying goodbye to your favorite skirt. Place all controversial items together, and make a note on the box: “Miscellaneous” or “Sort.” Check back with her in a month or two. Most likely, the decision will be easier.
Examples of decluttering for housewives
Marie Kondo likes to repeat: bring things into the house and remove them from it consciously, focusing not on momentary liking for them, but on how it will look in the interior, whether you need them.
Bijouterie
Bright jewelry is often bought to suit the mood and just as easily goes into oblivion. If you no longer have a passion for jewelry, it’s time to say goodbye. Surely, when you want rich colors again, old earrings, beads, and bracelets will not be relevant: you will want other colors, designs, and textures.
Package
Summer residents know what a pain it is to see food packaging going into the trash because it can be used for seedlings. And yet, the house is not the place to store such containers. As a last resort, take it to the balcony, or better yet, to the garage or country house.
Bag with bags
Simply throwing away polyethylene immediately upon returning from the store is neither economical nor environmentally friendly. Many people store this stuff in a plastic bag that grows endlessly. It’s better to buy a nice plastic container for storing bags (available in home improvement stores). You can’t put much in it, so you’ll have to deal with excess: use store bags for taking out trash, take them with you when shopping, or even switch to an eco-bag.
Kitchen trifles
The space is visually cluttered with utensils on the rails, and numerous plates, cereals, and detergents on the countertops. Thin them out; you probably don’t need everything. What you decide to keep can be put in lockers, but not in plain sight.
It is better to paste clippings with recipes into one notebook, or even throw them away – there is the Internet for all occasions.
Textiles with permanent stains are evil. It gives you hope that you are about to wash everything, but a year passes, and an untidy rag wanders from the washing machine into the room and spoils your mood.
In the kitchen, cups, plates, cutlery, cutting boards, and frying pans may fall under the counter, regardless of their degree of wear. It is better to update a set of instruments, some of which have been lost. When the time comes for the feast, a different-sized table setting will look disastrous.
Imagine what you would like your kitchen to look like. In what colors, in what style? If you can’t take your eyes off the monochrome Scandinavian interiors for a long time, get rid of the dishes with Egyptian pharaohs and a teapot with Khokhloma. Buy the same dish, but plain or with a simple geometric pattern.
And if you dream of high-tech, then it’s time to give away enamel pots with polka dots and a tablecloth with sunflowers. Even if all this was purchased recently and sparkles with newness.
What you need to throw away
What to say goodbye to? With uninteresting books, magnets on the refrigerator, figurines on open shelves, as well as photo frames, and candles, if there are too many of them and they irritate you. Think about what decor you really like, keep it, and buy more.
Additional list of “unnecessities”:
- strange bolts, nails, buttons, and parts of toys that you are unlikely to ever repair;
- old notes from the university, and even more so from school;
- non-working flash drives, disks, gadgets, outdated large equipment (it’s unlikely that you would think of constantly using a cassette player, and it doesn’t look like a relic);
- boxes if the warranty period of the equipment has passed.
What to do with branded items and antiques
If we approach the concept of “junk” from the perspective of Marie Kondo (don’t like it, it’s ugly, it’s not used, and so on), then it turns out that you need to part with good branded things that for some reason you don’t wear, and with your great-grandmother’s items that have survived several generations. a service that, like a museum exhibit, occupies the best place in the sideboard and is not used even on holidays.
This is where it is very important not to rashly mess things up and not throw away unnecessary things, otherwise, you may regret the decluttering you started and never return to it. That’s why it makes sense to vacate the apartment gradually, with a clear understanding: this is necessary, but this is not.
It’s better to start with the little things: sewing supplies, first aid kit, cosmetics. And gradually move on to larger things, constantly evaluating them: like it or not.
It’s hard for parents to throw away their little children’s crafts and drawings, but over the years, countless amounts of them have accumulated. Leave the best or most significant for you, and sign when they were made. You can allocate a small box for them and sometimes review them with your child. Everything can be photographed and stored digitally. Or you can make a gallery in a large frame on the wall – it will be unusual.
Deal with relics in the same way. Sell some or give them to relatives, and keep the most expensive ones for you and decorate them beautifully. If these are several ancient icons, create your own “red corner”. If this is a carved bedside table from the 19th century, think about how to fit it into the interior. Some modern styles (for example, Scandinavian) are very fond of antique inclusions.
Stage two of decluttering your home
When the main stage has been completed, you can proceed to the following: sometimes organize mini-marathons to get rid of excess – set a timer for 5-10 minutes, and run around the apartment with a bag in your hands. Anything that falls under the above definition of junk, put it there. After the alarm rings, put the contents into boxes. The main thing is not to return anything to its original place.
You can keep several empty bags/boxes nearby and sort them right away. Cleaning equipment – a bucket of clean water, a dust cloth, a vacuum cleaner – will also come in handy. Then at the same time, you will brush away the cobwebs and wipe the hidden corners into which the human hand reaches once a year.
Even better, make it a habit to get rid of unnecessary things as soon as you find them. Then you won’t even need 15 minutes.
This will not take time at all, but self-control – yes. After all, it happens that when we find small-sized children’s T-shirts in a drawer, we put them back with the thought: “I’ll sort them later.” No, put them immediately in a box marked “Give as a gift.” Have you come across an unloved calendar? Immediately remove it from the wall. Did you get your hands on a chipped cup? Into the bucket without hesitation.
This will only seem strange to you and your household at first. Then you get used to it, and it will become difficult to live differently, among unloved and ugly things. However, be careful with the personal space of family members. You can use your gift of persuasion, but only the owner of the item should decide what to throw away and what not.
It is possible that over time, children, spouses, and parents, seeing the results of your cleaning, will also want order in their areas. And they will be happy to join you. But think about it, maybe they just don’t have enough items to store. If you buy more of them, some of the penny will disappear.
Decluttering and organizing space
The golden rule: keep things where you use them, not where they logically should be kept. There is no point in clearing out the mess of pens, notepads, and sticky notes on the kitchen table every day if you have a home office there and shelves for office supplies in the living room. Better place a beautiful container for small items next to the table.
If the storage is organized conveniently, the item has a good chance of returning to its place after use. But the chaos in the house is created by unwanted objects. Each shelf in the house, drawer, and box should have its own purpose: for books, creams, bracelets, socks, belts, bags, plastic bags, and so on.
Do not allow categories to be mixed, otherwise order will end!
If there are too many things and not enough storage space, buy dividers, organizers, and small baskets and provide a separate compartment for each category.
Boxes can be a lifesaver for different occasions. They are convenient for storing things in the closet: minimal cleaning, no dust, and a neat appearance. A box in the living room under the coffee table will “hide” remotes, magazines, knitting, glasses – everything that usually creates a mess. And “behind the cardboard” on the refrigerator, you can store rarely used equipment. Ideally, the boxes are the same in style and match the interior.
The most ordinary hooks will also help you. Sometimes bags are lying around only because no one thought to attach a hanger for them in the closet. Organizers are also convenient to place on hooks in any place convenient for you. The overhead hanger on the inside of the door will take over things that you don’t plan to wash but don’t want to put away in the closet.
DIY storage systems
When there is no room for containers, zip lock bags are good for cereals, as well as for medicines, nails, batteries, and other small items – everything is visible and at the same time sorted.
Plastic paper trays are suitable for vertical storage of rolls in the kitchen: parchment, foil, and cling film. And also for sponges, rags, and small bottles.
Decorated cardboard packaging will be a good stand for office supplies.
And liter glass canning jars serve as containers for bulk products (decorated with beautiful labels and fittings, they will surprise even connoisseurs of interior design delights).
Perfectionists can beautifully label where everything is. Hand-made labels, for example, made from slate paper, are generally a separate form of art that will decorate your home. And, of course, they will guide household members on where the spices are and where to look for change for travel.
The habitats of some things may be strange at first glance. For example, some people find it convenient to keep hand towels in a drawer in the kitchen, rather than in a closet with other textiles. Young mothers may have a collection of face and hand creams in their crib drawer, because this is where they often carry out skincare procedures before bed, talking with their child in the evening and reading fairy tales to him. The “charger” for the phone can also be in this chest of drawers – for reading if the child sleeps with half an eye and does not let go for a long time.
Storage locations are not static; they change depending on living conditions, work schedules, and personal preferences. Therefore, once or twice a year you can conduct an audit and revise the existing system. The fact that it has stopped working will be signaled by the appearance of new local blockages.
Maintaining order
It’s not enough to figure out what to put where. You also need to train yourself to put everything back in its place and develop a habit. It is not difficult.
Periodically, when entering a particular room, take a look at it: what’s wrong? In the bedroom, the child threw his pajamas and a book on the floor, and the husband left a fly swatter and headphones on the windowsill. We grab everything into an armful and carry it to their places. Automatically.
In the kitchen, the principle is the same: what’s wrong? Are cups piling up on the countertop? In the lockers. Is the floor littered with cubes and puzzles? Is there a pile of notebooks, pens, and business cards on the table? By boxes.
Personal items lying around in plain sight can put you in an awkward position in the event of a surprise visit from guests. So linen, documents, money, and hygiene products all the more need to be put in their places right away.
If you clear away mini-debris as they appear, it will take a couple of minutes while the water on the stove boils. And the house is always in order. By the way, very often during this couple of minutes, there is another contender (and more than one) for decluttering.
How not to accumulate junk
Habit will help with this again.
Make it a rule:
- Throw away anything you haven’t used in over a year.
- Repair broken items immediately (sew up torn ones, remove stains from textiles). If you put them on the back burner again, it’s better to throw them away immediately.
- When you bring a new item into your home, immediately find something to send to the landfill.
Decluttered: what next?
Of course, you can’t bring cleanliness just by littering. If you haven’t taken care of your home for a long time, then taking out the trash is only part of the path to an ideal home. The author of the “Fly Lady” system, mentioned above, has developed an entire algorithm designed to facilitate the cleaning process.
When the house is already pretty empty, you can start washing it (but not vice versa!). If there are few things and they are in place, this item will not cause problems at all.
It is better to carry out laundering not at once, but sequentially in zones (kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, office, children’s room, hallway). Choose where to start and proceed in the same way as when decluttering: spend 15 minutes a day in one area until you clean it, then in another.
After thoroughly cleaning your home, switch to cleanliness mode. Clean all areas once a month. You can do this again for 15 minutes a day. In a sparkling house, where there is no old dirt, an hour a month is enough for one room.
What else to pay attention to:
- Dust kills aesthetics. Therefore, wipe it often. On loose surfaces, one swipe of a cloth is enough. Cobweb garlands are also easy to reach if the corners have good access.
- Floor cleanliness. For some housewives, this is generally the main component of comfort. Walking across an empty floor with a mop is a matter of five minutes, but the joy is enough for the whole evening. The sofa, cabinet, and other furniture can be wiped once a week.
- The laundry cycle should be the norm. Don’t accumulate dirty laundry. Washing, hanging and folding takes little time if done regularly.
- Without transparent windows, there is as if there is no “air”. Wipe the damp glass with newspaper and look at it from the outside – you will want it to look like this forever.
Kitchen cleanliness
The kitchen is the most inhabited place in the house. Here we often receive guests and gather with the whole family. That’s why there is more clutter in it than in other rooms.
Try to wash the dishes immediately after eating, wipe the handles of furniture and appliances every few days (there are sometimes greasy marks there), wipe the cabinet fronts and aprons from drops and stains, and change towels every day.
Comfort in the apartment is impossible if there is a musty smell. And it, in turn, comes from the trash cans and refrigerator. It is better to take out the buckets every day, and thoroughly disassemble the refrigerator once a week. And ventilate the room whenever possible.
Cleanliness in the bathroom
Here are just a few of the bathroom’s weak points.
- A mirror where splashes fly every day.
- Toilet bowl – it is better to wipe it every day from the outside with a special cloth, and wash it from the inside with dish gel.
- The “wet zone” and the side of the bathroom are a breeding ground for rust from water and mold in the tile joints. Once a month, use special cleaning products, but only with good ventilation.
- Towels. If they are not dried well, they may smell unpleasant. Make sure to change towels and straighten them well after use.
- Toilet brush – don’t forget to renew it.
Cleanliness in the bedroom
If this is a separate room, then you are in it morning and evening. This means there is no reason for global cleaning.
But we still have something to check:
- freshness of bed linen,
- scattered things
- small debris on the dressing table.
Cleanliness in the nursery
The most difficult point, is that to curb children’s toys, you need to be a master of cleaning. However, there is a checklist for this room as well:
- Keep books on shelves. Monitor their condition. Glue the torn ones together and throw away those that cannot be repaired.
- Store plasticine in special containers. Make sure your child puts it in its place.
- Paints. They behave in the same way as plasticine: they will paint everything, but try to wash it all off sometimes.
- “Lego.” Its invasion can only be survived thanks to the boxes. Lots of boxes. You can try to sort, but the idea is unlikely to be successful. Just ask the young designer not to leave small parts underfoot.
- Other toys. Here you can try your luck in storing by category and teach your child to do it.
What categories could these be:
- cubes
- puzzles
- animal figurines
- animals by type – dogs, dinosaurs, cats
- big cars
- small cars
- big dolls
- small dolls
- clothes for dolls
- textile toys
- educational games
- puzzles
- dinnerware set
- robots
- singing and talking toys – phones, microphones, books, animals
Office. For it, you can hang a shelf, or a railing above the table, or put a container that will accommodate cups for pencils, brushes, crayons, pens, and felt-tip pens. An office paper tray will also come in handy.
Pros and Cons of decluttering
| Pros | Cons |
| The cleaning process is simplified and the volume of any household work is generally reduced. | There are quite a lot of new habits. And you need to get used to each one, give it time to get accustomed to it. Essentially, you’re changing your lifestyle, and that’s not easy. |
| In an organized, minimalist room, it’s easy to find any item. | Sometimes incessant shopping is a psychological problem. And then trying to become a minimalist will lead to depression. You can’t do this without the help of a psychologist. |
| Financially, not everyone can afford total decluttering. If you give an unused frying pan to a friend, you will eventually be forced to buy it when your old one becomes unusable. | Neophytes do not always understand what will be useful to them in the future and what will not. Some begin to regret throwing away things and “fly” from the system. |
| The house always looks beautiful and tidy. | Financially, not everyone can afford total decluttering. If you give an unused good frying pan to a friend, you will eventually be forced to buy it when your old one becomes unusable. |
| Order in the house leads to changes in other areas of life. For example, in work, self-care, creativity. Beauty inspires and stimulates development. | Conflicts with relatives may arise, especially if you live in the same house and declutter shared rooms. |
What decluttering strategies are there: books and videos
We have already mentioned Marla Seeley and Marie Kondo. But it’s worth talking about them in more detail.
“Fly Lady”
A “Fly Lady” or “flying lady” is unthinkable without the appropriate “uniform”: comfortable shoes (and these are not slippers!), and beautiful, neat clothes.
The basic concept of this system: is an island of cleanliness, looking at which you will be inspired to maintain order. Author Marla Cilley suggests making an island like this for an always-sparkling kitchen sink. But you can choose any corner of the house. The habit of “living in the fly style” begins with regular washing of this island.
Decluttering, a 15-minute timer, dividing into zones, free surfaces, and two-minute cleaning – these are also the basics of Marla Seelly’s theory.
She also suggests setting aside an hour a week for general cleaning – 15 minutes in each zone, no more. To make building your system as easy as possible, he recommends starting a diary with a to-do list. You can enter a weekly and monthly cleaning schedule into it.
Marla is also against ripping out the house on weekends. This is time for family and hobbies.
Anyone interested can subscribe to her newsletter online and receive cleaning tasks by email every day. When you realize that several thousand people in the world are now wiping the dust on the mezzanine with you, it becomes more fun.
Marie Kondo’s method
But Marie Kondo is not a fan of prolonging the pleasure of saying goodbye to things. Her method is quick decluttering. And not by storage location, but by category. Clothes, documents, and books may lie in different places in the apartment, and to have an idea of their quantity and quality, you need to sort out one category at a time.
The author advises cleaning alone so that the advice of loved ones does not confuse you.
A few more books that may be useful:
“Simplify your life. ” Simplicity of life as a key factor in a free and organized life (by Erin Doland).
“Breathe freely”. Decluttering is a way to unload space, get new positive emotions, and free up more time. Home is a reflection of a person’s personality. And the authors (Lauren Rosenfield and Melva Green) compare the person himself to a house. In their interpretation, a person has the power to determine the course of his life by getting rid of unnecessary things.
“Perfect order in 8 minutes…”. Regina Leeds also talks a lot about energy and the changes associated with vacating an apartment. Its system is built on three pillars: throw away what is unnecessary, sort what is available, and organize storage functionally.
“The art of living simply”. Dominique Loro’s ideas may seem too revolutionary. But they make sense: theoretically, everything we need can fit into one, maximum of two suitcases. This includes a wardrobe, favorite little things, and must-haves like a cell phone and a toothbrush. However the author does not classify equipment and interior items as personal belongings.
“Minimalism. Life without trash. ” Russian blogger Irina Sokovykh has her technique. The scheme is like this. First, get rid of everything that is broken, outdated, and unfashionable. Then everything is useless. And finally – the least favorite. And so methodically in a circle until you understand: now there is nothing to throw away.
The most important thing about our X that it is for
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