When I think of minimalism, I think of pragmatism. Finding practical and simple solutions to problems is something that resonates with me, which is why I’ve experimented and discovered the most pragmatic tips to clear clutter from my home.
My objective was to create more space and organize my belongings as easily and simply as possible.
Here’s a summary of the best tips for removing clutter:
- Separate essentials from non-essentials in your home
- Start with the easiest room
- Follow the One-in, One-out rule
- Declutter by category
- Invest in storage
- Don’t keep product packaging and boxes
- Sell your old goods
- Get rid of spare items
Here’s the biggest takeaway I learned from implementing these tips: 80% of the results come from 20% of the actions.
There’s so much advice on minimalism and cleaning, but you can make a drastic difference with just a handful.
To avoid wasting your time, I selected the tips that produce the most results, and you can learn more about them below.
My Best Tips On Decluttering A Home
1. Separate essentials from non-essentials in your home
Decluttering an entire home will eat into your week. Some individual rooms require more than a day or two of work to be cleaned, decluttered, and organized.
At that time, you don’t want to inconvenience yourself without essential items that are required for cooking, cleaning, grooming, and working.
Sort through everything you need that is functional and necessary for day-to-day living and keep it in one pile, and then group everything else into another pile, which you can sort through slowly and decide which items should remain in your home, get stored, get donated, or get trashed.
2. Start with the easiest room
When undertaking an activity that you’re not used to or well-acquainted with, it’s always a good idea to ease into it.
This is also an effective way to build habits.
By starting with the easiest room to declutter, you mitigate the chances of getting overwhelmed and turned off by minimalism or decluttering.
Similarly, you can build momentum and experience the feel-good emotions that come from clearing clutter from your home by starting small and easy.
This will motivate you to continue to clean and organize your home thoroughly.
Related article: How to declutter your home office desk
3. Follow the One-in, One-out rule
This is not an idea that I came up with, and I can’t remember where I learned about it, but it’s something that gave me good results.
But I’ll also admit that it made me feel uncomfortable, and it was quite a challenge for me to part with things because I struggle to let go.
The idea is to give away one thing when you purchase something new.
For example, if you purchase a new lamp for your home office desk, give away the old one.
Similarly, if you purchase a new pair of shoes, give away an old pair. It’s very difficult to do at first but extremely effective at maintaining a clutter-free home.
4. Declutter by category
A lot of time gets spent sorting through different items in a home before you can figure out what to keep and what to remove.
I find it easier on my mind if I group items together by category. The following are examples of the categories I use for decluttering my room:
- Clothing
- Books
- Stationery
- Skincare
- Beddings
Depending on the number of items I own per category, I can rank them from easiest to hardest and decide which category to start with and end with.
5. Invest in storage
Living in a small home has taught me a lot about maximizing the use of free space.
For example, storing shoes in the boxes they are sold in will take up more space than investing in a plastic multitiered shoe box.
Also, if you were to select storage containers and bags that look the same or match the decor in your home, they would enhance the overall appearance of your home.
This contributes greatly to a reduction in visual clutter as well as real physical clutter.
Related article: The best desktop shelf organizers at an affordable price
6. Don’t keep product packaging and boxes
Understandably, when you invest money in certain appliances and products with a guarantee, you may need to hold onto the original packaging for manufacturers or suppliers to honor their guarantee.
However, as far as possible, get rid of packaging and boxes that are not necessary for this purpose.
They tend to eat up space and collect dust, which is a perfect breeding ground for dust mites and fish moths.
7. Sell your old goods
The best way to build a habit is to make it easy, make it attractive, and make it rewarding. Sometimes, gaining space isn’t enough of a reward to part with certain items.
However, a monetary reward adds an additional benefit that encourages you to make an effort towards minimalism.
Try to sell your items online or to salvage stores to create an incentive for yourself to clear clutter from your home.
8. Get rid of spare items
I’m a collector of electronic cables and devices. I have a spare set of headphones, earphones, USB cables, chargers, batteries, and other connectors.
I can’t think of many occasions when I’ve needed to use most of these spare items because I take exceptional care of my belongings.
If you can relate to this, I suggest selling or donating duplicate items from your home. Only keep duplicates of items that are necessary for travel, power, and survival.
That concludes this article on tips to clear clutter from your home, but I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below. Please try them out and share your results with me as well.