De-clutter Space at Home
Today’s living space is getting smaller, while the challenge of keeping it clean is getting bigger. We may not be aware of it, but a cluttered space at home may affect us and our visitors more than we think.
Proper Identification
De-cluttering cannot begin without the homeowner’s realization that his living space is already cluttered. So when can we identify that a space already is cluttered? If there are things lying around that do not belong to a specific area or a specific place, if you want a neat look, everything has to be in its proper place. Any item should be there for a reason. So if there are things lying around without any rhyme or reason, that’s the time to de-clutter. Psychologically, living in such a space will also not be visually-comforting for the homeowners.
It is said that dirty shoes reflect a dirty person. Where you live reflects the kind of person that you are. Needless to say, if your house is cluttered, you probably have a disorganized mind. It can also imply that you’re too busy to organize your living space.
Making it a Habit
How often should de-cluttering be done? If you have a big household, you should de-clutter every two weeks. For families of three to four, once-a-month would do.
De-cluttering is all just a matter of sorting the clutter into boxes or defining whether items should be kept, displayed properly or disposed of. It’s really more of deciding whether the stuff should be kept temporarily or permanently stashed away.
Causes of Clutter
Too Busy. More often that not, we take de-cluttering or even general household cleaning or even general household cleaning for granted. Because parents usually work very hard on weekdays, weekends are set aside for rest and recreation, not de-cluttering.
De-cluttering and reorganizing the home can be a venue for family bonding. It’s actually better for each family member to participate so that he or she will know where his or her things are stored. He or she can also decide on what things to give away.
Cultural. When we accumulate or buy things that we don’t really need, that’s the start of adding clutter to the house. People have a habit of going to a sale and then, even if an item is not needed, it will be bought because it’s a bargain. We end up accumulating all these unnecessary things, and it’s best to be aware of this.
Not enough storage. A lot of people are living in condo units now, but condo units are usually not designed to have or maximize potentials of built-in cabinets. There’s a solution to that. Go around home decor and even book stores — there are a lot of good finds like simple baskets as storage solutions. Plastic containers can be decorative and stylish. There are many things that you can find that aren’t necessarily expensive to take the place of built-in cabinets.
De-Cluttering 101
In the Kitchen. The dish-drainer usually made of plastic or aluminum can be done way with. It’s usually placed on the kitchen counter and takes up space. You can keep your plates and other utensils inside the kitchen cabinets and away from the sight of guests.
The rice keeper is not practical. It doesn’t last for a long time, anyway. Just put your rice in big plastic containers, again inside the kitchen cabinet, so it doesn’t occupy additional space outside.
In the living area. The Ottoman, a foot stool that is also sometimes used as a center table. It can be used as an extra seat, or you can put a tray on top of it and put food on it while watching TV. Side tables should have drawers or bottom shelves. If you buy something that’s only a table top, you might not have much use for the furniture; you might as well buy something with two or more drawers or a bottom shelf to be used for storage.
In the bedroom. Have side tables beside the bed. It would be practical to have drawers in them, to stash books in or anything else that you need handy while you’re in bed. Maximize your built-in furniture. If you have a lot of furniture pieces, it will make the area look smaller. Built-in furniture that look like they’re part of the wall — they just blend in. It’s best to have minimal furniture in the bedroom.
The main secret to de-cluttering is to always think of how a particular space in the home can maximally serve its purpose. Maximize the space: per square meter of an area should be doubled, if not tripled, in terms of usage. The furniture should be space problem-solvers, not just decorations.
Steps in De-Cluttering:
- Throw away the things that you don’t need anymore.
- Segregate those that you might probably still need.
- Start with the smaller things, like socks and accessories, etc.
- Use boxes for items that are: a) to be thrown away, b) to be given away, and c) to be kept.
- If something has been with you for five years and you haven’t been using it, it’s time to give or to throw it away.
- Provide areas or containers where the segregated items are to be kept.
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