Decluttering your entire house 101

Your house is driving you nuts and you don’t have a lot of time to clean and get organized.  well guess what mom boss I’m going to walk you through some easy tips to get you started.  Even though I can organize an entire bedroom in a day for a client doesn’t mean I do that for myself.  I like to take things is small easy sessions so that I still have time for kids, job and fun.  So let’s get started on decluttering your entire house

HOW TO MAKE DECLUTTERING YOUR ENTIRE HOUSE LESS STRESSFUL

1. Declutter one room at a time. or even one space in that room.  I know, you want to declutter your entire house TODAY and you’ll likely be tempted to start multiple rooms at once. But it will be less stressful and more effective if you do ONE space at a time before moving onto the next.
2. Declutter by item, not by space. Ok, I know it sounds like this contradicts the previous point. But it doesn’t kinda.  Lets say you are decluttering your bedroom closet, bring ALL your clothes to that space. So if you store some clothes in a tote in the attic, and some things in the guest room closet you need to go grab those things.  the exception to this rule is if you are just organizing a small space like your coat closet or the shoes in your garage.  if you chose to do mini session then there is no need to grab all the things.  However if you want to organize your kitchen in a day then you need to get all your dishes out of storage and all those big pots out of the storage room.
3. Take EVERYTHING out of the closet/drawer/cabinet/etc. Yes, this makes a huge mess, but it is so necessary. You can’t organize a closet or drawer with the contents still in it, you will miss things. organizing is different than straightening things. Take everything out, wipe down the surfaces and then put back your decluttered items.
4. Accept that it will be messy before it gets better. Decluttering your entire house will make a mess. Especially if you follow the tip to take everything out of each drawer and closet.  This is why it’s important to stick to one room at a time, and to finish that space 100% before moving onto the next.
5. Start with the spaces that are the easiest for you. If you know that decluttering your clothing is going to be really difficult, or if you have a huge book collection that you aren’t willing to part with – don’t start there! Start in an area that will be easy and not sentimental in order to get the ball moving. Decluttering is a skill, so start with easy spaces, and work your way up to the more challenging spaces.

AREAS TO DECLUTTER

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1. Kitchen Cabinets & Drawers
2. Pantry
3. Fridge & Freezer
4. Kitchen Counters
5. Bathroom Cabinets & Drawers
6. Linen Closet
7. Under kitchen sink
8. Mudroom/Coat Closet
9. TV Console/DVDs
10. Bookshelves
11. Junk Drawers (Try to only have one organized junk drawer)
12. shoes 
13. Basement Storage
14. Attic Storage
15. Garage Storage
16. Christmas Items
17. Out of Season Clothing
18. Hobby Items
19. purse
20. Bedroom Closet
21. Bedroom Dressers
22. Nightstand
23. Office Supplies
24. Kids Toys
25. Outdoor Items

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HOW TO MAINTAIN YOUR DECLUTTERED SPACE

Decluttering your entire house is not a once & done event. Over the months or years, items will accumulate in your home. Even if you are incredibly careful about what you purchase, you still need to keep up with decluttering. I just finished a month of mini 15 minute decluttering sessions and got rid of two car fulls of junk.  Things get cluttered because people buy you gifts, your taste or hobbies change, or you just missed things the first time you decided to declutter your entire house.

Don’t be discouraged, Your house will never be 100% organized,  But by training yourself to declutter like a pro and keep up on that task your home can feel clean organized and peaceful. decluttering is a skill so the first time you declutter your entire house you may miss things. Being  ruthless in your decluttering process makes for a better result

TIPS TO MAINTAIN YOUR DECLUTTERED SPACE:

1. Do a quick declutter once a month. Maybe the first Saturday of every month, spend a few hours going through your spaces to declutter. If you did a thorough job with decluttering the first time, you may not have to take every item out of every drawer and closet this time.
2. Always keep a declutter/donate pile somewhere in your home. Choose a spot in your home and keep a cardboard box so you can easily throw items into it when you come across them.
3. Stop buying new things! The best way to keep your space decluttered is to stop bringing new things into your home. Like I mentioned above, this isn’t 100% avoidable. But do your best to minimize the amount of items you bring into your home.

I hope you found this a helpful resource to get you started on the process to decluttering your entire home!