If you have more stuff than space in your home, learning how to declutter will give you more room, and help to get things more organized. What's more, clearing out clutter is great for the mind and overall well-being, creating a calm and more productive environment. But, while it might seem an easy task to do, are you making these decluttering mistakes?
Similar to making these common cleaning mistakes, there are some bad habits we do to make the whole process of decluttering more stressful and less productive. In most cases, this will create an even bigger mess than when you first started — because even organizing needs to be organized! So, if you want a clear and clutter-free home in less time, avoid these common decluttering mistakes.
Find out what the three things you should declutter right now, according to the experts. Find out what happened when our writer tried the Swedish death cleaning trend for a week and 7 ways to declutter your kitchen like a minimalist.
1. Starting without a clear plan
You may feel it's productive to declutter every room in the home, but what is your goal? Do you want to cull your wardrobe? Do you need more space in your living room? Or do you simply want more storage in general? Make sure you tackle one room/space at a time, or else decluttering without a plan will leave you feeling completely overwhelmed and unproductive.
The best way to declutter is to sort your items into three, labelled boxes — dump, donate and sell. These three categories will make the culling process easier to manage and curate better.
2. Buying storage before decluttering is over
The whole point of decluttering is to minimize mess and create more space. Buying new or unnecessary storage before you’ve even finished the task of decluttering will only further add to the clutter! Only once you’ve completed the decluttering process, you’ll be in a better position to work out the most suitable storage ideas and organization methods.
3. Holding onto ‘sentimental’ items
One common decluttering mistake we make is to become too emotionally attached to things. Whether it’s old cards, photos, children's drawings, travel or sports mementos, it’s easy to accumulate an excess of ‘memorable’ items. But while a few are worth keeping, most just end up as a collection of clutter without a purpose. Be ruthless when getting rid of items you’ve had for a long time, and stick to the plan.
If necessary, store important paperwork in labelled, transparent storage boxes, where you can easily see what’s inside. You can also invest in a handheld label maker such as this DYMO Label Maker LabelManager 160 Portable Label Maker ($30, Amazon) to save you time.
4. Ignoring cluttered surfaces
Tables or a coffee table are often the focal points in most rooms. Yet these tend to be used as a dumping ground for mail, magazines, paperwork or our keys. Try to keep tables and surfaces as clear as possible by just placing the bare minimum on them. You could style a coffee table with a couple of interesting books, a vase or a few coasters.
5. Moving unused things to another spot
Another common mistake is to relocate unused items to another space in the home. Maybe it’s a closet, cupboard or shoved at the back of a drawer out of sight. And even though you’ll never use them again, you’ll somehow convince yourself that you will at some point. Make a firm decision to get rid of unused items once and for all, or else you’re only moving clutter from one place to the other!
Knowing how to clean every room of your home will also help to create a clean, minimalist space. Plus, if your home is compact, here's how to make a small room look bigger and here’s how to clean painted walls to remove stains to keep it spotless.
