For many Americans, life is so busy that things tend to get a little cluttered at home. Clothes spread around the bedroom, empty boxes on the floor, junk mail all over, you know the drill. If you don’t keep up with straightening at home, it can quickly become a mess. To make matters worse, most people don’t have a few days to dedicate to cleaning. So, most people need a way to declutter their house in a day to get it over with quickly and efficiently! Lucky for you, we’ve got the top tips on how to declutter your house in one day below! So, if your house needs decluttering, read the tips below to do it quickly and easily!
Where to Start to Declutter Your House in One Day
When faced with decluttering their homes, most people’s biggest challenge is getting started. Here’s a secret that will help; it doesn’t matter where you start. Choose any room in the house or choose the room that’s the most cluttered. Start upstairs and work your way down or start downstairs and work your way up.
No matter where you start, you’re on your way to decluttering your house (and all in one day, too).
Pick a Day and Prepare
If you have a problem with starting, it helps to pick a specific day and commit to it. Even better, you can make plans ahead of time, so you’re ready when the day arrives. Here are a few ways your can prepare ahead of time to declutter your house in one day!
- Purchase garbage bags to clear away items for trash and donations.
- Buy clear plastic bins to store things. Clear containers are great for staying organized because you can always see what’s inside. More on this later!
- Make sure you have enough clothes hangers and buy more if you need them. If you don’t have space for all your clothes in your closet, you don’t stand a chance of staying organized.
This is just a quick list of ways you can prepare for your day of decluttering. But you can also think about how to get your family or roommates involved. Kids, a spouse, a roommate; no matter who you live with, you can work together to declutter your house in one day. So pick a day, get prepared, and, when that day arrives, you will declutter your home in no time.
Start by Tossing all the Trash
When decluttering your house, the first thing you should do is toss any obvious trash. Take a large trash bag and, go from room to room, grab everything you know is trash. The pile of recycling in the corner, used water bottles, envelopes, old magazines, you name it. If it’s trash, it needs to go! Typically, you’ll only need five to ten minutes per room to get rid of everything in each room.
Rearrange Things to Declutter Your House
For most of us, clutter accumulates around the house when we leave things out instead of putting them away. Maybe you left some dishes out to dry, or you come home and put your wallet on the counter. Regardless of what you leave out, a great way to reduce clutter is to give everything a home. As a result, you will always know where to put each item in your house. In addition, your home will quickly be less cluttered by putting these things back in their place (wherever that place happens to be).
Having everything in its correct place also helps you when you want to use it again. It will be exactly where it should be rather than somewhere else in the house. As with the trash, you can go from room to room and rearrange things as you go. The most important part of this step is to make sure that every item has a specific home.
If It Doesn’t Belong in the Kitchen, Move it
The kitchen is the home’s communal room for many families where everyone gathers. However, this means that the kitchen also tends to collect the most clutter. On your decluttering day, move anything that doesn’t belong out of the kitchen to where it belongs. That includes books, bills, clothing items, sneakers, toys, games, and anything else that doesn’t belong in the kitchen.
Keep, Donate or Toss
Another great way to declutter your house in one day is to play a game we call “keep, donate or toss.” You play by assessing every item in your home and ask yourself if it’s something you should keep, donate, or toss. To make the game work for you, you have to think carefully about which items to keep. For example, we recommend keeping items that you use frequently and items that have sentimental value.
If something doesn’t fit into either of those groups, it’s time to toss or donate! And if you decide you want to keep an item, put it away in its proper spot. Lastly, if you want to donate something, put it in a pile or box with other donatable things. Many thrift stores and charities accept all types of household donations, so look online to find somewhere to donate! And, if you decide to toss it, put it with the rest of the trash you picked up earlier.
This method is an easy one to declutter your house quickly. An added benefit is that, when finished, you’ll have much less stuff. Lastly, you’ll be helping those less fortunate by donating useful stuff. It’s a win-win! Also, don’t forget to make a recycling category!
Purchase Clear Plastic Bins to Store Things
Winter necessities like gloves, hats, and boots can clutter up a house fast. So can all sorts of other things like toys and old clothes that don’t fit anymore. If you decide to keep all these things, you’ll need a way to keep them organized when you’re not using them.
One excellent solution is to use clear storage bins. You can buy clear plastic bins at most big box department stores. Their big benefit is that you can see what’s stored inside since they’re clear. That makes storing your things, and finding them again later, a lot easier. Also, clear plastic bins are very easy to stack.
Bonus Tip: If you don’t have a lot of extra space, buy flat plastic bins that fit under your bed!
Stay on Task: Only Declutter Your House for the Day
Some people confuse decluttering with cleaning their house (or combining the two). You can certainly do that, but if decluttering is your real goal, save the cleaning for later. You can get sidetracked and run out of time if you start to clean while you declutter. That’s why decluttering experts recommend decluttering your house on one day and cleaning your house on another. You can also add a third day for organizing if you want! Once you’re done with your decluttering day, you can check out our resources for the best kitchen cleaning tips!
How to Declutter Your House, From CA Storage
We hope these decluttering tips help you complete the task in one day. You’ll get it done quicker and have time to sit back and enjoy a nice cold drink in your decluttered home!
If more than decluttering your home is the goal, CA Storage might be able to help. We offer clean, safe, and secure storage units in California, Arizona, and Nevada. A self-storage unit can be the perfect solution if clutter has gotten out of hand in your house. For example, you can store baby clothes or an entire bedroom full of adolescent furniture after your child moves out. (Home office here we come!)
Chat with us online or visit the CA Storage location near you for questions about renting a self-storage unit. The on-site manager will point you toward the best storage unit for your needs. It’s a great way to declutter your home in a day and give yourself some extra breathing room!