Top Tips to Declutter your Home

Thank you to Travelers Insurance for sponsoring this post.

Use these simple tips to help declutter your home and make it a space you’ll love to spend time in. Tips are also included to declutter your home for moving as well!

Maybe it’s the fact that we’ve added another little baby to our family, or maybe it’s the fact that we’re spending more time outside…but I’ve been spending lots of time decluttering our home lately. When my home is decluttered, I feel so much calmer. My kids seem to pick up on that as well, and their moods reflect the state of my house. In case you’re craving that sense of calm that comes with truly decluttering (not just reorganizing!), keep reading for my manageable tips for decluttering your home. And if you’re looking to move anytime soon, decluttering is more important than ever!The second set of tips are for people looking to move, and my best ideas for how to get your house clutter free before you show the rooms to potential buyers.

 
I’ve found that there are a lot of free resources that are out there to help with this process! Travelers has a free and easy-to-use site called Home Central that includes valuable tips and lots of free resources on topics ranging from decluttering to staging your home to sell.

 
Tips to declutter your home

• Take everything out, 1 room at a time
  • Yes – everything! Put things from different rooms in a pile, and then only put things back in a room that you truly love.
  • Sometimes we don’t even see things anymore that have been there for an extended amount of time. By taking everything out, you will be forced to look again at each item and only add in things that you truly love and fit your space and style.
• You do NOT need more organizers
  • Get rid of the “if I buy these organizers…” mentality. This forces you to hold onto the same things that are cluttering up your home, but doesn’t actually declutter it.
  • The true trick of decluttering is to get rid of things. Once you get rid of things in your home, you’ll be surprised with how much empty space you have. You can consolidate your items in the bins and boxes you already have – no need to spend more money on more organizers right now.
  • Once you’ve lived with your newly decluttered space for a few weeks, you can truly evaluate if you need a better system for organizing the possessions you do have. This is the time to go buy the right bins and baskets for your space! Just make sure that you’re OK with having bins and boxes that aren’t full – some breathing room and empty space is OK too.
• Follow the “keep, donate, sell, store” advice in the tips below.
• Enjoy empty space
  • We’re generally not accustomed to having empty drawers and spaces without things filling them up in our homes. Once you’ve gotten rid of the clutter, don’t seek to fill up the empty spaces with new purchases!
• Be realistic
  • You won’t get this all done in one day. You’ll probably end up getting frustrated and burnt out if you try to get everything decluttered in just 24 hours. Set aside a few hours a few times a week – make it a consistent practice in your life. You can even set aside time in your calendar to do this! But realize that for the best results, it’s going to take time, and that’s a good thing!

Tips to declutter your home for moving

• Strip it down
  • Take down all of your personal pictures. I know it seems harsh, but many times, it’s hard for buyers to envision themselves in a house that’s filled with someone else’s pictures and memories.  
  • Think about the pictures you pin on Pinterest – take inspiration from them and model your space after them. Use things that are more neutral on your walls – botanical and floral prints, landscape scenes, and signs with quotes are usually safe decisions.
• Keep, donate, sell, store
  • Make 4 piles when you’re going through your things.
    • Keep: Only keep these things that you truly love. Keep things that you’re currently using and aren’t just saving for “someday”.
    • Donate: Think about how you might be able to bless someone else by donating things that you no longer need or no longer use. Someone else may truly need the things that have been sitting in the back of your closet collecting dust.
    • Sell: I tend to advise people to donate more than they try to sell. But if you have some bigger items (like furniture) that you can get some cash for, then either host a yard sale or try to sell your items online.
      • Give yourself a time limit! If your items don’t sell within a few weeks, it’s time to donate them and let them go so you can free up space for potential buyers.
    • Store: Use this option for special keepsake items that may be taking up too much space in your current home but are things that you truly love and can use in your next home. If needed, invest in renting out a small storage space or see if a friend/family member would be willing to store these items for you temporarily. 
• Embrace empty spaces
  • No buyer ever goes into a home and says, “I really wish they had more stuff in their home.” Bare walls make rooms appear bigger, and they help to give the potential buyers room to imagine their own possessions in that space. While it may seem stark to you, it can be a very positive thing for attracting a potential buyer.  
• Ask for help
  • You don’t have to do it alone! Get a friend or family member to come over to your house with you for a few hours and help you put things out of sight that may be cluttering up your space.
  • Make sure this friend is honest, and that you can take her or his advice without being hurt. Our possessions are personal, and it can feel like they’re personally attacking your stuff if they tell you something needs to be decluttered. Try as hard as you can to take the personal feelings out of it, and realize that you are doing this so you can get the best offer on your home from a potential buyer.  

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Thanks again to Travelers for sponsoring this post – as always, opinions are always 100% my own.  

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