Going home shouldn’t stress you out. Unfortunately, many feel like they can’t relax at home because of all the clutter.
It is time for you to start decluttering. Follow these decluttering tips to create a comfortable house for you to go home to. You’ll also learn about creative storage solutions, including shipping containers.
Decluttering Tips to Clean Out Clutter
1. One Area at a Time
Decluttering is not for everyone. You might feel like it is a huge chore weighing you down. To make it feel less like an obligation, start small. If you try to do it all at once, you’ll get overwhelmed and stop halfway.
So, make your tasks manageable. Start with busy, high-traffic areas. Take the living room for example. Spend 10-15 minutes sorting through all the stuff. Then, move on to another area and organize all over again. One area at a time, you are building the momentum to finish decluttering your whole house.
2. Divide Everything Into Three Boxes
The easiest way to declutter is to separate all your things into boxes. Categorize them into the ‘keep’, ‘donate’, and ‘store’ boxes. What should you put in each? In the ‘keep’ box, keep all of the things you use daily. This includes everyday clothes, cutleries, bedding, etc.
Put everything you don’t need anymore into the ‘donate’ box. Plus, add the things you haven’t used in a long time. These will go to charities and shelters to reuse again, so make sure they are decent
Your ‘store’ box should include all seasonal items. They could be Christmas trees, winter jackets, or Halloween costumes. You don’t need them in the near future, so better for them to be out of your house.
3. Store Things in Underutilised/Hidden Spaces
Now that all your things are sorted, you have to figure out where to put them. Especially your ‘store’ boxes. This is the fun part. When you are going around your house, you must have discovered some empty spaces.
This could be under your vanity, under your bed, or behind your door. All of them are underutilized and hidden spaces that can store a lot of your things. Most importantly, they are hidden.
Because you don’t always see them, you won’t be tempted to dig out your things before you really need them. Hidden storage spaces also make your house look neater and cleaner.
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4. Store Excess Things In Shipping Containers
If you still have excess things you can’t fit in the house, use shipping containers for storage. It is like an extra room outside of your house. You can access the container, but it is not immediately in front of you. This way, you won’t be tempted to take out your things again.
Moreover, these shipping containers are mobile. They will be delivered to your premises and kept there for as long as you need them. They are also cheap, cheaper than the usual self-storage facility. You can determine how much you want to pay by choosing the perfect size.
Mini and small shipping containers are cheaper than larger ones. They are 6ft and 8ft in size, fitting up to 2 bedrooms worth of things. 6ft containers are $3.27 per day, and 8ft containers are $4.7 per day.
10ft and 20ft containers, which are larger, cost $6.13 and $8.56 per day. They can fit from 3 bedrooms worth of things to a whole house’s worth of things. So, choose depending on how many boxes you have.
5. Motivate Yourself with Before and After Photos
Take photos of the areas you plan to declutter. Then, take a photo after all of them are decluttered. Compare the photos. You will immediately see the difference.
Your space will look much neater, cleaner, and comfier. This will motivate you to keep decluttering. Plus, you will get a sense of satisfaction with yourself. You will feel much more excited to declutter in the future.
Conclusion
Decluttering is not for everyone. However, if you start small, you can get your momentum and keep going. The easiest way to declutter is to categorize which items to ‘keep’, ‘donate’, and ‘store’. Once that’s done, you can devise creative ways to store your things in hidden spaces.
But, if your house is too full, you can use shipping containers. They are mobile, cheap, and out of your way. So, you can store without being tempted to dig out your things. Lastly, motivate yourself with before and after photos. Once you see the difference you made, you won’t want to stop decluttering!
