Creative Ways to Declutter Your Home

We all start the decluttering process with the best intentions. But sometimes, the sheer size of the job can become discouraging. If you’re working your way through decluttering your home, but have hit a wall, don’t worry! This is actually a pretty common decluttering problem.

But there are plenty of ways to make the process more fun and help keep you motivated. Try these six creative decluttering methods to get yourself back on track.

The Three Box Method

Once you’ve gotten over the initial thrill of decluttering the easy stuff, it can be hard to keep the momentum going. The three-box method is an easy way to help you keep moving forward in your decluttering journey. Rather than dedicating time to purging and decluttering, the three-box method allows you to declutter as you go about your everyday activities.

Set up three boxes somewhere in your home, label them Put Away, Donate/Sell and Trash. As you come across items you no longer need, use or want, put them in one of the boxes. Then when the box is full, you just have to follow the directions on the label. This method takes the pressure off and makes it easy to deal with stuff you no longer want to keep.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

If you’re having a hard time letting go of your stuff, you’re not alone. The need to keep something “just in case” can be paralyzing. And it’s the most common reason people hold onto things they no longer have use for. To help you get over the “what if I need it?” hurdle, try packing your stuff away in a box and storing it out of sight somewhere.

Knowing that you can always access your stuff if you need it takes the pressure off getting rid of things. And chances are good you won’t even think about those items once they’re out of sight. After a few months, you should be able to donate the box without any internal struggles.

Set a Timer

If you tend to work better under pressure, then this method is for you! Set a timer for 10 or 15 minutes and start a mad decluttering dash. The goal is not to think and just get rid of as much as you can, as fast as you can. Schedule a “dash” once a week and you’ll notice a difference before long. You can also use this in combination with the three-box method for even more progress.

Take the 30-Day Decluttering Challenge

This game starts out easy but gets progressively harder as you go. On day one, you get rid of one thing. On day two, two things have to go. Keep going in this manner until you get to decluttering 30 things on day 30. If you stick with it and complete the challenge, you will have removed 465 items from your home!

Since this one requires a bit more dedication than some of the other ideas on the list, you may want to encourage friends, family members or neighbors to do it with you. This will help you stay on track and to make it a bit more fun.

One In, Two Out

This little trick will help you keep the clutter out of your home before it even starts. The idea is simple. If you buy something new, you have to get rid of two items you already own. Not only does this cut clutter by always reducing the number of items in the house, but it will also help you curb spending and be more intentional with your purchases.

Establish a Permanent Donation Box

After you’ve done the bulk of the decluttering, you still have to maintain your clutter-free home. To help keep the clutter from creeping back in and new piles from forming, set up a permanent donation box. It doesn’t actually have to be a box – you can use a bag, basket, laundry hamper or whatever receptacle works for you and your family.

Then whenever you come across an item you no longer need, you can just drop it in the box. When the box gets full, take a trip to your local donation center and drop off your excess items. Just be sure to pack everything up quickly without going through it or you may end up second-guessing your decisions.

Decluttering can seem like an overwhelming job at times. But you can bring some fun into it with these six creative ways to declutter!