5 Quick and Easy Clutter Clearing Tips
Does it seem like clutter can pile up in the blink of an eye in your house? And there’s just something about clutter that bothers me WAY more than dust! Even though clutter can pile up easily, it can also be sorted through and dealt with just as easily. Here are a few quick clutter clearing tips you can implement to help you feel less overwhelmed by the clutter.
5 Quick Clutter Clearing Tips:
1. Give Everything a Place
If your kids are having trouble keeping their rooms clean, it might be because they have too much stuff and they just don’t know where their belongings belong! Everything your child has should have a designated place. If it is in that place, it is “picked up” or “put away.”
Yes, getting to this place might take some time, but once you help your children clear and organize their rooms, giving everything a place, then daily pick-up should be quick and easy and these next few clutter clearing tips will help you get to that point.
2. Schedule Times to Donate Clutter
Pick a time, or even multiple times a year, to sort out things and make the next step to actually donate them.
A good time to sort and declutter clothing is at the changing of the seasons. For instance, when the weather grows cooler and your kids start wearing jeans (or sweats) and sweatshirts, have them go through their clothes and put in storage items that they want to save for the next year (things you think will still fit). You’ll probably also want to save clothing that will fit the next (younger) kid in line.
Have a bag or box in the room to put clothes for donating to a thrift store, as well as a bag to toss clothing that is too worn out or stained and will need to be thrown out.
When it comes to toys, a good time to sort them is just before or after the holiday season. That is usually when the most new items come flooding into the house! You might have toys your children have outgrown that you can either donate, pass along, or save for another child. And if you have toys that are missing pieces or have seen better days, throw them out.
3. Use Storage Space Wisely
It is helpful to store away things that are not in frequent use. For instance, it would be helpful to go through your homeschool classroom and clear out the learning items, books, and other materials that your children have outgrown.
Put them in a clearly labeled bin and place them in a storage area where you can easily retrieve them if there is a need. If you’re sure that you will not need them down the road, move them along by donating them to a younger homeschool family or a thrift store. You can also try reselling your used homeschool curriculum if you no longer need it.
This method can be done with a curriculum you are holding to use down the road, with clothing that is not in season (or waiting for another child to grow into them), with kitchen appliances that are not used regularly, and with toys you want to keep but aren’t of current interest to your children.
4. Utilize Bins & Organizers
Especially when you have smaller objects or objects of many different sizes, bins and organizers can be very helpful. Think of homeschool supplies like crayons, glue sticks, pipe cleaners, foam, scrap fabric, index cards, yarn, etc. All these items will seem very messy and cluttered when placed on a floor, table, or shelf.
Instead, take a bookshelf and add appropriate-sized storage containers with labels. Then, rather than a disorganized mess, you have an orderly stack of labeled bins containing all your items … with the bonus of having them easily accessible and easy to find!
A storage unit can also be helpful, especially if you have children who love starting a variety of projects that they don’t necessarily finish, or kids who enjoy collecting random objects, etc. All these things can pile up on tables, desks, floorspace, etc. and make the whole house look very messy.
But if you get a simple storage unit to stash under the bed or table or desk, this can be your child’s special collecting space. It doesn’t really matter how messy it is inside the drawers as long as those things are not in plain sight, right? Then your children can keep those things (even the things you would rather toss) and still keep their spaces clutter-free!
5. Schedule 10-Minute Pick-Ups
One of the most useful clutter clearing tips I have is this:
At the end of your school day, before bedtime, or at any time that seems fitting, enlist a 10-minute Pick-Up.
If it’s at the end of the school day, set a 10-minute timer in which they perform tasks such as throwing away paper scraps, putting books away, sharpening pencils for the next day, etc.
If it’s at night, they can put away any toys or other activities they may have gotten out during the day.
This 10-minute process is fairly quick and effective, especially if you are already using the previous quick clutter clearing tips.
Other Posts You Might Enjoy
If you find that household clutter drives you batty, I encourage you to try implementing the above quick clutter clearing tips, as well as checking out some of these helpful posts:
- Organizing Your Homeschool Space
- Why Too Much Clutter is Hurting Your Homeschool
- Homeschool Room Organization Ideas
- 6 Realistic Tips for Tackling Clutter
What clutter clearing tips do you have? Share them with us in the comments!
I just have a couple of tips about donating. Smaller thrift stores tend to throw less in the trash than most big national chains. Also, some thrift stores recycle stained clothes or, like mine, send them to 3rd world countries. I chose based on that and based on the charity they support. It’s worth looking into, as it’s a few quick phone calls.
Great tips! Another tip for donating: Local foster groups are always in need of donations for all ages (newborn to age 18) and sizes (preemie – Men’s XXL). Donating items to a foster group may or may not be tax-deductible, depending on the group, but the items WILL be used! Many children who are placed into the foster care system are placed extremely quickly and arrive at a foster home/group home/relative’s home with just the clothes on their backs. Having items like clothing, shoes, underwear, books, toys, baby essentials, mattresses, etc. will allow a foster family to take in a child in need and provide for these needs immediately.
Great tips…I do just about all of these! I have 8 kids 11 and under. That said, we have many “clutter” areas…mainly any flat space available (an end table, a chair, the floor, a desk, the counters, and even the arms of the couch, etc.). I usually go through after our “quick pick-ups” and collect stuff the kids missed and put in a box or a laundry basket. If they’re toys they go in the “Toy Jail” (to be let out after working for 15 minutes or paying $.10) or put away. This works especially well if company is coming over and there is not much time to really clean 🙂
We live in an area with a community center that gives items to needy people (many of whom are homeless/house less). I sort things for foster care donation, community center donation, friends, and thrift store that gives me a coupon when I donate. It helps to have numerous places to give where you know most of the items will be used and enjoyed. Some years our church youth group has a big yardsale to off set summer camp costs – if I know they are having a sale I will save stuff for them. Decluttering is a constant chore. But since I finally discovered places in my area that I feel are great places to donate to, the chore has become more of an enjoyable one! ❤️