5 Quick Clutter Clearing Tips
I don’t know about you but it seems like clutter can pile up in the blink of an eye in our house! Clutter bothers me WAY more than dust! Therefore I have implemented a few quick clutter clearing tips to help me feel less overwhelmed by the clutter.
5 Quick Clutter Clearing Tips:
1. Everything Needs a Place
I remember reading somewhere once that if your kids are having trouble keeping their rooms clean, it might be because they have too much stuff! Everything your child has should have a designated place where it is deemed “picked up” or “put away”.
I understand that getting to this place might take some time, but once you help your child clear and organize their rooms, giving everything a place, then daily pick up should be quick and easy.
2. Donation Times
Pick a time, or multiple times a year to sort out things to donate.
For us we sort clothing at the changing of the seasons. For instance, when it is time to start wearing jeans and sweatshirts, we go through our clothes. At this time, we put in a bin items that we want to save for the next year (things you think may still fit then), or items in the case of our eldest daughter, items we are saving for the younger daughter. Be sure to have a bag to put clothes for donation and a bag to put clothing that is too warn out or stained that will need to be thrown out.
When it comes to toys, we do this before Christmas. Christmas is often when the most new items will come flooding into the house! We often have toys the children have outgrown that we can either donate, pass along, or save for another child. We also have toys that are missing pieces or have just seen better days that can thrown out. By cleaning out toy boxes and book shelves ahead of time, it affords us the room to accommodate the new items.
3. Use Storage Space Wisely
We moved into our new house 6 years ago because we needed more space. I swear we have outgrown the space (even though we haven’t added any people)! It is helpful to store away things that are not in frequent use. For instance, I just recently went through our homeschool room and cleared out many learning items, books, etc. that all of our children have outgrown. Putting them in a clear labeled bin and placing them in our basement storage areas where I can easily retrieve them if there is a need.
This method can be done with 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 on a daily basis, with toys that you want to keep but aren’t of current interest to your children.
4. Bins & Organizers Are Your Friend
Especially when you have smaller objects, or objects of many different sizes, bins and organizers can be very helpful. Take all of our homeschool supplies for instance. Think items 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 book shelf and add appropriate sized storage containers with labels. Then instead of a mess of things, you have an orderly stack of labeled bins containing all your items with a bonus of having them easily accessible and easy to find!
Even if you don’t organize within a storage unit, a storage unit can still be helpful. My 7 year old likes to make projects, not finish projects, hoard random objects, etc. All her things pile up on a table and make it look very messy. What I did was add a three drawer storage unit under her table. I don’t care how messy it is inside the drawers as long as her things are not on top of the table. This allows her to keep all of her things (even if I think they are garbage) and still keep her table clutter free!
5. 10 Minute Pick-Ups
At the end of your school day, or before bedtime, or any time that seems fitting, enlist a 10 Minute Pick-Up. For us each person’s pick-up time is usually scattered based on when they finish their school work and want to move on to free time. Before moving on to free time all their mess from their school day needs to be picked-up so we set a 10 minute timer and they will throw away paper scraps, put books away, sharpen pencils, etc. We also do this at night pertaining to any toys or other activities they may have gotten out.
This 10 minute process is fairly quick and effective when you are already using the previous quick clutter clearing tips.
So if you are like me and you find that the clutter drives you batty and makes the house feel like a tornado hit, I encourage you to try implementing these 5 quick clutter clearing tips.
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! ❤️