How To Declutter Closets and Drawers And Get Organized At Home

I find that being disorganized is stressful.  There are easy ways to get rid of clutter and organize what you need to keep.  I have outlined some cleaning tips that will help you get on your way to a simpler clutter free home.

Why do we always seem to want to put off getting organized? I'll wait for a rainy day or my New Years Resolution will be to get organized. Procrastination is what makes us get more and more disorganized.

Every time I open that junk drawer in the kitchen, I think - next time I will take the time to clean this thing out and I quickly slam the drawer shut.

My closet is full of clothes that I haven't worn in years. They are taking up valuable space and making it harder for me to even find the good clothes. For some reason, I find it difficult to just take the clothes out and give them away. There is always that nagging thought that maybe I just might have a use for them later. I know I won't. If looking at a sweater now makes me want to throw up, it most likely will a month from now as well.

Oh and I shudder to think about recipes. I write them on scratch paper, envelopes, kids report cards or whatever and then toss them up into a spare cupboard in the kitchen. Of course, now this cupboard is full of papers, paperback cookbooks, packaging tape, batteries, phone books.....

I do have some areas in my house, like most of the kitchen, that are very organized which leaves me feeling relaxed whenever I see them. Since I know what a good feeling it is to be organized, I need to be this way in every area. It is time to take action, to not wait for the perfect time, but to get organized now!

Step One:  Designate a temporary space in your house to go with everything that you are currently not using. This could be clothes, books, toys, kitchen gadgets, ugly home decor, magazines, etc..  Group like items together.  Make sure to also go through any boxes that you may already have cluttering up your storage space.  Maybe there are some good antiques that should be, carefully and in a non-cluttered sort of way, put on display.  Think hard about the items you are storing that you can't put on display and you most likely will never have a use for.  Too many of those sentimental items get lost in the chaos anyway.

Step Two:  Decide how you are going to get rid of what you have collected.  If you have a large amount, you may want to have a garage sale.  I have done several of these over the years and they have been a great way to clear out unwanted items.  Plus, it is fun to see someone else take joy in purchasing one of your items and you earn a little cash to boot!  You can also donate to Goodwill, Purple Heart or The Salvation Army.  Not only will you be helping out a charity buy you get a nice tax deduction as well.  If you have just a small amount of things to get rid of, you should consider joining Freecycle.  This is an organization, in each community, where you join on-line to give away and receive free merchandise.  You simply advertise what you are offering, which comes through on an email to other members, and anyone interested sends you a reply.  There is always someone who wants what you have!

Step Three: Organize what you are keeping based on what you have space for. If you run out of storage space, you will either need to purchase more organizational storage or continue weeding out what you have to what you really need. You may not need two blenders in your kitchen just because they both work and you might have a large crowd wanting chocolate shakes one day. Find someone else who can use that extra blender and save yourself some room.

What you use for organization can really help to eliminate clutter. Getting shoes off your closet floor and onto a shoe rack is a good example. Drawer dividers can keep small items contained in a bathroom, kitchen or office. There are so many good storage solutions out there just waiting to help us out.

I recycled a lot of second hand furniture to use for storage in my craft room which has been a lifesaver. You don't always need to spend a lot of money for good storage solutions.

The key is to start now, even if it is with just one drawer. You will feel so good after accomplishing a small area that it will spur you on to do more. Pretty soon your whole house will be clutter free and organized!