DIY- How to Declutter Your Home, so You Can Enjoy it More.
Less is more
As you are traveling from room to room in your house do you get the feeling that it is shrinking?
The house is not actually shrinking, but if more and more stuff is getting brought into your home and less is leaving, your living space will eventually start to feel smaller.
In reality your usable living space is getting turned into storage space that you are having to live with.
Walk through the rooms and get a feel for the space. Is there plenty of room for moving around the furniture freely? Or are you bumping into things as you navigate thru the room?
If so it is past time to declutter your home!
You probably have heard the phrase "Less is More". Well that rings true when it comes to your home.
I used to be in the retail furniture business. I took advantage of the employee discount as one of the perks of working for my employer.
By the time I left that job and started working from home, I had way to much furniture in my house, for it to function properly. I bought items that were pretty but not functional for the place they intended.
My over buying, combined the stuff of 2 households turning into 1, and the house was just overflowing.
Keep the scale of the room versus the furniture to make sure that you are not buying furniture that will be to large. This is a common problem that makes a room way to crowded.
Because I am home more now, I have come to appreciate the amount of space that is here, and no longer want to have it- to full of decorative items.
As much as I love to decorate, to much of a good thing is no longer such a good thing, when the house is in need of relief of being overfilled.
With the changes made and getting rid of the extra furniture the house feels like we added on to it!
Relieve the Pressure
There are several ways to relieve the pressure of an overfilled house.
Make some tough decisions on what you really need in your home. Do you have items that you never use? Items such as clothing, shoes, linens stashed in closets and under the bed that you have forgotten are there?
If you have not used them in 2 years, come on, it is time for a new home for your unused items.
Do you have furniture that is pretty to look at, but never used? ( I know that feeling)! Did you know that you can sell these items and put the money toward projects that would really improve your home?
Or use the money to spruce up your gardens, buy new outdoor furniture, or to use for any reason you can imagine.
A few suggestions on ways to get rid of items as you are getting in the decluttering mood.
Have a yard sale/garage sale.
Gather the items up and have a yard sale. Tell your neighbors about your idea and see if they want to join in to make the event a neighborhood yard sale. The more people that participate the better, as this will attract more shoppers.
Advertise your yard sale on Craigslist under the yard sale category. GIve details about the items that are going to be for sale. Place the ad several times during the week before the sale.
List larger items seperately from your yard sale in seperate ads on Craigslist. Be willing to sale them before the actual yard sale date.
Except phone calls about the sale and the individual items, so serious shoppers can contact you easily.
Ask a fair price for your unneeded items, remember the larger space feels good when the item leaves the house. The last thing you want to do is have to take it back inside the room it came out from, or have to store it in the garage for a long time.
An over filled home feels small, and it is not nearly as functional as a home with enough space.
Go through closets and you will probably find items that you no longer need or want. The more items you get rid of, the more space your home will get back and this means you will have a happier home, and family, because you are decluttering.
If you don't want to have a yard sale consider these options.
Donate your items to goodwill, or the salvation army. These are tax deductible charities, just get a legitimate receipt for the donation.
Offer your items free on the curb - this is another ad for Craigslist, if you don't want to pack the items up and travel to the charity, let people help themselves to the times by placing them, on the curb.
Add a sign to the curb stating that items are free. You won't have to deal with the people. They will help themselves.
Make sure, that if you do this, that it is during nice weather, so it is not damaged by wind or rain and you are left with a mess to clean up.
Donate the items to a school or church for students or members of the church. Many churches help out needy people and will accept clothing and some household items for these purposes. Sometimes they will arrange to pickup the donated items.
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Get Organized
With all of the decluttering that you will be doing, it is time to get organized. Place your clothes in proper areas, and get the kids in on this too. They need to make it a way of life to pick up after themselves and stay organized.
Clean out the closets, in each room of the house, to gather items to dispose of properly.
If you want to get the kids attention, offer the use the money made at the sell for a family outting! Or even use the money toward a family vacation.
This will help to get them motivated. To keep the house decluttered make the yard sale, or donation an annual event. Or even more often if needed.
Purchase containers with lids for storing seaonal decorations or camping gear or anything that needs to be protected.
If you attic is accessible, make good use of it, by placing these types of items in the attic and out of the closets.
You can do the same thing with the basement. Designate a storage area in one part of the basement. Keep the area clean and organized at all times so it is not the dreaded dungeon that no one wants to visit.
Add a garden shed to store garden supplies and tools to get them out of the garage and where they should be. (Use some of the money made from the sale of the unneeded items to buy or build a shed!) Now that is a great idea!
With these DIY tips you are well on your way to a decluttered home that will feel much larger than it does when it needs a good cleaning. Enjoy your new decluttered living space.
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