6 Declutter Ideas to Brighten Your Home & Your Spirits

Sunshine Drapery sliding glass doors window treatment

We all sometimes find ourselves bored in our home and feeling overwhelmed by the “things” we have collected. It may only take a little time to declutter our homes to brighten our spirits and make our homes look inviting again. Below are six ideas to clean and declutter your living spaces to make life simply feel better.

Containers

Do you have a cupboard that is overflowing with mismatched containers and lids? Somehow you tend to lose containers, but the lids multiply like extra socks in the laundry. Take a moment to sort through your plastic containers and make sure that every container has a lid that fits snuggly. Throw out any extra lids and containers so that next time you are looking for somewhere to store that leftover spaghetti, you have a container and a lid that matches.

Clothing

We tend to keep clothes that don’t fit, “just in case.” Take an afternoon to try on those clothes that you haven’t worn in awhile and donate the ones that don’t fit. Once you are down to those pieces of clothing that fit, try this trick to declutter your closet even more. Turn all of the hangers backward, and as you wear and wash something, return it to its hanger hung in the correct direction. After a month, take note of the clothes that are still backwards on the hanger. Do you need them? Would you ever wear them? Someone else may actually wear those black suede pants you’ve kept hidden away in your closet. Let them.

Bins and Baskets

Utilize bins and baskets for little items. For instance, put all of the remotes and game controllers in a basket by the television and store tape, scissors, stapler, and other home office supplies in a bin on your desk. Use an extra plastic utensil holder in a desk drawer to sort pens, pencils, and markers. Use simple dollar store lidded containers to separate and store items in your bathroom or hall closet, such as first aid supplies, makeup, lotions, hair supplies, and so on. If you need additional storage space, you may consider renting a self storage unit so you can further declutter your home. You can free up a lot of space in your home if you decide to put your stuff in storage units.

Pantry

The pantry tends to get messy without you even noticing. You may think that you are preparing for the unexpected or stocking up during a sale, but what you are really doing is making a cluttered pantry. If your pantry and storage cabinets are overflowing, it may be time to purge. Begin by checking the dates on older items and throwing out anything that is past its due date. Do not donate expired products; no one wants that. Then pull out anything that you don’t think that your family will consume and donate those items to a local food bank. Next organize your pantry, even using a labeling system, by pasta, canned goods, breakfast items, soups, and paper products.

Prescription Medications

Medications change, and sometimes we end up with a medicine cabinet full of unused or old prescription drugs. It’s important to properly dispose of them, preferably at an authorized collector, such as the local police station or fire station. If there are no disposal locations in your vicinity, you can get rid of prescriptions by first mixing them with an unpalatable substance, such as coffee grounds or kitty litter, sealing them in a bag, and throwing them into the regular trash.

Window Treatments

There’s nothing worse than pulling down your blinds to hear a string snap. Instead of replacing all of your blinds, have them professionally cleaned and repaired to make them look just like new. For your beautiful draperies, have them cleaned either on-site or in-plant by professional, local cleaners who specialize in drapery cleaning. Once you have your home decluttered and organized, it’s time to open the blinds, let in the sunlight, and relax! You’ll feeler lighter and happier with less “stuff” cluttering your rooms and it’ll be easier to keep clean as well.