November 29, 2024, 3:24 pm | Read time: 5 minutes
Tidying up is not a favorite pastime for many people. However, decluttering or tidying up can also be liberating. Decluttering is one way to get rid of unnecessary things in your home and life. You can read how to proceed with this stress-free method of decluttering here.
It feels like every time you look, there’s already a mess in your home. Numerous objects pile up in one corner, and clothes end up in another. This not only creates clutter but also makes cleaning more difficult. To avoid this, it makes sense to thoroughly declutter your home. Tidying coach Esther Lübke from the “Ärmel-Hoch” team also recommends this. “We believe that clearing out and getting rid of clutter is an important measure. In the long term, you’ll be more satisfied and, yes, happier too,” the expert tells myHOMEBOOK. The decluttering method is best suited for stress-free tidying and clearing out.
Overview
What is decluttering?
A glance at the English language reveals that “clutter” is used in English-speaking countries to describe “disorder,” as well as superfluous clutter. “To declutter” therefore means nothing more than to remove these unnecessary things from your home and household and then clear them out.
How does the decluttering method work?
Of course, clearing out and decluttering your home is nothing new. Rather, it is a method that involves a systematic decluttering process. Decluttering is, therefore, particularly suitable for people who find it very difficult to part with things.
This method is also promising for anyone who finds it difficult to declutter their home. Unlike Marie Kondo’s method, for example, decluttering involves clearing out your apartment, house, desk, or even just a drawer in small steps. This small-step approach makes it easier to get started, motivates you thanks to quick, visible success, and avoids excessive demands and frustration.
If you want to declutter your home in a structured and long-term way, you can use special decluttering checklists. These can also be created individually before decluttering.
More efficient cleaning Save time cleaning your home with the “one tool” method
Furnishings 4 interior tips for decorating a sideboard attractively
New kitchen, floor coverings, … No floor plan available? How to determine room dimensions
9 tips for a relaxed decluttering of the home
Decluttering should be enjoyable and stress-free, not a perpetual task. So here are nine tried-and-tested tips for decluttering using the decluttering method:
1. Plan first, then declutter
Before decluttering, it is advisable to go through each individual room or area. This inventory helps to get an overview of the areas or rooms that could benefit particularly from decluttering. Make a written note of which individual areas should be tackled. After clearing out, you can then tick off these points not just mentally – this provides additional motivation.
2. Recognize clutter hotspots
In which places do things keep piling up and accumulating? Recognize these places and note them individually instead of as an entire room. So, rather write “desk surface” instead of “study.”
3. Prioritize areas and set goals
Which hotspot needs it most? Which area, on the other hand, requires little time and can be cleared out quickly? Prioritize all the points you have noted. Be sure to calculate current possibilities and the time available. It is best to set goals for yourself and plan generous time windows.
4. Think small
Deliberately break down the big decluttering project into many small parts. Under no circumstances should you undertake large projects, such as the entire garage, a complete room, or the entire cellar and attic! It’s better to break down the room, garage, and attic into lots of individual drawers, boxes, or hotspots.
5. Start with quick success
It is best to start with a disruptive hotspot or an area where the quickest success is visible. For example, objects (pots and pans, flower pots, etc.) with few emotions and memories attached to them, which can make decluttering very difficult, are also ideal to start with.
6. Sort items into three categories
All items in each hotspot should be divided into three categories:
- Keep
- Sort out
- Temporary storage
If you are still inexperienced at sorting out, you may find it difficult to part with your belongings. In this case, things can be assigned to the third pile. This pile is then stored for a year in a box in the attic, for example. Whenever you need an item from it, you can take it out. If you don’t need the items at all, the box can be cleared out after a year.
Tip: Do the “Keep” and “Temporary storage” piles mutate into skyscrapers? Is the “Sort out” pile not growing at all? In this case, things should be looked at again and, above all, sorted more critically.
7. Find a permanent place for things
All things that should stay need a suitable fixed place. Keep the same things in the same place and preferably where you will use them. For example, keep all your pens in one box on your desk instead of scattered around your home.
8. Give away and sell instead of throwing away
Of course, not everything from the throwaway pile has to and should go in the garbage can after you’ve cleared out. For many things, for example, it is definitely worth reselling them via internet platforms or flea markets. Items such as clothing or household utensils can also be donated to social institutions. In large cities, a “To Give Away” box on your doorstep is also a quick and easy solution for passing on things you no longer need.
9. Celebrate successes and be proud
And last but not least, probably the most important and greatest tip for successfully decluttering your home: be proud of your achievements and celebrate your perseverance and all the empty, tidy corners in your home!
Note: Whether giving away, selling, or throwing away: If possible, get rid of the discarded items as soon as possible! Otherwise, you have just created another hotspot.