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How to Declutter and Organize Your Home for the New Year!

How to Declutter and Organize Your Home for the New Year!
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Small steps to declutter and organize can lead to tidier spaces.

How to Declutter and Organize your Home

As we start the New Year, it’s time to create a doable plan to declutter and organize all areas of your home. But, without adding stress to your already hectic life.

Follow the below steps to get you on your way to a clutter-free and tidy home.

Things to have on-hand before you declutter and organize:

  •  Trashbags
  •  Paper towels and cleaner
  •  Broom and dust pan
  •  Vacuum cleaner and hose.

Simple Ways to Declutter and Organize your Spaces:

  • Start by getting rid of all the trash.
  • Choose one small area to organize, like a drawer.
  • Sort items into three piles: Keep, Donate, and Toss.
  • Find a home for everything you are planning to keep.
  • Group similar items together so you know where to find them.
  • Before you buy something new, get rid of something else to limit extra items.
  • Don’t hoard items for your heirs. Ask if they want it, and be ready for them to say no.
  • Schedule small amounts of time to work on decluttering and organizing each day or week.
organize and declutter your house

A Few Pointers and Tips to Declutter and Organize Your Home:

1) Just Start Somewhere

Start with the area of the house that bothers you the most (mine is the kitchen). One hour on that task will get you energized to organize more!

2) Create a “Donate” Box

Keep this box by the door so you can grab it when you’re leaving the house. Put in it anything you’re planning to donate, give to a friend, or to recycle.

3) Take Down the Decorations

The holidays are over! As you are putting away your decor, separate decorations by holiday. Throw away anything you didn’t use this year.

4) Create an Entryway System

Set up a command center near your entry/exit door. Add hooks for coats, bins for shoes, and a mail sorter.

5) Gather your Pet Supplies

Hang hooks and cubbies near the door and keep leashes, food, bowls, and toys in one convenient spot.

6) Organize your Spices

Arrange your herbs and spices alphabetically, or by cuisine. This will make them easier to find when you’re cooking.

7) Pare Down your Utensils

Cut back on your kitchen utensils and use drawer dividers or double utensil dividers to keep everything in order.

8) Get Rid of Extra Pots and Pans

Donate pots and pans you hardly ever use and install cupboard organizers to help manage the rest.

9) Purge Expired Foods

Cut back on your kitchen utensils and use drawer dividers or double utensil dividers to keep everything in order.

10) Stack your Pantry Items

Sort through your staple dry goods (flour, sugar, pasta, oatmeal, beans) and put them in airtight, stackable containers.

11) Downsize Kitchen Gadgets

Sell or giveaway those space-hogging kitchen gadgets that don’t really help with your cooking or meal prep.

12) Get Rid of Extra Coffee Mugs

This is a hard one for me (I LOVE seasonal coffee mugs). But, to keep your cabinets cleaned out, only keep one or two mugs per person in your household. Donate the rest.

13) Toss Unmatching Food Storage Containers

No singles allowed. Toss any tops or bottoms that have no mates. This will really help clear up some clutter.

14) Assess your Display Shelves

You don’t need shelves crammed with little knick-knacks, books you don’t read, and more unnecessary stuff to collect dust. Donate what you can and nicely arrange what’s left.

15) Put Clothes on New Hangers

Buy new, slim hangers that keep your clothes on the hangers. They use less space and help keep clothing off of the floor. Discard clothing you haven’t worn in a year.

purge old clothes and buy new hangers for organization

16) Group Accessories Together

Buy accessory hangers or install hooks on a wall to corral belts, scarves, purses, hats, and jewelry.

17) Reduce Bed Linens and Towels

Only keep the really nice, constantly used towels, washcloths, potholders, dishtowels, and bedding. Whatever you don’t need, donate them to the animal shelter.

18) Hang a Shoe Organizer

Hanging shoe organizers are great for a multitude of uses. Not just for shoes, but they can store scarves, toys, cleaning supplies, and craft supplies. And, you can trim them to fit inside a cabinet door.

19) Declutter and Organize your Desk

With more people working from home, this is an essential task. Keep the top of your workspace clean, with minimal items like a stapler, mouse and mousepad, keyboard, and pen cup.

declutter and organize your desk and home office

20) Tidy your Files and Shred Old Paperwork

Shred any old papers and receipts that you’ve had for several years. Also, tidy up your files by organizing them by color and labeling them clearly.

21) Pare Down your Personal Care Items

Grab your trash bag and throw away any expired personal care items, hair products, makeup and mascara, lotions, powders, and medications.

22) Purge Under the Sink

Clean out everything under the sink (this goes for the kitchen and in every bathroom). Then, buy some really great multi-tiered organizers and clear bins so you can easily see and access your daily essentials.

23) Hang a Shelf or Two

Find a spot in your home where a shelf would solve a problem and hang it! This could be useful in a bathroom, bedroom, laundry room, or for your kid’s stuffed toys.

24) Declutter and Organize those Junk Drawers

We all have them. Dump your drawer onto one surface and sort everything into piles. Once cleaned out, use drawer dividers to maintain a more organized space.

25) Store Your Tools Correctly 

Keep a complete toolbox in a drawer so everyone knows where it is. This should have a tape measure, screwdrivers, hammer, nails, screws, picture hanging kits, etc. For lots of tools, you may want to keep them in an easily accessible space in the garage or basement, and use a pegboard and clear labels. 


A Few Words on Decluttering and Organizing

For anyone, decluttering can be something we try and put off – maybe we don’t have the energy to do it today, maybe we will feel more like organizing tomorrow. To this I say, set a goal to not only get rid of more but to buy less.

Finally, remember that the happiest people don’t have the best of everything, but they make the best of everything. : )


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