How To Keep Clutter Out Of Your House
In order to effectively keep clutter out of your house, it’s important to realize that there are two sides to handling the clutter problem.
The first is purposefully removing the unnecessary things from your home. And the second side is that you must also intentionally prevent the influx of new items. You can be consistently purging your things, but without thoughtfulness towards what you’re accumulating, your home will continuously stay full of meaningless clutter.
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If you’ve already been decluttering but still have a clutter problem, pay special attention to the categories below and see if one of these isn’t causing you problems.
4 CLUTTER CREATORS:
1. ACCEPTING FREE ITEMS
| -Hotel Toiletries | -Party Goody Bags |
| -Toothbrush/Floss Kit | -Company Swag |
| -Free Samples | -Hand-Me-Downs |
Just because it’s free, doesn’t mean it needs to come live in your home. Before accepting any free items, take a minute to think it through and then just say “No, thank you” to anything you genuinely don’t need or want. It’s almost always easier to keep something out of your home, than it is to get rid of it once it’s inside.
Hand Towel Similar / Wipes Dispenser / Sea grass Basket Similar
2. BUYING THINGS WITH EXTRA ACCESSORIES
| -Doll w/hair brush, pacifier, clothes, bottles, food, high chair, and dishes | -Camera w/strap, carrying bag, SD cards, extra lens caps |
| -Grill set w/tongs, gloves, apron, chef hat, spatula, meat shredder, and fork | -Hot Wheels set w/extra cars, endless parts, pieces, and attachments |
| -Smoothie Blender w/assorted cups, lids, straws, and attachments |
You get the idea. So many things we buy come with extra pieces that we don’t necessarily want or need. And often, these extra parts just end up adding clutter in our homes. So before you buy, consider buying the one without all the extras. If your daughter wants a doll for her birthday, choose one with only one or two accessories rather than ten. This goes for the smoothie blender you want for the kitchen or the spatula your husband needs for his grill. Remember more accessories is not necessarily better. It often means you are accumulating and storing things you don’t need and won’t use.
3. BUYING BULK / TOO MANY MULTIPLES
| -50 pack of hair ties | -18 shades of eye shadow palette |
| -10 pack of pens | -12 pack of wash cloths |
| -36 piece Tupperware set | -40 count batteries |
| -198 count assorted bandages | -30 Rolls of Toilet Paper |
Bigger, super-sized, or more doesn’t necessarily mean better. If you don’t pay attention to how many items come in a pack/set, then before you know it, your drawers and cabinets are quickly filled up storing all the extras. And things like oversize laundry detergent, packs of toilet paper, or cleaning products can take up storage space that you may not have. Take some time to stop and consider how many items you actually need for the near future (not a lifetime supply!) and buy that amount. Don’t worry, you can always get more if/when you need them.
4. ACCUMULATING PERSONAL CARE/CLEANING PRODUCTS
| -Shampoo/Conditioner | -Makeup |
| -Nail Polish | -Hair Products |
| -Face Lotions | -Household Cleaners |
How many multiples of personal or cleaning products do you have sitting in your bathroom or kitchen, cluttering up the drawers and cabinets? It’s easy to get excited and buy a new magic face lotion, miracle sink cleaner, or incredible makeup product to add to your collection. But make a practice of completely using up a product before purchasing or trying out a new one. If you really don’t like the one you have enough to finish it, go ahead and toss it or donate it to someone that will use it.
REMEMBER : ALWAYS HAVE A DONATION BOX
Sometimes, despite your best efforts, there’s nothing you can do to prevent extra things from coming into your home. Maybe you accepted the toothbrush kit from the dentist because you know you’ll use the toothbrush even though you don’t want the rest. Or you needed a new blender, but you won’t use all the parts that came with it. In cases like these, keep what you need, but go ahead and toss the extras straight into the donation box. Always have a designated box and keep it in an easily accessible location such as a closet, laundry room, or garage. This makes it simple to discard things immediately rather than letting them accumulate inside your house. Once the box is full, donate everything.
