The holidays are over and what a fun-filled time it has been! It’s a new year now…time to refocus, reorganize and clean!
Every year while I am taking down my holiday decorations, I like to clean and declutter at the same time. This way I feel as though I have a fresh clean house to start the new year off right.
Here are some great ways to add a little decluttering into your new year’s cleaning:
Before you can organize, you need to declutter. This does not mean you have to get rid of everything you own! It simply means sorting out items and keeping them under control.
Decide which room to start in and pick a small area that needs attention. Start in a place that won’t overwhelm you right from the start, like a corner of your bedroom or a draw in your kitchen.
Get 4 large bins and label each bin: Bin 1 – “Put Away,” Bin 2 – “Keep,” Bin 3 “Donate,” and Bin 4 – “Broken.” Have a trash bag on hand as well.
Take everything out of the space you are cleaning, put it aside and clean the area thoroughly.
Sort out the items put aside by placing them in the proper bins.
After all the items are in the bins, start emptying the bins. Put the items back that belong in the area you just cleaned, and put the items that belong someplace else in the house back in their designated spots.
Move on to the next spot and get ready to tackle it the same way… empty, clean, declutter, put back.
This routine will help you manage your home and stay on top of those “quick clutter” areas like kitchen counters, dresser drawers, hall closets and desk tops, that seem to clutter up the quickest.
Good luck and have fun!
