5 Rules for Decluttering Your Home

Decluttering your home is a transformative process that can bring a sense of calm, organization, and renewed energy to your living space. However, it can be challenging to know where to start and how to approach the task effectively. In this blog post, we’ll share five essential rules for decluttering your home like a pro. By following these rules and incorporating them into your decluttering journey, you’ll be well on your way to creating a harmonious and clutter-free environment. Let’s dive in and simplify your space!

Welcome to my Year Long Thorough Declutter Series. We declutter 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Each day we do a daily task based on the room we are working on. Today, our task is to start decluttering your clutter in your master bedroom. If you prefer watching videos, check out my youtube channel here. Today, we’ll look at some tips for decluttering any broken jewelry in your master bedroom.

The best way to develop a new habit is by slowly and daily application. We will begin a new daily declutter habit starting with the 2nd bathroom. In the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series, we will declutter 30 minutes a day, five days a week on weekdays. Sign up to receive daily encouragement and motivation.

Plus, you’ll learn your specific daily task to work toward completing the goal of a Year Long Thorough Declutter where you will declutter every space and learn how to start to purge your house. Are you ready to finally get organized? If so, will you join us? Leave a comment below to subscribe.

If you are new to the blog, welcome! I blog about cleaning, decluttering, and organizing. You can find my free printables to help you get organized in the drop down menu under the Printables category.

Currently we are working on decluttering the Master Bedroom. The daily task for today, July 10, 2023, is to begin decluttering any broken jewelry in your master bedroom. Remember, we are focusing on just the master bedroom area, so don’t declutter your whole house. We will cover each room separately.

5 Rules for Decluttering Your Home: Simplify Your Space Like a Pro

1. Rule of One: One In, One Out

A fundamental rule for maintaining an organized home is the rule of one. For every new item you bring into your home, commit to removing an equivalent item. This practice prevents clutter from accumulating and ensures that your possessions remain in balance. Whether it’s clothes, books, or kitchen gadgets, make a conscious effort to let go of something before introducing something new.

2. The 80/20 Rule: Use It or Lose It

The 80/20 rule, also known as the Pareto Principle, applies to decluttering as well. It suggests that we tend to use only 20% of our belongings 80% of the time. Evaluate each item in your home and ask yourself if it falls within the 20% of things you regularly use and love. If not, consider letting it go. Embrace the principle of simplicity by surrounding yourself only with the items that bring you joy or serve a practical purpose.

3. Sort by Category, Not by Location

When decluttering, it’s more effective to sort items by category rather than by room or location. This approach allows you to see the full extent of your belongings and make more informed decisions. For example, gather all your clothes from different areas of the house and evaluate them together. This way, you can easily identify duplicates, items that no longer fit, or those that don’t align with your current style.

4. The One-Year Rule: Let Go of Unused Items

A common source of clutter is holding onto items we haven’t used in a long time. To tackle this, implement the one-year rule. If you come across an item that you haven’t used or needed in the past year, it’s likely time to let it go. This rule applies to clothes, kitchen gadgets, decorations, and other items that tend to accumulate over time. Donate or sell these items to give them a new life and free up space in your home.

5. Small Steps: Break it Down and Celebrate Progress

Decluttering your entire home can feel overwhelming. Break the process down into small, manageable steps. Focus on one room, one area, or even one drawer at a time. Celebrate your progress along the way, whether it’s completing a decluttering session or reaching a specific milestone. Recognize that decluttering is a journey, and each step forward brings you closer to an organized and clutter-free home.

Congratulations! You now have five essential rules for decluttering your home and simplifying your space like a pro. By following the rule of one, using the 80/20 rule, sorting by category, implementing the one-year rule, and taking small steps, you’ll transform your living environment into a haven of order and tranquility. Embrace the decluttering process as an opportunity to let go of what no longer serves you and create space for what truly matters.

Incorporate these rules into your decluttering routine, be patient with yourself, and celebrate the progress you make along the way. Remember, a clutter-free home has a positive impact on your physical and mental well-being. Enjoy the benefits of an organized space and savor the newfound simplicity and serenity in your home!

I personally have a bad habit of placing items that need to be donated in the laundry room behind the door. Out of sight, out of mind, right? Wrong. Delaying decisions means we still need to declutter.

Maybe you have a habit of delaying decisions, too. Let’s decide today where your decluttered items need to go. Do they need to be donated? Disposed of? Don’t delay that decision any longer. If they need to be donated, sort and put them in your vehicle. Then, make a note in your calendar to drop them off at your favorite charity.

As you are decluttering your items, I want you to try not to just move them to another room. You may be tempted to do that. However, resist the urge to keep everything. Decluttering means we actually part with these items. Otherwise, assign those items a permanent home where you can best utilize them.

A few Declutter Tips to incorporate the Rules for Decluttering

1.Only spend time on your specific daily task.

2.Do not get side-tracked or distracted.

3.Work within a time of day that you have the most energy and stamina. This is one of the most useful declutter motivation tips. Listen to your body and work at decluttering when you feel the most alert and energized.

4.Avoid thinking too long about whether to keep or discard an item. This is one specific way for How to Be Ruthless When Decluttering.

5.Avoid cleaning during your declutter. The goal is to purge the dead weight. Getting rid of the clutter is your priority. Cleaning can be accomplished later. Read on for more declutter motivation tips and my room specific deep clean checklist, though, as you will begin cleaning after your declutter.

Declutter Tips to help you apply the Rules for Decluttering

Supplies Needed:

1. boxes -preferably ones you can donate (Avoid plastic storage bins because you may be tempted to just store the items and not part with them.)

2. sturdy trash bags

3. marker/pen to label boxes

Decluttering Tip: Avoid using storage bins to declutter. Storage bins tend to tell your brain to “store” the items for later. That is just delaying decisions. If you aren’t getting rid of items when you declutter, you are not truly decluttering. This is why I recommend a trash bag, also. A trash bag tells your brain to “trash” the item.

Obviously, recycle if you have that option. The boxes you use should be ones you are willing to part with, so I recommend sturdy cardboard boxes. As to donations, there are many charities that will come pick up your items for you at your home.

I use one in particular where you can book an appointment for pick-up online. This is so convenient, as it saves you the hassle of hauling stuff away yourself. Scheduling that pick-up also motivates you to declutter by a certain date.

Steps & Tips You Need to apply the Rules for Decluttering

1. Start by eliminating trash first- use a sturdy trash bag

2. Sort items by category if needed so you can see what you have

3.Get rid of items that don’t work or that work poorly, expired items, anything you don’t love, anything that you’ll never use again

4. Box up the donations and trash/recycle the rest

5.Select a charity to donate your items and schedule the pick-up if that is an option

How Do You Declutter Your Entire House (and get it deep clean?): Need to deep clean?

First, My How to Deep Clean Your Kitchen list can be found here.

Second, My How to Deep Clean Your Bathroom list can be found here.

Third, My How to Deep Clean Your Kids’ Rooms list can be found here.

Fourth, My How to Deep Clean Your Living Room list can be found here.

Fifth, My How to Deep Clean Your Bedroom list can be found here.

You can get your printable Daily Housekeeping Routine and Deep Cleaning Your House Schedule here. This 15 page printable kit is delivered digitally to your email for you to print and personalize. What Does a Deep Clean Include? It includes a daily schedule, calendar pages, and deep cleaning checklists for every room and area of your home. Check out the link above to see a sample page of what you’ll get in my printable set designed to help you create your personal Homemaking Checklist.

Also, you can get the complete digital printable copy of the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series Calendar and Checklists here. The printable digital download is delivered to your email. It includes 25 pages of printable calendar pages and checklists to help you declutter every room in your home. You can find that here.

New to deemiddleton.com and don’t know where to start? I recommend going in this order:

Step 1: Check out this post on the 1st step you should take to get organized. If you don’t have a calendar, you can grab my free weekly printable calendar page here. It is in my shopify store, but it is totally free, so you won’t be prompted to put in any payment information. It is a free download and will be delivered straight to your email.

Step 2: Create a daily Housekeeping Schedule. You can use this series to start to set up your own schedule. You can also use this simplified weekly schedule.If you often ask: What is the fastest way to clean a dirty house? Or, if you struggle to get organized and have tried and failed time and again, you can likely find out which of these 11 reasons cause you to fail to get organized.

Step 3: How do you remove clutter? How Do You Declutter Your Home?.…Sign up for the Declutter Series and get your entire home decluttered in just 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.”Declutter Your Home” checklists are provided in each email.

Step 4: What is the fastest way to clean a dirty house? Use a timer and use the Deep Cleaning Checklists above. They will help you get your home sparkling after you’ve decluttered.

Interested in becoming a full-time blogger like me? Check out my blogging series. At the top of every page on my blog, you’ll find a drop down menu. Just select the BLOGGING category.