7 Decluttering Mistakes Pro Organizers Never Make

Clutter can be the bane of our existence. It invades our spaces, complicates our lives, and even affects our mental well-being. If you’re ready to regain control of your living areas, decluttering is the way to go. However, it’s important to go about it the right way to ensure long-term success. Professional organizers have mastered the art of decluttering, and they avoid certain mistakes that many people tend to make. In this article, we’ll delve into the decluttering mistakes pro organizers never make, so you can learn from the best and transform your living spaces into tranquil and organized sanctuaries.

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 garage. If you prefer watching videos, check out my youtube channel here. Today, we’ll look at some tips for decluttering any damaged or broken vacuums or those with low suction in your storage closets.

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 how to unclutter the coat closet, hall closet, and linen closet. The daily task for today, Oct 25, 2023, is to begin to declutter any damaged or broken vacuums or those with low suction in your hall closets. Remember, we are focusing on just the hall closet area, so don’t declutter your whole house. We will cover each room separately.

7 Decluttering Mistakes Pro Organizers Never Make

1. Not Having a Clear Plan

One of the most common decluttering mistakes is diving in without a plan. Professional organizers always begin with a clear strategy. They assess the space, set goals, and create a step-by-step plan of action. This helps them stay focused and prevents them from feeling overwhelmed. Before you start decluttering, take the time to plan out what you want to achieve and how you’ll get there.

2. Holding onto Sentimental Clutter

We all have sentimental items that we find hard to part with. Professional organizers understand the importance of decluttering sentimentally charged possessions, but they do it with a strategic approach. They encourage keeping only the most meaningful items and letting go of those that no longer serve a purpose or bring joy. Holding onto every sentimental item can lead to clutter and chaos, so be selective.

3. Neglecting Regular Maintenance

One of the key decluttering mistakes is thinking that it’s a one-time job. Pro organizers know that maintaining an organized space requires ongoing effort. They develop systems and routines to keep clutter at bay. Regular maintenance is crucial for preventing clutter from creeping back into your life.

4. Ignoring the “One In, One Out” Rule

To maintain an organized space, professional organizers adhere to the “one in, one out” rule. This means that when they bring in a new item, they let go of an old one. This approach ensures that clutter doesn’t accumulate over time. Before adding something new to your space, consider what you can remove to make room for it.

5. Not Sorting and Categorizing

Organizing is not just about getting rid of stuff; it’s also about putting similar items together. Professional organizers understand the importance of sorting and categorizing items. This makes it easier to find what you need and maintain an organized space. When decluttering, sort items into categories and find a proper home for each category.

6. Buying Storage Solutions Before Decluttering

Pro organizers never buy storage solutions before decluttering. It’s a common mistake to assume that more storage is the answer to clutter, but in reality, it often just hides the problem. Before investing in storage containers, declutter and determine what you truly need to keep. Then, choose the right storage solutions to fit your items.

7. Rushing the Process

Decluttering is a process that takes time, patience, and thoughtful consideration. Professional organizers know that rushing through the process can lead to hasty decisions and missed opportunities to create an efficient and organized space. Take your time, work at your own pace, and make informed decisions about what to keep and what to let go of.

Decluttering your space can be a life-changing experience, but it’s essential to avoid common mistakes that can hinder your progress. Learning from professional organizers and following their strategies can help you achieve lasting results. So, remember to plan, sort, categorize, and maintain your space with intention, and you’ll be well on your way to enjoying an organized and clutter-free environment.

Start your decluttering journey today, and transform your living spaces into the peaceful and efficient havens you deserve.

Decluttering is a transformative process that can greatly improve your living space. By avoiding the mistakes that professional organizers never make, you can achieve a clean, organized, and clutter-free environment that promotes a sense of calm and well-being.

Steps to Take & Expert Ways to Avoid Decluttering Mistakes Pro Organizers Never Make

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.

High Impact Decluttering Tips & Ways to Avoid Decluttering Mistakes Pro Organizers Never Make

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.

Expert Ways to Avoid Decluttering Mistakes Pro Organizers Never Make

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.