Put clutter in its place
D
A few simple tips can bring order to chaos
o you remember what your
desktop looks like? How about
your bedroom floor? Do you
have fond memories of when
you could open the closet door without
things tumbling out?
Clutter is a problem for most people, especially if you have a busy schedule or have lived in your house for a
long time. Most people have a goal to
someday declutter their home.
A few simple tips can help you take
charge of the clutter in your home and
to keep it that way.
Start small Yes, you want to declutter the entire house but that can
be such an overwhelming task that it
never gets done. Instead, focus on one
specific area – the desktop or the medicine cabinet or at least one room, say
the living room, where you’ll notice the
difference immediately. Sticking with
a smaller area will give you instant results and keep you motivated for future
tasks.
Limit your cleaning to an hour,
which will keep you at the task and
prevent frustration. Create a song
playlist on your iPod or an Internet
music site that totals an hour. That’ll
help you keep track of how long
you’re cleaning plus will make it more
enjoyable.
Throw things away Unless you’re
hoping to be featured on the TV show
Hoarders, you have a lot of things that
could be thrown away. Mail is one of
16
the biggest offenders. Sort it when you
bring it in, toss the junk, file the bills
and respond to anything that requires
immediate attention.
The refrigerator and kitchen cabinets also contain a lot of unused – and
often spoiled – food. Toss the bad stuff
and donate unwanted non-perishables
to a food bank.
You probably also have clothes in
your closet that you haven’t worn in
years. Donate it to Goodwill or a similar organization.
An easy way to determine which
clothes you wear on a regular basis
and which ones might be eligible for a
garage sale or Goodwill is the Hanger
Test.
Start by hanging all your clothes
backwards from how you normally
hang them. Then once you wear an
item, hang it back up the right way.
After six months, check to see
how many clothes remain hanging
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